A new era for documentaries: younger audiences, global stories
BY :新花城英文频道
UPDATED :2026-09-28
Over the past few days, compelling documentaries have gathered in Guangzhou. The 5th Chinese Documentary Film Festival has shown us that documentaries are becoming younger and increasingly global.
As Vikram Channa noted, the environment in which Gen Z has grown up, as well as their content preferences, is changing. Classic stories never go out of date. What matters is finding contemporary ways to tell them.
This year, the festival also launched the Golden Kapok·Guangzhou Documentary Call, inviting creators from around the world and bringing more stories from across the globe to Chinese audiences. Youthfulness is changing the way documentaries are watched; internationalization is expanding the space for mutual understanding.
The way we tell stories can evolve, but the commitment to reality must remain. The expression can be young, the perspective can be global — but what never changes is the real story behind the lens.
Reporters: Wu Di, Chen Xiang, Cheng Linxin
Video: Cao Jingrong
Video editor: Chen Mingxi
Editor: Chen Mingxi
