Curtains rise on the 29th Shanghai TV Festival

The 29th Shanghai TV Festival opened today at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. It will run till June 28 with various programs for industry professionals and television fans.

Since its establishment in 1986, the festival has developed into one of Asia's most important international TV exchange platforms and an influential cultural brand.

This year's Magnolia Awards received nearly 1,000 entries from 57 countries and regions across five continents.

In the Drama section, there are approximately 190 TV series from China while the number of foreign TV series increased to nearly 170 from nearly 110 the previous year, representing a notable 53.7 percent growth.

Significantly increases in entries were received in both the Documentary section and Animation section where domestic and foreign works appear together, and the proportion of foreign entries has increased year by year. Foreign entries accounted for 60 percent of the total submissions in the Documentary section this year.

Chinese director Yan Jiangang, who chairs the jury panel of the Drama section, said that the nominees reflect diverse histories, cultures, and social lives across the world and are deeply impressive.

Veteran Indian director and producer Vikram Channa will be the jury president of the Documentary section while French animation producer Frédéric Puech will lead the jury panel of the Animation section.

On June 28, the Magnolia Awards Ceremony will be hosted at the Lingang Performing Arts Center.

During the festival, high-quality programs from home and abroad will displayed through TV platforms, streaming platforms, and offline screenings.

This year's offline screenings will be accessible to residents at 20 art venues, such as the China Art Museum, Power Station of Art, Shanghai Book City, and the East Branch of Shanghai Library.

Nominated entries and outstanding recent productions will be exhibited. Among them are the Italian TV series "The Camorrist," the British series "Inside No.9," and the BBC documentary series "Planet Earth Season 3."

Cast and crews of such productions as "The Legend of Heroes," "The League of Gentlemen," and "Inside No.9," have been invited to talk about their creations. Audiences will have the chance to interact with world-renowned actors including Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, and Emmanuelle Béart.

Meanwhile, this year's festival will pay further attention to the remarkable growth of online creation by organizing the Shanghai Micro-dramas Conference and themed forums.

It will also explore deep cross-border integration with cultural tourism to boost cultural consumption.

Technical innovation and industrial rejuvenation will also be discussed at the festival.

The STVFORUM will focus on the future trends in the radio and television fields and the rapid development and application of cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence Generated Content.