Images in the Frame: Shanghai TV Festival Spotlights Global Visual Storytelling

Selected projects from the third Images Possibilities Coproduction Plan and outstanding works from the "This is Shanghai" Global Short Video Collection Initiative were unveiled at the 31st Shanghai TV Festival on June 23.

The combined event, held at Shanghai Exhibition Center, brought together officials, media representatives, documentary filmmakers, and young creators to highlight the role of visual storytelling in international communication.

The Images Possibilities Coproduction Plan focuses on stories about Chinese modernization. This year's selected projects cover topics including people-centered development, common prosperity, cultural exchange, ecological protection, technological innovation and China's interaction with the world.

The plan has expanded its scope to include documentaries, animation, AIGC works and micro-short drama scripts, encouraging creators from China and abroad to explore authentic stories and new forms of expression.

The "This is Shanghai" initiative also announced its outstanding works for the year. The project invited global creators to record the city through short videos, capturing its urban vitality, cultural diversity and everyday warmth.

This year it attracted nearly 600 submissions from professional teams, students, institutions and independent creators, with participants ranging in age from 10 to 65.

Several creators also shared the stories behind their works. Para swimmer Jiang Yuyan, featured in one project, said in a video message that she hoped the film would challenge stereotypes about people with disabilities. "Dreams never fade because of physical limitations," Jiang said. "The pool of life has no boundaries."

Another documentary focused on food delivery riders in Shanghai and the sense of security and belonging brought by social support and community participation. Zhang Wenqiang, one of the film's subjects, described happiness as doing ordinary work well and moving forward with others.

"One person running fast is not enough," Zhang said. "A group of people running far together is what really matters."

Other works explored openness and cultural connections, including a short film by Malaysian student creators in which foreign visitors receive help from ordinary Chinese people on the streets of Hangzhou. The creators said the film was inspired by their own experience of studying and living in China where small acts of kindness helped ease the anxiety of language barriers.

The event concluded with a roundtable discussion titled "Visual Narrative of Chinese Modernization," in which filmmakers and media professionals explored how images can present contemporary China to international audiences.

The TV festival aims to support more creators in presenting a diverse, inclusive and dynamic China through authentic visual storytelling.