2015-05-25

Shanghai TV Festival Complete Jury Panel Line-Up Announcement

On the 25th of May, the Shanghai TV Festival Organizing Committee published the complete list of the “Magnolia” Award jury members. Apart from the previously announced President of the Jury Panel for the Television Section Yan Jian’gang, President of the Jury Panel for the Documentary Section Richard Bradley, and President of the Jury Panel for the Animation Section Tim Brooke-Hunt. This year’s TV Festival Organizing Committee has also invited nine other top professionals from China and abroad to serve as judges. The 21st Shanghai TV Festival will be held from the 8th to the 12th of June.

The Television Section has always been the focus of attention for both the media and audiences, and this year’s jury Panel is certainly isn’t lacking on the big star front either. Besides the previously announced previous “Magnolia” Award-winner Song Jia, the Television Section has also invited the talented and creative director and producer Guo Jingyu. Each of the TV series he has directed, including Rush Year, Dog Stick, and Iron Pear Flowers, have been masterpieces that have received high ratings and excellent reviews.

Also invited to serve as a judge is the famous screenwriter and director Lin Lisheng, whose master works include Borrow Gun, Conflicts in Lao Niu’s Family, and the film A World Without Thieves. He even won the “Magnolia” Award for Best Writing for Borrow Gun at the 17th Shanghai TV Festival.

Gold medal screenwriter Wang Wanping, who on account of her Comrades: Almost a Love Story and If by Life You Were Deceived was twice nominated for the Shanghai TV Festival’s “Magnolia” Award for Best Writing, will also participate in the award selection work for the Television Section at this year’s festival. She is the creator of TV series such as Happiness as Flowers, New Shanghai Bund, and Golden Wedding, and also won last year’s “Magnolia” TV Series Golden Award for If by Life You Were Deceived.

Renowned American screenwriter Daniel Pyne, who will serve as the Television Section’s only judge from overseas, is also just as qualified. His master works include the TV series Miami Vice and the film Fracture, and he is currently developing a series of TV series for USA Network and Sonar Entertainment.

Documentary Section Jury Line-Up. Apart from Emmy Award winner Richard Bradley, who is serving as Jury President, the jury also includes two other documentary directors: Wang Haibing from China, and Nao Kubota from Japan. Wang Haibing is one of the representative figures of Chinese documentary creation, and his works have been entered into and won in international film and TV festivals on a number of occasions. His early work Families of Northern Tibet was shortlisted for the 5th Festival International des Programmes Audiovisuels (FIPA), representing China’s television documentaries in their reaching out beyond Asia and toward the rest of the world. His three documentary masterpieces Families of Northern Tibet, The Boatman of Baili Gorge, and Returning Home won the “Golden Panda” Prize and “Nomination Award” during 3 consecutive Sichuan TV Festivals. Returning Home also won the D’ARGENT Special Prize at FIPA.

Nao Kubota has experience filming nearly 100 documentaries. His representative works include Portrait of a Family and The Blue Eyed Child Soldiers. He won an Industry Trailblazer Award at the Documentary Market and Conference (MIPDOC) in Cannes, France in 2007, and was selected as one of the eight most outstanding documentary filmmakers. He has also received a number of awards such as the ATP Association of All Japan TV Program Production Companies Award and the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications Award.

The Animation Section President of the Jury position is to be filled by Australian animation producer and Asian Animation Summit founder Tim Brooke-Hunt. Japan’s Masahiko Minami, president of renowned anime studio Bones, and China’s famous animation director and screenwriter Wang Chuan will serve as judges. As a leading Japanese animation company, Bones has created classics that all anime fans are familiar with, such as Fullmetal Alchemist¸ Eureka Seven, and Darker than Black. Bones president Masahiko Minami is known for the strict quality of his works, and will make use of his high standards toward animation works in his work as a judge for the Animation award category. Chinese judge Wang Chuan, as director for the high standard and original Great Bug animation series, pushed Chinese animation production to a new height, receiving numerous awards in China and abroad.

As experts and elites in the field of television, the abovementioned judges will use their professional views to assist in the “Magnolia” Award selection work. They will also push forward TV industry development, promote TV culture exchanges between China and the rest of the world, and do what they can to foster new talents in the industry. Who will take home this year’s “Magnolia” Award? Everything will become known at the “Magnolia Blossom” awards ceremony in the evening on the 12th of June.