Boost Domestic Media and Cultural Sectors

The 16th Shanghai Television Festival raises its curtain today. It is the first time the festival opens amid efforts to boost domestic media and cultural sectors.

 

A record number of entries are competing for the festival\'s Magnolia Awards this year. A total of 66 TV productions representing more than 50 countries and regions will vie for the coveted awards in 23 categories.

 

This year\'s festival, which runs until Friday, will hold a series of events. They include animation project pitching, the Magnolia International Documentary Awards, a made-for-TV film competition, the People\'s Choice Awards and student television festival.

 

The festival spares no effort to present new creative projects every year. It is devoted to building a complete industrial chain in the Chinese TV and film industry.

 

Even during the global financial crisis, the festival has continued to grow.

 

This year, more than 600 professionals will attend the international film and TV market. About 40 percent of exhibitors are from foreign media groups. The Magnolia forum, a highlight of the festival, will invite industry leaders from around the world to discuss hot topics and check out prospects for China\'s TV industry.

 

Another important mission of the festival is to promote and distribute Chinese animation and documentary works to the world.

 

Animation project pitching, in its second year, is designed to provide both financial and technical support to original Chinese animations. Investors can witness the incubation of cartoons from scratch while contestants have a chance to receive professional training and guidance from veterans in this field.

 

This year, 120 entries will take part in the animation project pitching, 80 percent of which are from professional animation studios. So far, the organizing committee has declared 20 nominees to be excellent works. The best of them will receive funding from the committee. In October, trailers from these shows will be submitted to the Cannes TV Festival.

 

To promote domestic documentaries, this year\'s festival will for the first time include the Magnolia International Documentary Awards. The Bund,the latest from veteran documentary film maker Zhou Bing, will open this section.
In addition to a documentary exhibition and forum, the DocuChina project, which began in 2006, will also provide a platform for young directors to showcase their talent while raising awareness of China\'s documentary industry.

 

This year\'s theme for proposals and outlines is Asia in the Next Second. Pitch documents will be judged by a panel of veteran film makers, media critics and documentary producers.\'\'The People\'s Choice Awards for best television dramas marks another highlight of the festival.

 

It also is a good reference tool for the industry to gain insight into the preferences of viewers. Last year, the People\'s Choice Awards attracted about 130 million online votes. These awards will be handed out on Thursday.

 

by XU Wei