'I obviously did something right': Diaoyu Islands documentary director

Hollywood writer and director Chris D. Nebe's documentary about the Diaoyu Islands made its debut in Beijing on Sunday after its first screening earlier this month in Los Angeles.

The premiere was held in a hotel in downtown Beijing, drawing an audience of some 200 people, including journalists.

"Diaoyu Islands, The Truth" is produced by Monarex Hollywood Corporation and is one of twelve documentaries in Nebe's "Mysterious China" series introducing Chinese history, culture and rapid development to the world. The series included "Tibet: the Truth".

The 40-minute film made its debut in Los Angeles on March 11. A lover of Chinese culture, Nebe said he shot the series about China as he felt tired and sad that the western media always report a negative image (of China).

"Everything is exaggerated, I don't like this tendency. It is not productive or constructive, it's negative," said the director.

"China should be admired for what your country has achieved in the last 30 years. Therefore I made that try," he said in an interview with Xinhua.

As the documentary shows, the Diaoyu Islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times, he said.

"This is my message. My message is in peace. Because it's morally wrong what has happened and what is happening," said Nebe, president of Monarex Hollywood Corporation, founded in 1978.

Nebe has produced a number of movies including Heartbreaker, Rebels, The Naked Cage and The Inheritors and won many international awards.

Nebe said he believes that Japanese people want to see the film. "The documentary informs and educates about something people do not know much but they have heard much."

The film has won good reactions from the public and "I obviously did something right"to tell people the truth, said Nebe.

As a 76-year-old German, Nebe expressed his high appreciation of Germany's attitude toward WWII. He cited the historical moment when Willy Brandt dropped to his knees at the monument to victims of the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising more than four decades ago, which helped Germany win forgiveness, respect and trust from the whole world.

"This has very positive effect for our Germans because all of a sudden we were forgiven what we had done," he said. "I am very grateful that Willy Brandt did this, because otherwise we would still be cursed by bad memories."

Nebe spent about one year shooting the documentary at his own expenses of about 500,000 U.S. dollars. He said it was totally voluntary for him to shoot this film.

"I did not want to be called by the west a 'paid propaganda' , it's my own money, nobody else. I'm a film maker. If you find something interesting, you just do it."

The experienced producer said the documentary had reliable sources, including pictures and footages he found from archives in Washington.