More than 40 entries will compete for Magnolia Awards for the
best TV drama, documentary or animated work at the 13th Shanghai
Television Festival.
Tuesday's opening gala at the Oriental Art Center in Pudong will
provide a retrospective on the past 30 years of China's documentary
industry - an important part of this year's festival.
Organizers said Chinese mainland actress Zhao Wei and
actor/director Zhang Guoli will be available for talks with local
fans at the New World Expo Center in Pudong. Taiwan singer/actress
Rene Liu, veteran mainland actress Liu Xiaoqing and South Korean
heartthrob Kim Jung-hun may appear as guests of the Magnolia Awards
Ceremony on Friday.
Throughout the month, Shanghai Media Group's Documentary Channel
will screen 30 top domestic and international documentary entries
daily at 11:00 PM. SMG will air two local pieces, Easy
Life and Circus School, produced by the channel.
Both documentaries put a true-to-life lens on emerging street
artists and acrobatic performers who began their careers at a very
young age.
Additionally, 17 90-minute TV movies, including the German
police film SOKO Leipzig - Escape from St Domingo and
China's children's movie Toy Train, will debut on SMG TV's
Drama Channel.
The festival's forums on the international TV market will gather
global industry insiders and serve as a platform for exchanges on
topics such as new media, documentary filmmaking and television
technology.
Representatives of more than 180 TV stations and production
companies are in town to pursue deals.
"So far our international TV market has attracted more than 500
domestic and foreign buyers," said Tang Lijun, who serves on the
organizing committee.
Wednesday's festival schedule will spotlight animation. Industry
experts will give lectures on animation production and distribution
at the Shanghai Television Station. Raman Hui, one of the producers
of the Hollywood animation hit Shrek, will share his
experiences with local audiences.
The animation workshops will be followed by exhibitions of
avant-garde 3D cartoon pictures from Spain. The local Toonmax TV
Channel will offer a full schedule of classic Chinese
animations.
(Shanghai Daily June 12, 2007)
