On July 4, the Hisilk International Documentary Conference held the "China-Africa Documentary Film Exchange Day". The event focused on the theme of "documentary photography promotes exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations", and invited Chinese and African documentary film creators and scholars to conduct dialogues and discussions on film cooperation and communication issues.
China-Africa Documentary Film Exchange Day (Moderator: Yan Yuqian, Associate Researcher, School of Media and International Culture, Zhejiang University)
A microscopic perspective outlines shared values
Why are China-Africa relations good? Why is China-Africa friendship deep? The key lies in the fact that China and Africa insist on common development on the basis of "sincerity, friendship and equal treatment". As an important carrier for promoting China-Africa friendship, China-Africa documentary images should also be based on equality, be good at showing big feelings from a small perspective, and reflect the common values of both sides.
Wu Di, head of Xinhua News Agency's "Wudi Studio" and documentary filmmaker, made a speech
Wu Di, head of Xinhua News Agency's "Wudi Studio" and documentary director, used the two documentaries "My Railway, My Dream" and "Walking with Africa" as examples to explain the importance of "micro" for excellent external communication documentaries. She said that a good external propaganda documentary needs to impress the audience with characters, details and stories, and organically combine character stories with grand narratives.
Daniel Zhang the head of China-Africa Audiovisual Studio of Zhejiang University and doctoral supervisor of the School of Media and International Culture, delivered a speech
The head of the China-Africa Audiovisual Studio at Zhejiang University and the doctoral supervisor of the School of Media and International Culture Daniel Zhang also emphasized the value of ordinary character narratives. He said that his team chooses to tell stories more from the perspective of folk and scholars, and each character is a small person. In the face of such a grand theme as the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, choosing a small character narrative can show the "small self in the big era" and achieve better international communication effects.
Record vivid stories of non-governmental exchanges between China and Africa
With the deepening of cooperation and exchanges between China and Africa, millions of Chinese are working and living in Africa, and there are also young people from various African countries studying and working here in China. The creators of China-Africa documentaries have a keen insight into this and have recorded the real picture of China-Africa people-to-people exchanges with their lenses.
Chinese documentary filmmaker Liang Zi spoke
Liang Zi, a Chinese documentary filmmaker, said that for Chinese and African documentaries, following the customs of the countryside is a topic that will always be solved. There are more than fifty countries in Africa, each country is different, with different languages and beliefs, and Chinese creators cannot preconceive of preconceived settings, but want to see and record the real Africa.
Zhang Wei, Chief Content Officer of Youku Pan Entertainment Center, made a speech
Zhang Wei, chief content officer of Youku Pan Entertainment Center, emphasized the significance of recording. In his view, China-Africa documentaries can be divided into two stages. In the first stage, it is necessary to strengthen mutual understanding, so that Africans can see what China is like, and let Chinese see what Africa is like; In the second stage, the two sides should record more about the current world from the aspects of nature, geography and humanities.
South African documentary filmmaker Faik Dale
In his documentary film Chinese in South Africa, South African documentary filmmaker Faik Dale chronicles the struggles of the Chinese community in South Africa, uncovering the stories of the Chinese who have contributed to South Africa's vibrant multiculturalism. He said documentaries can present real stories and break stereotypes, thereby promoting cross-cultural dialogue and understanding. Through the medium of documentary, we can forge closer ties, promote mutual respect, and build a diverse global community. In the documentary "Chinese in South Africa", the personal lives of Chinese in South Africa and the fate of the country of South Africa are intertwined, and this interweaving of destinies bridges cultural differences and makes multiculturalism vibrant here.
Congolese documentary filmmaker Flogi
Congo Brazzaville documentary director Flogi said that with the emergence of excellent China-Africa documentaries, more and more Chinese have a better understanding of Africa, which makes the exchanges between Chinese and African people more and more smooth, and documentaries bring Africa and China closer and closer.
Beyond the Western paradigm of "African discourse"
China has always adhered to the global governance concept of "consultation, co-construction and sharing" and sought "win-win cooperation and common development" in Africa. Unlike Western perspectives, Chinese documentarians generally emphasize the presentation of Africa in an equal, empathetic and poetic way.
The head of China-Africa Audiovisual Studio of Zhejiang University and doctoral supervisor of the School of Media and International Culture Daniel Zhang led the China-Africa documentary team of Zhejiang University to create a five-part documentary "China-Africa Love after the 90s", focusing on Chinese and African youth, telling the stories of China-Africa exchanges of the young generation in the context of China-Africa cooperation, and helping the people-to-people bond between China and Africa and international communication. Each episode of the documentary selects the "post-90s" in China and the "post-90s" in Africa as the main characters, tells the stories of their exchanges and cooperation, and conveys the theme of "youth is the hope of China-Africa relations".
In January 2019, Wu Di, head of Xinhua News Agency's "Wudi Studio" and documentary filmmaker, set off to shoot the documentary "Wise Men on the "Belt and Road"", visiting 5 continents, 31 countries, traveling 270,000 kilometers, and interviewing 86 top scholars in the world. These scholars have different research directions, but in the tide of world development and change, they all have their eyes on China. Wu Di said that this shooting experience made her truly feel that China is sharing the fruits of development with the world as a big country.
CGTN's French-speaking documentary team producer Zhao Cuiyun
Zhao Cuiyun, producer of the documentary team of CGTN's French-speaking department, said that Africa is the continent of the future, and this also applies to China-Africa documentary cooperation. Documentaries are national images, China-Africa documentaries are albums of China-Africa relations, and the future of China-Africa cooperation documentaries will definitely be better.
"China-Africa Documentary Film Exchange Day" is one of the thematic forums of the Hisilk International Documentary Conference, co-sponsored by CIPG, Zhejiang University, Information Office of Fujian Provincial People's Government, Fujian Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, and Quanzhou Municipal People's Government. On the day of the event, a number of excellent Chinese and African documentaries such as "I am Very Good in China" and "Chinese in South Africa" were also screened, and the director was invited to do post-screening exchanges, which were warmly welcomed by the audience.