Dazzling Stars and Gleaming Spotlights

 The 28th Shanghai Television Festival (STVF) is scheduled to take place from June 19th to 23rd. Since its founding in 1986, the STVF has grown into one of the most important international television exchange platforms in the Asia-Pacific region. Concurrently, the "Magnolia Awards," one of the top three TV drama awards in China, garners significant attention from both domestic and international peers at every edition.

 The 28th STVF comprises five major sections: the opening ceremony, TV market, STVFORUM, the offline public screening programme, and the Magnolia Awards Ceremony. Adhering to the festival's principles of professionalism, internationalism, and benefiting the public, the event continuously innovates its mechanisms, promoting Sino-foreign television cultural exchanges, satisfying the spiritual and cultural needs of the people, and advancing the development of China's TV cause and industry.

 In fact, the 28th STVF was originally scheduled for last year, and was postponed to this year. After two years of accumulating momentum, the Magnolia Awards has experienced growth in both “quality” and “quantity”, resulting in a collection of outstanding works on the screen and dazzling stars on the red carpet, showcasing the new achievements and image of China's television industry. The offline public screening activities will be fully revamped, allowing the excellent culture embodied in television works to permeate every corner of the city and transforming the "STVF" into a "People's Festival with Warmth."

 Soaring Popularity!

"Magnolia Awards" Showcases "Clash of the Titans" Once Again

 The Magnolia Awards, known in the industry and among netizens as a "Clash of the Titans" year after year, has received nearly 1,900 television works from 49 countries and regions across five continents for this edition, making the foundation for the award more solid and the competition fiercer. Among these works, Chinese television dramas encompass almost all the well-received productions from the past two years, with a series of shows reflecting the face of China's modernization, making the people the protagonists, and expressing the people's emotions and feelings, converging at the STVF.

 In the past two years, the highly popular dramas BEYOND, DECISIVE VICTORY, THE EXAMINATION FOR EVERYONE, ENEMY, WILD BLOOM, THE WIND FROM THE LONGXI, MEDAL OF THE REPUBLIC, ORDINARY GREATNESS, RESET, THE KNOCKOUT, FAITH MAKES GREAT, THE IDEAL CITY, A DREAM OF SPLENDOR, THE BOND, MILES TO GO, A LIFELONG JOURNEY, THREE-BODY, THE LONG RIVER, OUR TIMES, REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST, BRIGHT FUTURE and THE STORY OF XING FU are among the 22 works nominated for the Best TV Drama. They adhere to the guidance of socialist core values, conveying positive values of aspiration and goodness; they persist in the combination of realism and romanticism, allowing people to see beauty and hope; they promote the flourishing of diverse flowers, and advocate for warmth and brightness to become the general keynote of TV dramas across all genres and themes.

 The roster for the overseas drama category encompasses entries from North America including 1923, BETTER CALL SAUL - SEASON 6, AFTER and SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, from Europe 1985, WOMEN AT WAR, BLANCA, THE PALACE, and INSIDE NO.9 SERIES 7, as well as the Japanese drama REBOOTING, much loved by the Chinese audience. The shortlists for the documentary and animation categories also brim with outstanding domestic and foreign entries. In the documentary section: Ireland's NORTH CIRCULAR, France's NADIA, Finland's KARAOKE PARADISE, a UK/Switzerland/USA/France joint production THE FIRE WITHIN: REQUIEM FOR KATIA AND MAURICE KRAFFT, COTTON HARVEST, BBC's grand piece THE GREEN PLANET, USA's the CRIME OF THE CENTURY, Germany/Canada's DEADLY SCIENCE, and China's A LONG CHERISHED DREAM and THE LAND OF THE SPIRITS. Some of these works have also been selected for offline screenings, marking their first collective meet with the Chinese audience.

 In the list of animated film nominees, the Shanghai-produced YAO-CHINESE FOLKTALES stands out. The film tells eight independent stories rooted in traditional Chinese culture through animation, covering a wide range of themes, from nostalgia for rural life to apocalyptic sentiments, from care for life to reflections on humanity. It lays out a world imbued with Chinese imagination, demonstrating the timeless charm of Chinese culture. Additionally, the constantly growing reputation of American KUNG FU PANDA DRAGON KNIGHT, Japanese MOB PSYCHO 100 III, Finnish/British children's animation MOOMINVALLEY SEASON 3, British THE SMEDS AND THE SMOOS, Italian THE CASE, and Japanese TO YOUR ETERNITY, join four Chinese animations YAO-CHINESE FOLKTALES, WHITE CAT LEGEND 2, THE DEGENERATE-DRAWING JIANGHUA S5, and TRACKS IN THE SNOWY FOREST in competing for the Best Animated Film and Best Animated Screenplay awards.

 The variety show nominee list includes cultural programs such as CHINA IN POETRY AND PAINTING, THE STORY OF CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY, LITERARY STORIES OF JIANGNAN, “CHINESE FESTIVALS” SERIES, MOST BEAUTIFUL CENTRAL AXIS, and THE NATION’S GREATEST TREASURE – SPECIAL EDITION OF EXHIBITION & PERFORMANCE. Music and dance performances dominate with STREET DANCE OF CHINA SEASON 5, TIME CONCERT 2, and INFINITY AND BEYOND. Gala events include THE 2021 MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL GALA OF THE CHINA MEDIA GROUP and 2022 BILIBILI NEW YEAR'S EVE. Slow-paced variety shows featuring different lifestyles such as countryside, green, and returning to nature include BECOME A FARMER, READING ON THE ISLAND, and HOMES IN BEAUTIFUL CHINA. The innovative theoretical program CHINA NOW, which combines current hot topics concerning people's livelihood, society, and politics with interactive formats, is also among the 15 works vying for the Best Variety Program title.

 This year, the Magnolia Awards selection process for the first time has incorporated internet audio-visual content into its submission and collection scope across all categories, receiving enthusiastic industry feedback. In the animation, documentary, and overseas drama units, internet audio-visual content makes up about 50% of the total submissions. For the television drama category within the Chinese drama unit, online dramas account for 32% of the total Chinese drama submissions; the number of online variety show submissions contributes to 37% of the variety category. During the Shanghai TV Festival, the "China New Media Development Report" will be released. Representatives from online audio-visual platforms and web-born content creators will be invited to discuss around the topic of "Exploring Z-Generation Web-born Content Trends".

 During the festival, the jury will conduct final reviews for domestic and foreign TV dramas, documentaries, and animated films, while the variety category winners will be determined by the selection committee's vote. The winners of all major awards will be announced at the Magnolia Awards Ceremony held at the Mercedes-Benz Cultural Center on the evening of June 23rd.

 Hot Topic!

What is the future of television? How should it be created?

 As an internationally influential TV festival on a global scale, the Shanghai TV Festival will gather TV industry professionals from around the world. These professionals will engage in fervent discussions about film and television creation and the future thereof, continually exploring and innovating, sparking ideas through exchanges, and striving to bring audiences works with higher quality and audio-visual enjoyment.

 This year marks the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's proposal of the "Belt and Road" Initiative. The cultural industry, serving as the nexus of economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchange, is the most solid and reliable entity supporting the cultural outreach of the "Belt and Road". The opening ceremony of this year's TV festival will launch the Belt and Road TV Showcase programme, aimed at strengthening the mutual broadcasting of media in "Belt and Road" countries, and promoting the exchange of excellent TV programs. The offline public screening activity will plan a "Belt and Road" special screening, delivering some of the latest excellent TV works from "Belt and Road" countries to citizens through centralized screenings right at their "doorsteps".

 The "Magnolia Vision" TV Market will host a series of promotional meetings and salon events titled "Focus on Overseas", inviting presenters and overseers of overseas business from China, Japan, Malaysia, and France. They will jointly explore the current demands and changes in the international television market, analyze the challenges of selling in the international TV market and future directions. By harnessing the power of television programs and focusing on telling Chinese stories well, they aim to innovatively promote international communication. The Magnolia Forum will focus on the new changes in the international communication environment, gathering guests from home and abroad to collectively explore the new trends, channels, and models for the outbound spread of Chinese stories in a comprehensive media environment. While promoting Chinese stories abroad, the STVF warmly welcomes excellent works from all over the world. The TV Market has attracted on-site exhibition setups from entertainment industry companies such as the French MIP Entertainment Content Market, South Korea's KOCCA, Japan's Tokyo TV, and the British BBC. The Magnolia Awards has broadened its base, extending contacts with television culture organizations from several countries, attracting participation from institutions such as the Hungarian National Television and the Seoul TV Drama Awards in South Korea.

 In addition to an international perspective, the STVF also strives to enhance its "window value" by leveraging its platform's inherent attractive and radiating capacities to drive industry quality improvements. The STVForum, themed "Magnolia Conversation", invites industry leaders from home and abroad. It will host a total of seven industry-themed forums from June 19th to June 22nd, gathering guests from all over to discuss and exchange ideas on the new trends, channels, and models for Chinese stories to go global in the all-media environment. Notably, the main poster of this year's TV festival, themed "Towards New, Towards Heart", symbolizes the youthful vigor injected into the television industry and the vitality exuded by "future television". In addition, during the festival, three master classes will be held on TV dramas, documentaries, and animated films, where master creators will be invited to share their excellent creation experiences.

 The "Magnolia Vision" TV Market delves deeply into the potential of local culture, holding themed events such as the "IP Film and Television Development Conference" at the exhibition center. In response to the needs of the television market to serve the entire industry chain, the event concurrently hosts animation-themed roundtable salons and micro-short drama gatherings, offering diverse industry perspectives and exchange opportunities for television professionals. This edition of the STVF will join forces with SMG, Oriental Cable Network Co., Ltd., and others to host themed forums such as "Smart Broadcasting: Big Audiovisual and Technology Innovation" and "Integration and Co-creation: Broadcasting 5G Big Audiovisual New Model." Market activities will also be held during the event, including "Smart Broadcasting Network Security Ecosystem Innovation Seminar," "High-tech Video and AIGC Technology Innovation Seminar," "Cloud Interactive Technology and Application Innovation Seminar," "Yangtze River Delta District County Integrated Media Technology Seminar," and "High-tech Audiovisual and Digital Cultural Tourism Innovation Seminar," exploring the grand audiovisual landscape and focusing on the development of the television industry in the context of new technology.

 Feel So Warm!

Let's visit the popular check-in spots to watch TV

 The 28th STVF's offline public screening event will be combined with urban renewal to create a "television festival at your doorstep," making artistic nourishment readily accessible. The STVF collaborates with the Shanghai Mass Art Center and the Shanghai Television Artists Association under the guidance of the National Radio and Television Administration, the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and the Shanghai Radio and Television Administration. From June 19th to 23rd, a five-day public screening will take place in 18 culturally representative venues in 16 districts of Shanghai, showcasing over 30 outstanding Magnolia Awards entries in eight units.

 This year's screenings, taking off from the standpoint of "benefiting the people" and "aesthetic education", utilize the classic "watching television" approach to extend "great aesthetic education in society" into the "small yet beautiful" new performing arts spaces right at the doorsteps of the ordinary people. The aim is to enable citizens to understand and participate in these activities, enriching their daily cultural and entertainment lives. Among the 18 cultural venues, China Art Museum, PSA Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum, the INLET in Bingang Commercial Center, Shanghai People's Art Museum, Shanghai Children's Library (New), Jiading District Library, Fengxian Museum, and Songjiang Yunjian Granary Cultural and Creative Park are all beloved "internet-famous" check-in locations favored by Shanghai citizens.

 In terms of film selection, the STVF has carefully curated over 30 screenings across eight categories, including parent-child, national animation, humanities, and overseas hit dramas, totaling 36 screening events. The screening list not only includes Chinese documentaries such as A LONG CHERISHED DREAM and Chinese animated films like YAO-CHINESE FOOKTALES and THE RAVAGES OF TIME, but also an overseas lineup from nine countries across three continents: the UK, Italy, Finland, France, Poland, Belgium, Russia, Japan, and the USA. Of particular note are British documentaries WILD FLOW STATE and SEVEN DAYS ON MARS, and the Finnish documentary KARAOKE PARADISE, which are making their debut to Chinese audiences. The offline screenings offer audiences a wider selection of viewing choices. In order to give citizens a better aesthetic experience, some sessions will include audience meet-and-greets, program guides by the drama crew or critics on-site, and explanations in partnership with the Shanghai Television Artists Association.

This year's dramas are not only for viewing, but also for audiences to participate in the television festival through their own filming. The Micro Short Drama Project collection launched by this year's festival is a new initiative to regulate and orderly develop the creation and management of micro-short dramas in the new environment where the demand and viewing habits of audiovisual products audience are changing in the new era. This project encourages and supports micro-short drama creators to actively develop innovative themes in different formats, promoting the healthy and orderly prosperity of micro-short dramas with a “small yet precise, short but elegant” new expression.