2019-06-11

June 11th, 2019

ENGLISH VERSION

ZHANG Hongsen Deputy Director of National Radio andTelevisionAdministration, Chair of Shanghai TV Festival OrganizingCommittee

For more than 30 years, Shanghai TV Festival has adhered to the mechanism of holding festivals in an innovative way, grown into one of the most important international TV exchange platforms in Asia. On the occasion of the 25th Shanghai TV Festival, on behalf of National Radio and Television Administration and the Shanghai TV Festival Organizing Committee, I would like to express my gratitude to all the friends who have given attention to the development of Chinese TV industry and supported Shanghai TV Festival all the time. Welcome to the 25th Shanghai TV festival.

After 40 years of construction and development since the Reform and Opening-up, especially since the successful convocation of the 19th CPC National Congress, the television industry has restarted from a new historical starting point. At present, China\'s TV cause and industry is facing unprecedented challenges and rare opportunities. We hope that Chinese TV practitioners will firmly grasp the direction of originality in production mode and distribution strategy, follow the steps of the times, adhere to the people- centered principle, keep providing people with quality works, lead the fashion with virtue persistently, and strive to present a new look and new achievements.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. It is a crucial year for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. This year\'s Shanghai TV Festival will focus on this great node, highlight the mission and task of "raising the banner, gathering the popular support, educating the new generation, developing the culture, and presenting the image", profoundly respond to the propositions of the times and the people\'s requirements, and promote the continuous growth of the TV work.

I wish the 25th Shanghai TV Festival a complete success!

YAN Xiaoming Deputy Director of China Media Group, Chair of Shanghai TV Festival OrganizingCommittee

On the occasion of the 25th Shanghai TV Festival, on behalf of China Media Group and Shanghai TV Festival Organizing Committee, I would like to express my sincere welcome to the guests at home and abroad, and extend my heartfelt gratitude to the friends who have be concerned about and supported Shanghai TV Festival for many years.

In the era of great change led by the Internet, media convergence is advancing in depth, and the development of TV cultural industry needs to focus on the upgrading of platform and technology, as well as the improvement of content quality. On a new historical starting point, Shanghai TV Festival will adhere to taking orientation as the soul, content as the priority, and innovation as the key, inspire Chinese TV practitioners to create more literary and artistic works with spirit, morality and humanity merits, write and record the great practice of the people as well as the aspiration of advancement of the era.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China. This year\'s Shanghai TV Festival will highlight the theme, carry forward positive energy, and promote the emergence of more outstanding works that "Eulogize the Party, Eulogize the Motherland, Eulogize the People, and Eulogize the Heroes".

We hope that, through the platform of Shanghai TV Festival, more elaborative works of new era and more TV practitioners with faith, affection and responsibility will come forth to depict the era, write for the era, and define morality for the era. We also hope that, through the guiding power and influence of Shanghai TV Festival.

I wish the 25th Shanghai TV Festival a complete success!

ZHOU Huilin Member of Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal Party Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC ShanghaiCommittee Chair of Shanghai TV Festival OrganizingCommittee

On the occasion of the 25th Shanghai TV Festival, on behalf of the Communist Party of China Shanghai Committee, the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Shanghai Committee and Shanghai TV Festival Organizing Committee, I would like to express my sincere welcome to the guests and friends from home and abroad, and extend my heartfelt gratitude to the friends who have cared and supported the development of Shanghai TV Festival and Shanghai TV industry for many years.

Since its establishment in 1986, Shanghai TV Festival has adhered to the organizing principles of professionalism, internationalism and benevolence, promoted professionals to exchange experience and share achievements, and provided audience with audio- visual feasts, which has gradually grown into one of the most significant international TV exchange platforms in Asia.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Shanghai. While commending outstanding Chinese and foreign TV products and setting up a good exchange platform for Chinese and foreign TV practitioners, this TV festival will launch special exhibitions and special screenings to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Founding of People’s Republic of China, hoping to further inspire Chinese TV practitioners to reflect the stupendous changes of life, stimulate patriotic enthusiasm and unite endeavor force by recording, writing and eulogizing the new era. This TV Festival will also continue to expand the scope of off- line screenings, looking forward to attract more viewers to actively participate and enjoy a full range of audio-visual experience.

I wish the 25th Shanghai TV Festival a complete success!

ZONG Ming DeputyMayorofShanghai Chair of Shanghai TV Festival OrganizingCommittee

It is a great pleasure to join you here by the beautiful Huangpu riverside to witness this grand TV industry event together. On the occasion of the 25th Shanghai TV Festival, on behalf of Shanghai Municipal People\'s Government and the Shanghai TV Festival Organizing Committee, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the guests and friends! I sincerely thank people from all walks of life who have always been concerned about and supported Shanghai TV Festival! I sincerely hope that, on the stage of Shanghai TV Festival, we will enjoy the indepth exchanges and discussions on the high- quality development of TV literature and art, get enlightened by the meeting of minds, and have such a good memory linger in our mind forever.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of People’s Republic of China, and it is also the 5th anniversary of the important speech delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Symposium on Literature and Art. Shanghai TV Festival will adhere to the objective of being professional, international and benevolent, follow the pulse of the times, innovate the festival organizing mechanism and improve the service level, so as to further implement the national cultural development strategy, continuously enhance the reputation and influence of the TV festival, and strive to provide more high-quality works for the masses. During Shanghai TV Festival this year, a number of outstanding TV dramas, documentaries, animations, and variety shows will participate in the selection of“Magnolia Awards”. Excellent programs from home and abroad will also be presented to the audience through TV screen and offline display. The representatives of each field of the TV industry will also express their views and contribute wisdom in forums.

I wish the 25th Shanghai TV Festival a complete success!

Stronger emphasis on creativity content signalled to TV festival opener

By Joyce Xu

The creativity and content quality of homegrown radio and TV programs will be highly emphasized in the future, industry professionals told the opening session of the 25th Shanghai TV Festival which raised its curtain on June 10.

The opening session was a summit of the Chinese television industry as this year also celebrates the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Leading industry leading figures gathered for the session to discuss new trends and media convergence in Chinese television.

The director of Shanghai Media Group, Gao Yunfei, said the company had successfully developed new original formats for a series of acclaimed programs, including “Bravo China,”“Heroes”and the charity TV program “We Are in Action.”

Good content would also be created for high- quality documentaries, realistic films and epic dramas about the achievements of the country’s reform and opening up, as well as people’s lives in the new era, Gao said.

New media, such as video- sharing websites and cell phones, had also changed information dissemination as

technology rapidly develops, Gao added. New media is converging with traditional media.

The CEO of Tencent Penguin Pictures, Sun Zhonghuai, said that video- sharing websites were playing an increasing role in developing original content.

“We will use our social responsibility to create more thought- provoking realistic productions for young online viewers,”Sun said.

In recent years, outstanding Chinese TV productions have also won wide acclaim from foreign audiences.

Zhao Yifang, founder and CEO of Huace Group, said the company had introduced more than 10,000 hours of Chinese TV production to around 180 counties and regions around the world.

In Zhao’s view, the global influence of domestic TV programs was ever increasing in terms of good original stories and universal emotions portrayed in these productions.

Beijing Media Network’s president, Li Chunliang, said the brilliant and profound traditional Chinese culture could inspire many wonderful TV productions. The company would produce more heart-warming stories about ordinary people for the screen, he said.

Specialscreeninghighlightspowerof VR technology in film production

VR technology is able to involve the audience heightening the viewing experience.

By Rachel Lu

To celebrate the power of the VR film experience, the 25th Shanghai International TV Festival and Shanghai International Film Festival, STVF×SIFF, has debuted a VR screening exhibition free to the public.

The organizers selected 20 high quality VR works, including nominees from the Venice, Sundance, Cannes, Tribeca, SXSW, Hongkong, and other worldrenowned TV and film festivals, for exhibition and tickets were quickly snapped up.

The viewing experience starts with audience members being led into a dome- shaped room sponsored by Pico and designed specifically for VR screenings with ideal lighting and enclosed sound effects. They are seated in a low, spinnable chair, perfect for enjoying the 360 degree, full-body experience. They are then instructed to place the VR headset securely on their heads, and after a brief introduction the show begins.

The program of standout films include “Spheres Series,”winner of best VR experience at the 2018 Venice International Film Festival;“4 Feet Blind Date,” which puts the audience close to the mixed emotions of a teenage girl’s first budding love; “The Wild Immersion,” that allows the audience to observe animals from all corners of the universe as if they were mere centimeters away.

During the films, audience members are able to freely adjust their points of view and truly be a part of the unique cinematic experience.

A volunteer administering the exhibition explained that the technology behind a VR film is truly spectacular because each detail has to be meticulously planned. While at the current stage these films are focused on utilizing the technology, he hopes that the plots of future films could also be further advanced.

Audiences at the exhibition were eager for the full immersion experience offered by the VR technology. After seeing“Songbird”, one viewer was driven to tears by the intimate interaction she had through the film. She was grateful for the unprecedented opportunity, and although she is from an older generation, her fascination for new technology was enhanced.

VR technology is able to involve the audience both physically and emotionally, heightening the viewing experience. The exhibition demonstrated that VR may be the next big thing in the film industry.