This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). On the 3rd of July, the 2023 Maritime Silk Road International Documentary Film Festival (MSRDOC) commenced in Quanzhou, Fujian, the ancient starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. More than 400 documentary producers, directors, experts, and scholars from over 40 countries and regions, including France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Cambodia, gathered to engage in a cultural exchange of documentary images related to the countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road.

“Documentaries are hailed as the human photo album, serving as a bridge that fosters understanding and friendship among people from different nations,” stated Lu Cairong, vice president of China International Communications Group (CICG). He pointed out that as the BRI advances further, it not only brings increasing development opportunities to countries and regions along its route but also offers a broad stage for collaboration between domestic and foreign documentary filmmakers.

The theme of this festival centers around “Promoting the Spirit of the Maritime Silk Road and Recording the Changes of the Times.” It aims to establish an open, cooperative, mutually beneficial, and a win-win international platform for exchanging film and television culture and industries. Through documentary images, MSRDOC seeks to promote collaboration and development of documentary industries, especially in developing countries along the Maritime Silk Road, contributing to the mutual understanding and cultural exchange among these nations and regions. For this purpose, an Art Committee was specially formed, and the “Maritime Silk Road International Documentary Film Festival Initiative” was announced during the event.

According to the initiative, members have agreed to five major principles within the framework of “building a platform for documentary creation, exchange, and cooperation among countries along the Maritime Silk Road,” which include recognizing the unique value of documentaries in enhancing social development, preserving historical documents, showcasing the human spirit, and elevating artistic aesthetics; advocating for collaborative production of documentary works through inclusive and diverse cooperation models; actively facilitating the global dissemination of the latest and most outstanding documentary works; conducting annual thematic research by combining documentary images with fields such as archaeology and anthropology; and enhancing the training of talents in short documentary filmmaking while encouraging the creation and joint screening of youth-oriented documentary shorts.

This four-day festival will feature 15 events, including the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road: A Decade in Retrospect” showcase of excellent documentary images, thematic forums on the Maritime Silk Road documentary series, Maritime Silk Road World Heritage Night, China-Africa Documentary Image Exchange Day, and exhibitions of Chinese and overseas documentary projects.