Insiders reveal how to win a global audience for Chinese documentaries

Documentary films, with their distinctive ability to convey authentic narratives, could be more effective than fictional stories in bringing China's stories and spirit to a global audience, said industry insiders during the recently concluded 4th Chinese Documentary Film Festival, held in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

Yin Chengkui, a professor at Beijing Normal University, said that the key to a successful documentary is finding a subject of shared interest across different cultures. He cites Miracle on the Han River, a coproduction by China and South Korea in 2012, as an example. The three-episode series, which explores the global popularity of South Korean entertainment, features top South Korean stars and uses an in-depth perspective to analyze the "K-drama fever".

The documentary had its distribution rights purchased by the Korean Broadcasting System, the national broadcaster of South Korea, and was later aired in more countries, including Singapore and Malaysia, Yin added.

Jane Shao, founder and president of Lumiere Pavilions Limited, said that natural history documentaries resonate well with a global audience, due to stories about environmental protection and the pursuit of harmony between humans and wildlife being universally moving.

Director Zhou Wenwubei shared a memorable story from his documentary about Israeli American violinist Itzhak Perlman's visit to Shanghai. Perlman, who was then scheduled to lead hundreds of teenagers in a violin performance, demonstrated a deep commitment to mentoring young musicians.

"To better guide the children, Perlman made a special effort to learn some Chinese. He even declined assistance and propelled his wheelchair himself to get closer to the students," recalled Zhou.

Zhou added that Perlman's demeanor by Shanghai's Huangpu River was as ardent and sincere as when he first learned the violin. "We witnessed a master's genuine love for his art and his sense of duty to pass it on. That moment of authentic connection became the documentary's greatest highlight."

Zhou explained that such shining moments of humanity are the key to making a documentary resonate with audiences.