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)