Pioneer Director Guo Baochang to Chair 20th STVF’s TV Series Jury
The famous Chinese director Guo Baochang will chair the jury panel of both the TV Films/Miniseries and TV Series sections, the Shanghai TV Festival Organizing Committee announced on May 5.
It also announced the president of Hot Docs, Chris McDonald, and the renowned animator and director Nelson Shin have been appointed as jury presidents of the Documentary and Animation sections. The 20th STVF will be celebrated from June 9 to 13.
Guo Baochang graduated from Beijing Film Academy and has directed many films, including Mist Over Fairy Peak, Red Fists and Fog Buoy. He has also directed over 30 TV series, including the elaborately filmed Sunset of the Forbidden City which included some of the grandest scenes in the history of Chinese TV series. He also directed The Mansion, one of the most popular Chinese TV series, a masterpiece which took 40 years and was celebrated as a modern version of The Dream of Red Mansions because of its splendid plots and profound cultural elements. The Mansion has become a template of an elaborately created TV series for Chinese producers.
Guo\'s TV series production reputation and tireless efforts in helping the younger generation made him the ideal candidate for jury president in STVF\'s TV Series section. He said it was a great honor and responsibility to join STVF’s 20th grand event as a jury president.
The Documentary section jury president is Chris McDonald who has been executive director of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival since 1998. He became Hot Docs’ president in 2013. He also works as a consultant to the advisory boards of various industries as well as jury member of major international film festivals. In addition, Hot Docs, with a mission to promote excellent documentaries and the beauty of the documentary, is regarded as North America\'s largest documentary film festival.
Animation section jury president Nelson Shin founded his animated ads company in 1961. In the 1970s, Shin worked as an animator at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises on the Pink Panther and Dr. Seuss’s films. At DFE he contributed to the animation of the light saber blades in the original Star Wars. In 1980, he joined Marvel Studios as executive producer of the television series The Transformers. He also made his directorial debut on The Transformers movie. In 1985, he founded Akom Production in Seoul, focusing on animation, and since 1987 several animations produced by the company have won Emmy Awards.
The Shanghai TV Festival\'s major events include the Magnolia Award International TV Program Competition，the International Film and TV Market, TV Forum and Closing & Award Ceremonies. In addition, STVF holds special events, including the People’s Choice, Shanghai Student TV Festival and TV Program Showcase.
The entry and application periods for each section of the Magnolia Award have closed. A total of more than 1,000 productions from over 50 countries have applied for this year\'s award. Both the quantity and quality of works have increased dramatically, including the most eye-catching TV series section which has attracted almost all the outstanding works in China. The competition finalists will be announced by the Organizing Committee in mid-May.
Appendix:
Introduction of Jury Presidents for TV Film/Mini-series and TV Series Sections
Guo Baochang is a famous director who graduated from Beijing Film Academy. He was assigned to Guangxi Film Studio in 1972 and was transferred to Shenzhen Film Enterprise in 1984. His films include "Mist Over Fairy Peak," "Perfect Partners," and "Male Citizens." He also has directed more than 30 TV series, including "The Grand Mansion Gate," "The Grand Mansion Gate Sequel," "The Grand Mansion Gate 1912," "The Sunset of the Forbidden City," "My Kingdom," etc.
Jury President for Documentary Section
Chris McDonald was appointed Executive Director of Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in October 1998. In 2013, he was named Hot Docs President. He sits on several industry advisory boards, and has served on panels and juries at leading film festivals and markets around the world. The flagship Hot Docs Forum established in 2000 is now North America’s largest documentary market event. Hot Docs also administers a $4 million fund for Canadian documentaries. With a mandate to advance and celebrate the art of documentary and to showcase the work of documentary filmmakers, Hot Docs is now recognized as North America’s largest documentary festival.
Jury President for Animation Section
Born in Korea, Shin started an animated commercials’ company 10 years before venturing to the United States in 1971. He began his career in the U.S. as an animator for film such as “Pink Panther” and “Dr. Seuss.” He provided the light sabre special effects for “Star Wars” and moved to Marvel Productions in 1980. He was a line-producer for TV show “The Transformers” which also became his directorial debut as an animated feature film. In 1985, Shin established AKOM Productions in Seoul, Korea, for OEM Animation Productions. His company has received numerous Emmy Awards since 1987 for achievements in outstanding animation. In 1996, he organized ASIFA Korea, and became VP of ASIFA and president of ASIFA International (2009~2013). Shin directed and produced an animated feature film, “Empress Chung,” in 2005 and directed feature film "The Frog Kingdom" in 2013
State Administration of Radio and Television
