Life of Guangzhou - Guangdong Day Showcases Province's Culture

Guangdong Day, a grand documentary festival showcasing Guangdong's development in art, culture and history, was held in Guangzhou, capital of Gunagdong Province, yesterday.

opening ceremony for the 2006 China (Guangzhou)
International Documentary Festival [Guangzhou Daily]

Guests in the opening ceremony. [www.dayoo.com]

Co-organized by the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Guangdong provincial government, the film show is part of important events of the ongoing China (Guangzhou) International Documentary Festival, which continues till Saturday.

The event is aimed at promoting documentary film-making in Guangdong, which "lags behind the rest of the world both in quantity and quality," Director of the Information Office of Guangdong provincial government Li Shoujin said.

After yesterday's grand opening ceremony, two shortlisted documentary films made in Guangdong were screened for the public.

Performance in the opening ceremony. [www.dayoo.com]

One film, "Homeland," is produced by the Guangdong Television Station, featuring stories of Yao minorities in the province's Liannan County.

The other, "One Man's Drama Troupe," was shot by Maoming Television Station and focuses on the development of Guizai Drama, one of important folk puppet forms that originated in Gaozhou in Maoming, southwestern Guangdong.

"The event is also seen as an important platform for overseas viewers... they can know more about Guangdong's distinct cultural development," Li said.

A combined short film of 24 pieces, produced by various Guangdong-based filmmakers, too was screened.

"The festival will by all means develop Guangdong filmmakers' talents and help their products reach the international market," Li said.

Guangdong Vice-Governor Lei Yulei, too, sees Guangdong Day as a platform that would intensify exchanges between domestic and overseas documentary filmmakers.

"With a history of more than 2,000 years, Guangdong has a distinct cultural development, which will provide vast opportunities for domestic and overseas filmmakers," Lei said at the opening ceremony.

Moreover, the event will help attract more overseas media groups to study Guangdong's development, Lei said. (By Qiu Quanlin)