The 4th Chinese Documentary Film Festival is being held in Zhuhai from Oct. 25 to 27. The 2025 program comprises key segments including screenings and observation workshops of Chinese documentary films, themed dialogues, new film promotion sessions, the “Zhuhai Night” gala, the “Walk of Glory” ceremony, the “Golden Seagull” awards ceremony and closing ceremony.
This year, the opening ceremony and keynote forum will be held in Beishan Village, a century-old historic village in Zhuhai. Events such as the “Zhuhai Night” and the “Light and Shadow Charm Consumption Week” will integrate musical performances with intangible cultural heritage workshops, enabling attendees to immerse themselves in the cultural essence of Zhuhai in the night of the ancient village.
A series of themed will gather directors, producers, experts, and scholars from across the globe to engage in in-depth exchanges and intellectual inspiration. The highly anticipated “Walk of Glory” will invite contributors to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to walk alongside renowned documentary filmmakers, making everyday heroes the most distinguished figures on the red carpet. The “Golden Seagull” awards ceremony will innovatively involve local AI robots to demonstrate the dynamic convergence of technology and artistic expression.
As a central highlight of the event, the Chinese Documentary Film Recommendation Initiative has been accepting submissions from Chinese-language documentary production organizations and practitioners worldwide since September. During the festival, the Recommendation Committee, comprising distinguished industry experts, scholars, and experienced film professionals, will review shortlisted works and select recipients across multiple categories. The final results will be officially announced at the Golden Seagull awards ceremony and closing ceremony of the festival.
As a supporting event, Chinese documentary film screening activities will be run from Oct. 21 to 27, covering multiple cinemas and public cultural venues in Zhuhai. Commemorating the 120th anniversary of the birth of Chinese cinema, the festival will present a chronological exploration of cinematic classics and feature a specially curated section titled “Sports Spirit” in celebration of the 15th National Games, screening outstanding documentaries such as How Many Decisive Battles Can One Encounter in His Life (a documentary film of Rong Guotuan, China’s first world champion) that highlights the striving spirits of athletes.
Meanwhile, a special screening of the documentary film Chinese White Dolphin will be held. Co-produced by CMG, Guangdong Radio and Television Station, and ZMG, with renowned filmmaker Yan Dong as the chief director, the film will hit domestic cinemas in December. This documentary will lead audiences to explore the past and present of the Chinese white dolphin, conveying the athletic passion and vitality central to the upcoming National Games.
The festival is jointly hosted by the China Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio (Group), the China Film Association, and the Publicity Department of the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee under the guidance of China Media Group (CMG), the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangdong Provincial Committee; and organized by the Documentary Film Committee of the China Film Association and Zhuhai Media Group (ZMG).
Previously, the festival has been successfully held in three editions. It has established a high-level exchange platform for Chinese documentary films. Based in Zhuhai, a frontier city of China’s Reform and Opening-up, and backed by the vibrant Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the 4th Chinese Documentary Film Festival will connect history and the future, and bridge China and the world through documentaries.
Source: Zhuhai Media Group
Edited by Yin Juewen