A review of the 24th Shanghai TV Festival

The 24th Shanghai TV Festival was held from June 11 to 15, 2018. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up and the 60th anniversary of the birth of Chinese TV series. The 24th Shanghai TV Festival is guided by "understanding the past, grasping the present and facing the future", and filled with rich atmosphere for a new era to set off again. 

Of the works nominated for the Magnolia Awards of this year’s Shanghai TV Festival, more than half are realistic TV dramas reflecting the current life. The original variety shows, especially cultural programs and documentaries have done well in terms of word of mouth and ratings, and become an important carrier for Chinese TV people to tell "Chinese stories" to the world. It is also the highlight of this year’s TV festival. In the "Walk with the times – Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the birth of Chinese TV series", STVFORUM, International TV Showcase, TV Market, Internet Summit and other events held during the TV festival, the exchange of professional experience and ideas, the sharing of achievements and works, and the enthusiastic participation of the audience reflect a warm atmosphere of walking with the times and "understanding the past, grasping the present, and facing the future". 

Three generations of actors pay tribute on stage and Chinese theater will never end

In 1958, China\'s first TV series One Piece of Cake was broadcast on Beijing TV Station, a prelude to the development of Chinese TV series. After 60 years of trials and hardships, China\'s TV industry has continuously upgraded its own capabilities and artistic standards, creating one excellent work after another which is deeply loved by the people and has far-reaching influence. 

In the past 60 years, especially since the reform and opening up 40 years ago, China’s TV industry has always been a witness to the development of Chinese society. As the socialism with Chinese characteristics enters into a new era, "keeping close to the pulse of the times, stepping on the pace of the times, and walking with the times" has become one of the most important missions of television production in the new era. Therefore, the ceremony held on June 12 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the birth of China\'s TV series took "walking with the times" as the title of the activity, recalling the beginning of China\'s TV art and exploring the "mission" of it. 

If you want to select some of the most important representative works in the development of Chinese TV series for the past 60 years, the timeless TV adaptations by CCTV of the Four Classical Novels accompanying the growth of countless Chinese people - the 1986 edition of Journey to the West, the 1987 edition of A Dream of Red Mansions, the 1994 edition of Three Kingdoms and the 1998 edition of Outlaws of the Marsh, must be the first choice for the Chinese audience. 

On the evening of the ceremony, the actors of the four classic TV series appeared on the red carpet for the opening of the event. Time flies and people have changed; the audience at the scene was excited and sighed with emotion seeing that the familiar actors now quite changed in their looks stepping onto the red carpet hand in hand with each other. For many years, the Chinese TV people have been fighting tirelessly, and the Chinese culture, which is long and profound, broad and inclusive, has been in fact deeply rooted in the heart of every Chinese through these classic TV series that they will never get tired of watching. At the ceremony, the representatives of cast and crew of the four famous dramas went on stage in the "Making of Classics" chapter. As witnesses to Chinese TV series, their stories, memories, laughter and tears have all become important gifts for the 60th anniversary of Chinese TV series. 

the 1986 edition of Journey to the West, the 1987 edition of A Dream of Red Mansions,

the 1994 edition of Three Kingdoms and the 1998 edition of Outlaws of the Marsh

In addition to cast and crew members of the four TV series, the ceremony also included more than 50 important guests including the representatives of the "100 key TV serial selection dramas 2018-2022". Among them are: Liu Heping, chairman of the jury for the Magnolia Awards at the Shanghai TV Festival, and such quality drama creators as Hou Hongliang, Mao Weining, Kong Sheng, and Liu Jiang; there are also the backbone of the industry such as Zhang Jiayi, Zhang Yi, Huang Xiaoming, Liu Tao, Ma Yili, Yin Tao, and representatives of young actors such as Tang Yan, Luo Jin, Jiang Shuying, and Zhang Tong. The main creators of the three generations of old, middle and young TV series gathered together to present their sincere singing, dancing and affectionate recitation to the glorious 60 years of the China’s TV industry, and to extend their highest respect to the outstanding Chinese TV series creators. 

The subjects of the nominated works are diverse, and the judges express the artistic pursuit 

The 24th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards have more than 800 outstanding programs from more than 50 countries and regions around the world, with 55 of them nominated, including 10 Chinese TV series and 10 overseas TV series. Regarding the criteria for the awards, Liu Heping, chairman of the Jury, said: "Profound thoughts, excellent production and exquisite art are the three main points for considering a TV serial." 

This year\'s nominated Chinese TV series have various themes, the contemporarily themed The First Half of My Life and Beautiful Life show the laughter and tears of urban life, and the ER Doctors reflects the realities of the workplace in the real world. There are also White Deer Plain, Honest Person and A Splendid Life in Beijing, which record the images of the Chinese people in the tide of changes in the times. In addition, there are historical period dramas such as The Advisors Alliance, Nothing Gold Can Stay, Nirvana in Fire Ⅱ and Peace Hotel. Gao Qunshu, judge of TV series, said: "the works we seek should have unique emotional expressions. Besides the drama, they conform to the general rules and point directly at the hearts of the people. It can evoke resonance and remind the audience of themselves, whether it is a realistic drama or an costume drama, it can interest or touch the audience, and then it is called excellent. However, with the rapid development of technology, the production of film and TV series industry has been standardized. All technical indicators have higher requirements, whether it be cinematography, props or acting, all requiring producers to improve their height and accuracy. " 

The 24th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards Jurys of TV Series

Talking about the creation and innovation of film and TV series in recent years, Liu Heping, chairman of the jury, said that many works are consciously matured throughout the TV serial industry. "This kind of maturity is to bring forth new ideas". Judges Xu Jizhou, Xu Fan, Zhao Lixin and others also believe that the high-quality works with ideological, artistic and breakthrough features are urgently needed by the audience and the market. Especially under the background of the current industrial development, whether the creative attitude of TV dramas is sincere and honest has become the key. It is necessary to use the works to talk with the audience and exchange views on the times and life. 

Overseas TV film judges Lee Mason and Stephen Lang Mitchell also evaluated the overall situation of the overseas TV series nominated by the Magnolia Awards from the perspective of TV creators. They all said that the screenplays of overseas TV series now have different ways of production and storytelling, and some of them are very innovative. Stephen said: "I see from TV series that different cultures can actually find common language and tell good stories." Nick Fraser, chairman of the documentary jury, said of the documentaries: "The nominated Chinese and foreign documentaries are excellent, especially for some overseas works, for it is very special to record Chinese stories from another perspective. On the whole, the 10 documentaries came from different eras and told stories of different backgrounds, which made people very surprised." 

The 24th Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards Jurys of Documentary and Animation

Vivid telling of "Chinese story" and "going abroad" is continuously enriched in content 

With the socialism with Chinese characteristics entering into a new era, "going into life and being close to the people is the basic attitude of artistic creation; refining life with standards higher than life is the basic ability of artistic creation", which has become a consensus among TV people, and "Chinese story" has ushered in the best writing era. At STVFORUM, which included "TV Station Directors Summit: Leading Power of Mainstream Media", "New Documentary Ecologies: Production, Distribution and Reception", "Chinese Original Variety Shows Panel: Cultural Aspiration and Confidence", "Building A Never-Ending Chinese Theater: Production and Innovation of Realistic TV Dramas", "Chinese TV Series in International Arena", "New Perspectives on Animation: Creativity, Content and Promotion" and so on, the exchange of views, the collision of ideas, the sharing of experiences and the drawing of blueprints demonstrated the aspiration and mission of the TV people to face the future together and to promote the prosperity of the socialist TV culture in the new era.  

Zhang Hongsen, deputy director of the State Administration of Radio and TV, pointed out in his speech at the "TV Station Directors Summit: Leading Power of Mainstream Media" held on the first day of the TV Festival that one of the missions of radio and TV in the new era is to always be a "vivid narrator of Chinese stories" and to insist on taking the people as the center and the ordinary people as the leading role, tell good stories about socialism with Chinese characteristics and good stories about the Chinese dream. Peng Jianming, deputy editor-in-chief of CCTV, said that from My Uncle Zhou Enlai to Marshal Peng Dehuai, from Taihang Mountain to The Yellow River Is Roaring, CCTV has provided a strong broadcasting platform for outstanding mainstream TV series. "Our TV series should better show the working people and the frontline masses and dig for the profundity of human nature. Instead of sticking to petty romances and entanglements, you want to think big, think out of the box and don’t limit yourselves to the so-called "flirty dramas” and "suspended dramas"." 

Liu Heping, chairman of the jury of the Magnolia Awards, pointed out that the standard of excellent realistic works is showing "deep thoughts and exquisite art". On the one hand, it is necessary to pay attention to life. On the other hand, there is a need to have an aesthetic vision: "Paying attention to the life of the present era, which is the foundation of the creator; on the other hand, by means of literature, art, drama and film and TV works, look at the world from an aesthetic perspective, create a parallel world from life and higher than life through works, and realize the artistic imaging of typical characters in typical environments." 

Just as excellent realistic TV series are emerging, more and more original programs with Chinese cultural genes and reflecting the wisdom of the Chinese nation have entered the audience\'s field of vision. Therefore, the originality of major TV stations and video websites has been erupting. Cultural variety shows rise strongly. Programs such as The Nation’s Greatest Treasures, Everlasting Classics, and Letters Live have all set examples in production standards and audience engagement. The star competition variety shows made a breakthrough again. The original show The Sound conquers countless audiences with its dubbing performances. Reality TV starts the era of "slow variety" and the Back to Field leads the audience to return to the happiness of ordinary life. With the joint efforts of Chinese TV people, the expression of Chinese stories in the new era has a richer and more diversified mode, a more popular presentation method, and a more thought-provoking connotation and height. 

Focusing on realistic themes, spreading cultural self-confidence and expressing humanistic care, the quality works produced in this way also attract the attention of international platforms and audiences. A group of excellent domestic film and TV production companies, TV stations and video websites "go abroad in groups" to bring outstanding domestic TV series to overseas for centralized promotion. It’s learned from the forum "Chinese TV Series in International Arena" that in 2017, the total export volume of film and TV content products and services of China exceeded 400 million US dollars. The export scale of China\'s film and TV content products continues to expand, the export types are constantly enriched, and the export market has also expanded from Southeast Asia to the Middle East, Africa and Europe and the Americas. 

The urban drama, A Love for Separation, is being broadcasted during the prime time on Mongolian Education TV. Life Revelation written by Wang Liping is also popular in Mongolia. Domestic dramas have gone from "popular" in Southeast Asian countries to countries along the "Belt and Road", and have also entered more countries and regions through the internet. Ma Xiaonan, general manager of the Drama Production Center of Alibaba Culture and Entertainment Group\'s Grand Youku Business Group, said that in the past overseas markets had a relative preference for Chinese costume dramas, but in recent years China\'s urban dramas, suspense dramas and so on have become popular. "Therefore, we must open our eyes, cooperate with more international talents, continue to explore and try, and produce works that tell good Chinese stories." 

TV Market attracts much attention and the “Belt and Road" learns from each other 

The TV Market of the international film and TV market in each Shanghai TV festival has become a barometer of the domestic TV industry, and it is also one of the hotspots of the Chinese and foreign TV industry. Since June 12, the TV market has attracted people from all walks of life. There was a lively scene in the Shanghai Exhibition Center with themes such as the “Belt and Road" and "60th anniversary of the birth of Chinese TV series", which became highlights of this year’s TV Market. 

In the TV Market exhibition hall, an exhibition themed on 60 years of Chinese TV industry was specially set up, which attracted the attention of countless visitors. The character wall made up of 615 actors, directors, producers and other TV serial practitioners who have made outstanding contributions to the development of China\'s TV serial industry has awakened people\'s memory of 60 years of TV screens, presenting a visual cultural feast with feelings as its main line. The China Radio, Film and TV Publishing House, together with the China Media University and the China Radio, Film and TV Social Organization Association, brought together authoritative experts from China and took four years to plan and compile the series of books of 60 Series of Chinese TV Dramas. It records the ups and downs of the 60-year development of Chinese TV series and presents a gift to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the birth of Chinese TV and Chinese TV series and the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up. 

The Shanghai TV Festival responded to the “Belt and Road” initiative and set up the “Belt and Road” themed pavilion in the international film and TV market held at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. It has not only promoted the cultural exchange between the countries and regions along the “Belt and Road", but also brought new opportunities for China\'s TV industry to set off again in the new era. In the three days, the “Belt and Road” themed pavilion held 14 Chinese and foreign film and TV promotion activities at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. 

From June 12 to 14, the exhibition boards around the pavilion showcased some excellent film and TV works in the “Belt and Road” countries and regions. It is understood that there are many booths and exhibitors from various countries in the TV market every year. In order to understand different countries, you need to visit many booths. This year, people from various countries are gathered here through the "Belt and Road" themed pavilion, "We recommend Chinese dramas to everyone and bring our Chinese dramas to the "Belt and Road" countries. Let\'s all enjoy Chinese dramas and Chinese culture", a staff member of the festival said.

Chinese culture is rich and varied. The programs promoted by the China film and TV companies are of great interest to overseas exhibitors and buyers from afar. Viktorija Jevtic, an employee of a Serbian TV station, introduced the achievements of Serbian TV stations over the years at the briefing, and also expressed his sincere admiration for the professionalism and international character of the STVF TV Market: "This is the first time that I have been here at the Shanghai TV Festival. I think that the market is really thriving with rich content! I will definitely come again! ” 

The TV shows are rich in content, and the offline screening benefits people

The International TV Showcase on the Shanghai TV Festival has always been popular with the public. During this year’s TV festival, TV programs from 17 countries and regions were shown on four channels of Shanghai TV Station. Among them, eight TV series from the Czech Republic, Poland, Kazakhstan, Holland, the United States, Canada, Germany and Morocco were shown on the TV Series Channel and Arts and Humanities Channel, which include the hit Young Shelton and so on. Eighteen excellent animation works from China, Russia, the United States, Japan, the UK, France, Canada and Singapore were shown continuously for 12 days on the Cartoon Channel; sixteen excellent documentaries from China, the UK, the Czech Republic, Israel, Spain, Switzerland and other countries were shown on the Documentary Channel. 

The 24th Shanghai TV Festival also offered special offline screenings and fan meetings for the first time to share with the general public the cultural highlights of the festival. The special offline screenings started to sell tickets at 14: 00 p.m. on June 5, and tickets for the Japanese series Miss Sherlock were sold out in two minutes. Four hours later, the tickets for the Magnolia Awards guide at the Chinese Art Palace and Mercedes Center were also sold out to the residents. 

Since the Shanghai TV Festival was held in 1986, the films on exhibition have been mainly broadcast on TV channels. This year, we tried to conduct special screenings offline. Giving the audience a guided tour has greatly narrowed the distance between Chinese and foreign programs and the audience. Starting from June 10, 24 excellent Chinese and foreign TV works had been shown at the China Art Palace and Mercedes Center in the World Expo area, as well as at several universities in Songjiang University Town. There were more than 30 screenings. Some film directors and creators brought their works to Shanghai for face-to-face communication with the audience. The films shown offline include: the season finale of Miss Sherlock in top theater, the latest BBC blockbuster Civilization 2, Cai Guoqiang\'s blockbuster art documentary Spirit of Drawing after Ladder, the popular animation Flying little Policewoman and the classic stop-motion animation Shaun the Sheep, as well as Shanghai TV festival Magnolia Award finalists for documentaries, cartoons, overseas dramas and so on, with a rich variety of varieties and themes. After the launch of the "Guided STVF Special Offline Screening" at the art theater of the Chinese Art Palace, the citizens were very interested and waited early, and the atmosphere of watching each show seemed especially devoted. It also fully reflected the public\'s demand for understanding and appreciating excellent Chinese and foreign works. The Norwegian documentary The Night, nominated for the Magnolia Award, was filmed by the director after his mother died. It tells about the director\'s own growth experience and changes in his relationship with his mother. Many viewers were moved by the precise expression of complex emotions when the director met his father. After the film ended, the director came to the stage to exchange and interact with the audience. The audience asked questions one after another. Many viewers even couldn\'t wait to raise their hands to express their feelings of watching the film. After the question-and-answer session, many viewers continued to exchange views and take photos with the director. This warm exchange made the scene very touching and warm. 

Actress Yuko Takeuchi and actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa of Miss Sherlock 

The “International Film and TV Exhibition in Songjiang Campus Panorama” was unveiled at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, which aroused the enthusiastic response of the university students. The screening of the Serbian drama Stowaway on the Ship of Lunatics nominated for the Magnolia Award attracted students from seven universities in the University Town and nearby office workers and residents, who applauded the special screenings of the Shanghai TV Festival: "the public cultural service of the film and TV festival is really considerate, so that we can share the wonderful film and TV works of various countries in the world without going out of the school gate. The film and TV festival has also become a festival for us college students. " 

The Shanghai TV Festival also launched the “Magnolia Watching and Reading Program” with Chlitina, inviting young actor Li Xian to call on TV people and citizens to support the initiative to watch good films and read good books, encouraging people to enjoy reading through the recommendation, sharing and donation of books online and offline. 

Focus on the network film and TV industry, advocate undertaking the cultural mission

Starting from June 15, as an important part of the Shanghai TV Festival, the 2018 Shanghai International Film and TV Festival Internet Summit was held in Putuo District. In the following four days, the Internet Summit as an annual event celebrated by the internet film and TV industrial peers who gather in Shanghai, listen to the market, and talk together about the developments, attracted many people from the industry to participate in this film and TV event, delivering industry voices, witnessing the development of the industry and promoting the progress of the industry. 

During the Internet Summit held on June 15, leading representatives of the film and TV industry and leading figures in the Internet industry came to the scene to discuss hot topics in the industry, review the development of the industry and plan the future direction of the industry. In the few days following June 18, the Internet Summit held original literature film and TV venture capital summits, bringing together many influential copyright holders, film and TV production companies and investment organizations. Through the promotion of original literature content, project discussion, round table dialogue and other links, the most potential content was conveyed to the industry and the value of original literature reshaped; the Internet Summit Ceremony was held, centrally displaying a batch of annual quality network audio-visual products, calling on network filmmakers to take their cultural responsibilities and social responsibilities, and establishing an industrial weathervane. 

The 10th China Network Audio-visual Industry Forum jointly hosted by the State Administration of Radio and TV and the Shanghai Municipal People\'s Government was held concurrently with the Summit. The China Network Audio-visual Industry Forum, as an annual gathering of China\'s network audio-visual industry, has been dedicated to promoting the construction of network culture, leading the direction of network audio-visual creation, strengthening industry research, and promoting copyright protection in the past ten years. The nine forums involving all aspects of the network audio-visual industry will, with its focus on the industry\'s annual results, stimulate cultural innovation and creativity in combination with the trend of prosperity and development in film and TV production, escorting enterprises to create high-quality network audio-visual products to guide the industry positive growth with industrial policies, government services, talent accumulation, financial support, environmental openness, copyright protection and other aspects.