Sharing stories

With 5,000 years of history, 1.4 billion people, diverse cultural appeal and unrivaled economic development, China has never lacked stories for eager documentary makers to tell. Since influential 1990 documentary Bumming in Beijing: The Last Dreamers about a group of artists in the capital was shot by then amateur filmmaker Wu Wenguang, independent Chinese documentary makers have had more freedom thanks to the use of small, digital video cameras and lower dependency on government financing.

Progress in leaps and bounds

China is developing so quickly that it's "easy to find a story to tell," according to Oscar Award-winning Chinese-American filmmaker Ruby Yang at one of the classes held during the four-day Sundance/CNEX Documentary Workshop that concluded in Beijing on Sunday.

"There are always alternative ways to find good stories and inspirational figures," said Yang, co-founder of the Chang Ai Media Project, which raises awareness about HIV/AIDS in China. "One way is to work with non-government organizations, many of whom also aspire to team up with filmmakers."

Jointly hosted by the Sundance Film Festival, the largest independent film festival in the US, and non-profit organization CNEX, a group dedicated to the production and promotion of Chinese documentaries, the workshops provide a platform for aspiring documentary makers and offers technical and financial support to some of the films, most of which are in pre-production or currently being shot. The 10 entries at this year's workshop vary in the themes they tackle, ranging from youth problems, animal rights protection and sky-rocketing housing prices.

Stealing the global spotlight

Guest speakers at this year's event, such as American filmmakers Robb Moss, Arthur Dong and Ruby Yang, covered a range of topics from storytelling techniques and editing. In recent years, independent Chinese documentaries have enjoyed a stronger presence on the international stage, such as at the Venice Film Festival and France's documentary festival Cinema of the Real.

"To appeal to international audiences, it's important to find a human thread," suggested Dong, a Chinese-American producer, director and self-distributor of independent social issue documentaries for over 30 years.

"Regardless of our origin, the human thread is universal, which is what I have sought to bring out in my stories," he noted. Many of his documentaries deal with the gay community in the US, such as Stories from the War on Homosexuality. Others involve Chinese-American subjects, such as Sewing Woman, and Forbidden City, U.S.A.

Challenges hindering growth

Despite a lack of support in documentary production compared to many other countries, the number of independent Chinese documentary makers has grown to about 100 over the past few years, according to veteran documentary producer Zhu Rikun. Although there are few film festivals and venues in China that screen documentaries, audience numbers have surged in recent years thanks to sales of pirated DVDs and the popularity of movie sharing websites, such as PPTV and Qiyi.

"Regardless of which country you are from, storytelling is not an easy task. This is especially true when dealing with filmmakers who are concerned about larger issues that affect this country," explained Dong. "Translating these concerns through films that move audiences isn't an easy task."

While it's the filmmaker's objective to tell a good story, the audience must also accept that not all films are going to cater to their tastes, he noted. "A lot of viewers don't challenge themselves," Dong said, adding that most people want to be entertained and not think. "The most important aspect for audiences is to be open-minded."