30th Shanghai TV Festival Opens Today
The 30th Shanghai TV Festival is being held in Shanghai from June 23 to 27, 2025.
This year marks the 30th edition of this "golden brand" of Shanghai's cultural landscape as it embarks on a new cinematic journey. The opening ceremony and forum, themed "30 Years of Inspiration: A New Cinematic Journey," will review the mutual growth between the Magnolia Awards and industry development, examine the awards' international influence, and explore ways to further promote audiovisual system reforms and create new prospects for high-quality development of radio, film and television. During the festival, the Magnolia International Promotion Plan will be launched to expand global connections by leveraging the event's existing international influence.
Magnolia Awards Drive Professional Excellence
The 30th edition's Magnolia Awards cover four categories (five units) including TV dramas (Chinese and international), documentaries, animation, and variety shows, with nearly 1,000 entries from 43 countries across five continents. Documentary submissions saw the most significant increase of about 10%. In animation and documentary categories where Chinese and international works compete together, the proportion of overseas entries has grown annually, with renowned international TV institutions like BBC, Sony, HBO Warner, and Disney submitting quality programs. New participating countries include Chile, Denmark, and Iceland.
This year's Magnolia Awards jury comprises 15 members from seven countries and regions. The Chinese TV drama unit jury combines generations of professionals, mostly past Magnolia winners. Other category juries include previous Magnolia winners and renowned directors whose works were featured in past festivals. For the first time, a Hong Kong actor will serve on the international TV drama jury.
Integrated International Film & TV Market Debuts with New International Zone
The Magnolia Forum will focus on hot topics including quality content creation, international dissemination, ultra-HD industry development, and short-form drama trends, featuring eight thematic forums. Three masterclasses will be hosted by the TV drama, animation and documentary jury chairs. The film festival will hold 10-12 Golden Goblet forums and 2-4 film seminars covering technological innovation, international cooperation, literary adaptations, and IP commercialization.
A highlight is the full integration of film and TV markets into a five-day International Film & TV Market at Shanghai Exhibition Center, featuring a new International Zone showcasing global cultural characteristics and industry achievements to create more cooperation opportunities. Market events include Global Focus, From Literature to Screen, and Film & TV+ series, with special sessions like Focus on Russia and Focus on Thailand to deepen international exchanges.
Public Screenings Mark Jane Austen's 250th Anniversary
The festival continues its public-friendly approach with Magnolia Fragrance broadcasts on Dragon TV featuring past winners and new international works. Screenings will occur at cultural venues across all 16 Shanghai districts, creating a "TV festival at your doorstep."
Notably, the festival will again collaborate with BBC to screen three Jane Austen adaptations commemorating her 250th birthday. A special Different Lives section will feature last year's hit documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru and works about Hungarian architect László Hudec's Shanghai connections. For children, popular animations like Gabby's Dollhouse, PAW Patrol and Shuke and Beita will be shown, with some screenings including meet-and-greets.
As the China-headquartered, Shanghai-named SCO celebrates its China Year, the festival will screen six works from SCO member states - including the first Iranian drama in the event's 30-year history - as part of NRTA's Audiovisual Connections program.
Having accompanied generations of viewers and witnessed nearly 40 years of Chinese TV development, the 30th edition, themed "30 Years in Bloom: Sound of Your Blooming," will partner with WeSing for a classic TV song challenge and AI songwriting competition, celebrating Chinese television's golden years.