High-quality productions highlighted at 2018 STVF

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‍Chinese actors He Bing and Ma Yili grabbed the Best Actor and Best Actress for the annual Magnolia Awards for their performances in “The Love of Courtyard” and “The First Half of My Life” on Friday night, marking the closing of the 24th Shanghai TV Festival (STVF), which is part of the ongoing 2018 Shanghai International Film & TV Festival.

The “White Deer Plain” was awarded the Best Television Series of the year, while its director Liu Jin took home the Best Director award.

Chinese director Liu Jin receives Best Director award. /VCG Photo

The Best Supporting Actor and Actress went to Yu Hewei and Xu Di for their performances in “The Advisors Alliance” and “The First Half of My Life.”

Three variety shows produced and aired by the China Media Group, “National Treasure,” “Everlasting Classics” and “Waiting for Me,” were awarded the Best Seasonal Variety Awards.

A number of foreign television productions will return home full-handed as well. The UK’s “Zack and Quack” was awarded the Best Animation Award, while “No Man’s Land” from the US got the Best Documentary Award.

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The annual Magnolia Awards is one of the most prestigious television awards both domestically and internationally across the Asian countries. The award design this year took the shape of the magnolia, the city flower of Shanghai, and is one of the three big awards in China for television productions, aside from the Flying Apsaras Awards and the Golden Eagle Awards.

What defines a good TV series?

Over 800 TV series from at least 50 countries and regions ran for the Magnolia Awards this year, with at least 10 domestic productions nominated.

Ahead of the event, during a press conference, the panel said that productions with unique angles, high-quality and popularity among the audience would be their first choice.

“I am glad to see that all the nominated works this year have met the aesthetic standards of a good TV series,” said Liu Heping, screenwriter and chairman of the panel, during the red carpet ahead of the awarding ceremony.

Magnolia Awards placed on stage. /VCG Photo

Liu, who spent seven years writing and polishing the script of “All Quiet in Beijing,” a high-scoring TV series in 2014, said earlier at a press conference that domestic TV series have made big progress in the past 40 years, however, there is still room for further progress.

Gao Qunshu, Chinese screenwriter as well as a panel member, said that despite the fact that a large amount of capital has been flowing into television productions in recent years, progress in creativity and acting has been slow.

“We are not only evaluating while discussing and deciding the awards, we are also promoting, to select the few really good works and let the efforts of the creators be known, awarded and advocated,” said Gao.

The quality of the domestic TV series has remained at the center of discussions in recent years, as the general public calls for higher aesthetic and production standards.

Red carpet for the 2018STVF. /CGTN Photo

The poor quality of some TV series, the awkward acting skills and the sometimes illogical lines were always widely criticized.

“When we were little, TV series were usually thoughtful, inspiring and artistically great. However, with more money and advanced technologies today, we should see more high-quality TV productions.” said Gao.

This year’s Magnolia Awards placed more emphasis on the roles of photographers and screenwriters in TV series productions.

“Chinese television series have become more mature,” said Liu Heping, adding that he believes that Chinese TV series also have the potential to compete with their Western counterparts.