Liu Wei: Connecting Stories Across Borders

1/ Connecting Cultures

The industry is undergoing profound restructuring. Where are you placing your strategic focus internationally, and what specific goals have you set?

China Pavilion has always regarded the Sunny Side of the Doc in France as one of the most important cooperation platforms for the global documentary industry. Since our first participation in 2017, we have been a regular presence in La Rochelle for many years. This year, through events such as the “China Hour”  and the “China - Brazil Copro Connections”, we are showcasing the latest trends and co-production needs of China's documentary sector to our international peers.

China Pavilion focuses on three core directions: first, deepening co-production collaboration with international production houses; second, expanding the global distribution network for Chinese documentaries; and third, promoting cross-media projects as well as collaborative innovation in new technologies and new media. Over the past eight years, leveraging the key platform of Sunny Side of the Doc, Chinese documentary professionals and partners from various countries have jointly facilitated more than 30 China-foreign co-production and international communication projects, covering a wide range of cooperation models including joint production, overseas distribution, and festival exchanges.

We position ourselves as a "connector of cross-cultural narratives." Looking ahead, we look forward to working with global peers to use documentary – a medium that transcends borders – to address issues of common concern to humanity and tell stories that deserve to be heard around the world.

2/ Adapting to Change

What changes (in content, technology, or market) are currently influencing your selection of documentary projects the most? How exactly do they manifest?

The changes influencing our selection of documentary projects mainly come from three levels.

The first is technology. AI technologies, represented by AIGC, are now deeply involved in the entire documentary creation process. This trend is not only transforming production models but also prompting us to make proactive adjustments in project evaluation. For this year's exhibition, China Pavilion selected more than ten short works by young filmmakers from university competitions, presenting Chinese culture through a youthful lens in a compilation format. In addition, we independently produced two original premium shorts, such as “Yanjing • Pei”, centered on the theme of "technology + intangible cultural heritage."

At the same time, we have observed a noteworthy phenomenon: French institutions have already produced feature-length historical documentaries using AI technology. While technical tools open up new imaginative possibilities for historical storytelling, they also raise questions – when documentaries extensively use AI-generated content, how do we ensure the academic rigor of their historical core? How do we define the boundary between truth and fiction? These inquiries have become core considerations in our project evaluation process.

The second is the market level. Distribution channels such as streaming platforms, traditional television, and social media are becoming increasingly diverse, while audience viewing habits are changing rapidly. This requires us to adopt a multi-platform mindset from the project planning stage, shifting from single-channel production to cross-media content design, ensuring that each work can effectively reach audiences across different platforms and terminals.

The third is the content level. Global audience demand for documentaries is shifting from "information acquisition" to "emotional resonance", which places higher demands on choice of subject matter and narrative approach. When selecting projects, we increasingly value content that possesses both deep local cultural roots and strong potential for global dissemination.

3/ The Right Move

The theme of the 2026 Sunny Side of the Doc is "The Right Move", aimed at facilitating new collaborations. What kind of partners are you looking for in La Rochelle that you have not yet found?

This year's Sunny Side theme, "The Right Move", speaks directly to the real needs of the industry today. For China Pavilion, the partners we hope to find in La Rochelle fall mainly into two categories.

The first category consists of creators and production teams focused on youth narratives and global development issues. During the "China Hour" event and throughout the exhibition period, China Pavilion will highlight a selection of projects by China's new generation of documentary filmmakers. These works address globally relevant topics such as climate change, sustainable development, and cross-cultural exchange from a youthful perspective, combining human warmth with cross-cultural communicative power. We hope to find partners who share a resonance with these issues and are willing to co-develop them.

The second category comprises international content organizations that are interested in AI technology applications while understanding how to maintain a balance between technology and content depth. AI is a tool, but it is always the story itself that moves people. We look forward to establishing long-term cooperation with institutions that actively embrace technological innovation while maintaining respect for the bottom line of documentary authenticity – exploring together the creative norms and ethical boundaries of documentary filmmaking in the AI era.

What China Pavilion seeks in La Rochelle is not merely buyers or co-production partners, but peers who share a common vision and are willing to make "The Right Move" together. We look forward to meeting you at the "China Hour" event and at our Pavilion – let's make the right move together.