The First Chinese Documentary Film Festival was Held in Zhuhai, Guangdong

On the evening of December 14, the Promotion Ceremony of the 1st Chinese Documentary Film Festival was held in Zhuhai Huafa & CPAA Grand Theatre. This event marked the successful conclusion of the festival. Documentary film main characters and creative teams, documentary film workers, actors, and media workers from across the country gathered in Zhuhai to discuss the development and future of Chinese documentary films.

The ceremony paid tribute to documentary films and filmmakers and celebrated China’s achievements in the new era with respect to various activities that show the endeavors of film workers in diverse periods. These activities include documentary short films, children’s chorus, live interviews, and poetry recitation.

A video message from the 92-year-old, famous documentary director Chen Guangzhong was shown at the ceremony. In the video, Mr. Chen encouraged the new generation of documentary filmmakers to keep up-to-date with the times, climb to the peak of the arts, and value their time.

The event was also connected to the City Memory open-air screening event held simultaneously on the square of the Zhuhai Grand Theatre, which was one of the main activities of this festival. The films brought together precious historical images of Zhuhai and Macao from the 1950s to the 1990s, and accurately and vividly showcased the ever-changing development and changes in the local area, allowing Zhuhai citizens to directly experience imagery of the city.

One of the important activities of this festival, the film collection and recommendation, attracted a great deal of attention. A total of 57 outstanding documentaries, that have been licensed for public screening in the past three years, were collected. Among them, 20 works were shortlisted for recommendation, and 14 were shortlisted for individual recommendation. To-gether was a specially recommended work, and They Were Young in 1950 was recommended as a documentary work. Like the Dyer’s Hand was recommended as a cultural work, and To the Summit was recommended as a natural work. Taking Root was recommended as a realistic work, and the science category was vacant. The Six was recommended in the category of International Communication. Luo Fei of The Six was recommended as a special director, Jin Xingzheng of Mama was recommended as a special cinematographer, and Li Bo of Days and Nights in Wuhan was recommended as a special editor. The Film and Television Communication Center of Tsinghua University was awarded Special Contribution in Production, Elemeet was awarded Special Contribution in Distribution, and Lumiere Pavilions was awarded Special Contribution in Screening.

At the same time, the results of the Impression of Zhuhai short video special recommendation were announced at the ceremony.

Before the ceremony, a red-carpet ceremony of Avenue of Glory was held. Along with the creators, main characters of the documentaries attended. They are tea farmer Wei Yuede from Fujian in Striving for Dream, Xia Boyu in To the Summit, founder and coach of the public service baseball team Sun Lingfeng and the players in Tough Out, Duan Lihua working in the front line of poverty alleviation in Taking Root. The ceremony paid respect to these ordinary figures, to the main characters in documentary films, and to every ordinary Chinese person who works hard. These individuals have faith, belief, dreams, and glory. By presenting them, the ceremony highlights the ambitious and vigorous spirits of all Chinese individuals in the new era. It demonstrates the role models of kindness and achievements in society.

The three-day conference was not only a centralized display of Chinese film memories, but also a broad platform for documentary creators, experts, scholars, distributers, screening institutions, and media workers. A new generation of Chinese documentary filmmakers will set out from Zhuhai, use documentaries to tell Chinese stories, spread Chinese voices, and promote Chinese culture to the world.

Source: The 1st Chinese Documentary Film Festival