The 2021 Shanghai International Film & TV Festival held a press conference in Beijing

On May 14, the 2021 Shanghai International Film & TV Festival held a press conference in Beijing to announce that the 27th Shanghai TV Festival (STVF), hosted by National Radio and Television Administration, China Media Group, and Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, will be held from June 6 to 10; and the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), guided by China Film Administration and hosted by China Media Group, and Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, is scheduled to run from June 11 to 20. The press conference released the full list of the jury panel for the Magnolia Awards of the STVF, and gave a general introduction of the two festivals this year.

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and unveil the great journey

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. Coinciding with this historical moment when the glorious past meets with the future of a new journey, the 27th STVF and the 24th SIFF will be held in the theme of the centennial of the founding of the Communist Party of China, and create a festive ambience in celebration of the centenary in an all-round way.

At this year’s SIFF, the Film Panorama will launch a special unit of “A Hundred-Year Journey • Red Film Art”, which will be dedicated to screening a batch of acclaimed homegrown films. The TV Market and the SIFF Market will present film poster exhibitions themed “Faith Makes Great” and “Red Film Art • Tribute to the 100 Years’ History”. The SIFF official WeChat account will offer the film review series -“Tribute to the 100-Year Old Communist Party of China”. These events will unfold the great historical journey of the Chinese people from standing up to gaining prosperity and strength, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.The SIFFORUM will host the “Opening Session: Chinese Film Industry Summit”, to discuss the high-quality development of China’s film industry. At the “Marketing Strategy of Mainstream Cinema” industry forum, people behind the production of outstanding Chinese mainstream films will gather to exchange and explore a way to create good movies on the centenary of the Communist Party of China. The "China Movie & TV Night," with the theme of "Glorious 2021" will be held in CMG Shanghai International Media Port to recommend new films and TV dramas, paying tribute to the centennial glory;

The 27th Shanghai TV Festival will additionally hold an opening ceremony, which kicks off the festival in a simple yet impressive way to draw the attention of industry professionals and the media, and encourage the participation of the public. The opening ceremony will launch the event “China under the Lens, Global Screening”  to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, to set the tone for the TV festival of promoting the mainstream works and spread positive energy. The “Opening Session: Chinese Television Industry Summit" of the STVFORUM will focus on the communication and exchange of the experience and approaches in the creation of major works on the “Centennial of the Communist Party of China.” The Internet Summit will study how online audio-visual platforms could create works on the Communist Party of China’s history, and tell revolutionary stories through new communication ways.

Seize the opportunity of industrial recovery and power the innovation and upgradation of the film industry

Last year, SIFF, in the gloom of the global outbreak of the epidemic, gave full play to the driving force of innovation, and improved safety measures, offering a benchmarking “Shanghai Solution” for the holding of film festivals across the world. This year, SIFF will strictly implement the relevant regulations of the country and the city of Shanghai on epidemic prevention and control to ensure safe and orderly running. The SIFF Market and the TV Market will adopt the OMO mode – The virtual market expands the space for display, negotiation, and transaction for the physical market held on the spot, and realizes the transformation from “the virtual supporting the physical” to the “dual mechanism of virtual platform and physical platform” by providing virtual value-added services. In the future, the OMO market model, which features virtual market and physical market empowering each other, will become the new normal.

At present, Shanghai is accelerating its pace of building a global film and television production center. SIFF will drive the innovative and quality development of the film industry in the “talent + industry” manner by facilitating the exchange of talents and the availability of industrial resources.

To discover, introduce and cultivate a group of young film talents who will contribute to Shanghai’s construction of a global film and television production center, the “SIFF YOUNG X Shanghai Young Filmmakers Support Programme”, guided by the Shanghai Film Bureau and jointly initiated by SIFF and the Cannes Film Market, has been launched in March this year. It serves to discover a group of outstanding young filmmakers through recommendation, primary selection, and final selection, introduce them to influential overseas international film festivals, and provide them with global film resources.

As the key base for Shanghai to build a global film and television production center, Shanghai Songjiang Science and Technology Studios, located in Songjiang District, has achieved initial results in brand building through cooperation with SIFF. During this year’s SIFF, Shanghai Songjiang Science and Technology Studios will release a series of new plans, new projects, and new achievements to make known its latest construction progress. The SIFF Market will add a special film technology experience zone to provide a display and promotion platform for domestic film technology companies, and drive the interconnection of film industry resources. Also, the “IP Film and Television Development Conference” will be organized to showcase literature, animation and other types of worthy IP in the form of special promotion, to improve the efficiency in bridging the gap between original works and screen adaptation.

This year, the Shanghai International Film & TV Festival will further its cooperation with Pudong New Area District, Jing'an District, Putuo District and other districts of the city in film screening, industrial policy and film and television big data release, and the building of exchange platforms, etc., to reinforce the synergy among urban areas for the film and television industry, and form an overall complementary and coordinated development pattern.

Promote the integrated development of the film and television industry through the first “Yangtze River Delta Joint Screening Programme”

Responding to the Belt and Road Initiative in the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, SIFF initiated the establishment of the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance in 2018 and the Belt and Road Film Week. This year, the Belt and Road Film Week will exhibit a series of films recommended by the Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance. The Belt and Road Film Week was incepted in Pudong New Area. And to empower Pudong New Area to mobilize the integrated high-quality development of the Yangtze River Delta, this year, it will conduct screening activities in five cities of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui Provinces for the first time, to share the latest film productions by filmmakers from countries along the Belt and Road route with movie fans in the Yangtze River Delta region.

This year, SIFF will further the coactions among film and television institutions in the Yangtze River Delta to gear up coordinated cultural development. For example, the SIFF Market will set up a “Yangtze River Delta Film Pavilion” to demonstrate works created in the Yangtze River Delta region. Meanwhile, it will bring together the resources of the Yangtze River Delta film industry and organize promotion and negotiation activities for film companies and film and television shooting bases in the Yangtze River Delta. In addition, the SIFFORUM comprises specially the Yangtze River Delta Film Cooperation Forum this year, which will focus on the cooperation status quo, problems and future development of the Yangtze River Delta Film Distribution and Screening Alliance, and explore how to lay a foundation for furthering the coordinated development of the film industry in the Yangtze River Delta through in-depth industry cooperation.

Uphold the concept of “benefiting the people” to organize festivals and significantly increase the participation and sense of gain of the people

SIFF has been adhering to the festival philosophy of “internationalism, professionalism, and benefiting the people” since its inception. To further bring cultural benefits to the people, this year’s Magnolia Awards International TV Showcase, in collaboration with the TV Channel of SMG, will broadcast 80 episodes of over 20 excellent TV works from all over the world. As Shanghai is currently committed to developing the five new urban areas in Jiading, Songjiang, Qingpu, Fengxian and Nanhui, the film screenings of SIFF’s Film Panorama and STVF’s screening activities to benefiting the people will also be further expanded in scope, to contribute to the quality living environment and cultural atmosphere for residents in these new urban areas. Relevant screening theaters will upgrade hardware facilities comprehensively to optimize the viewing experience and service quality for audiences. As one of the “Five New Urban Area”, Nanhui New City will join hands with SIFF to host the 1st “SIFF SHOOTING 48H”, which will display the urban landscapes, residents’ spirit world and the cultural life of Shanghai through extensive participation of video enthusiasts.

On June 5 this year, as the SIFF kicks off its ticket sales, the organizing committee will specially arrange cinema staff to provide one-on-one ticket purchase consultations for the elderly at the designated theaters and related ticket offices of the SIFF. In addition, the professional and dedicated volunteers, as an exclusive spotlight of SIFF, will devote themselves to the film festival as ever, and make their contributions with passion, to instill the concept of public service into every detail.

The 27th Shanghai TV Festival Announces the Jury Panel for the Magnolia Awards

The call for entry for this year’s STVF came to a conclusion on March 31, with a total of nearly 900 works from 40 countries and regions received. Among them, most of the Chinese TV dramas that have been praised widely since last year have registered for the selection for the Magnolia Awards. Therefore, the competition for this year's Magnolia Awards will be fiercer, and the announcement of the winners will also attract more public attention. As the core part of STVF, the Magnolia Awards adopts a fair, impartial and authoritative judging mechanism and an earnest, serious and professional artistic attitude to select the best in the four major categories of Chinese and foreign TV dramas, documentaries, animations, and variety programs. Among them, professionals are invited to form the Magnolia Awards jury panel of the final selection for Chinese and foreign TV dramas, documentaries, animations, while, for the variety program unit, the selection committee will vote to select the winners. The full list of the jury members of the 27th STVF Magnolia Awards is as follows (foreign jury members will participate in the final selection online):

1. TV Drama

(1) Jury President: Liu Jin (Director, China)

(2) Juries:

A. Chinese TV Drama Unit: Fu Dongyu (Director, China), Guan Ling (Dean and professor of School of Theater, Film and Television of Communication University of China), Huo Tingxiao (President of China Film Art Direction Academy), Tao Hong (Actress, China), Tong Dawei (Actor, China), Zhang Lei (Screenwriter, China)

B. Foreign TV Drama Unit: Vassili Clert (TV producer and director, France), Pilar Jimenez (TV producer and executive producer, Spain)

2. Documentaries

(1) Jury President: Ken-ichi Imamura (Documentary producer, Japan)

(2) Juries: Catherine Alvaresse (Documentary producer and distributor, France), Liu Xiangchen (Documentary director and photographer, China)

3. Animations

(1) Jury President: Li Jincai (Animation producer, Singapore)

(2) Juries: Julian Scott (Animation producer, Britain), Yu Shengjun (Animation director and screenwriter, China)

(The jury members’ names are in the sequence of the first pinyin or English letters of their surnames)