On the evening of December 4th, the 20th Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival,China, sponsored by the National Radio and Television Administration and the People's Government of Guangdong Province, and organized by the People's Government of Guangzhou and the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Radio and Television, opened at the new Guangzhou Cultural Center.

Yang Xiaowei, a member of the Party Group and deputy director of the National Radio and Television Administration, Wang Xi, a member of the Standing Committee and deputy governor of Guangdong Province, and Du Xinshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, attended and delivered speeches. Li Zhongzhi, director of the Propaganda Department of the National Radio and Television Administration, Xu Dianhui, deputy secretary-general of the People's Government of Guangdong Province, Cui Zhaoyang, executive deputy director of the Propaganda Department of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and director of the Film Bureau, Wang Xiao, secretary of the Party Committee and director of the Guangdong Provincial Administration of Radio and Television, and Lai Zhihong, deputy mayor of Guangzhou, also attended the opening ceremony.

The theme of GZDOC2023 is Light and Shadow Reality, Mutual Learning of Civilizations. A total of 7,280 documentaries from 156 countries and regions participated. It radiates to over half of the countries and regions globally, with over half of the participating and evaluated works coming from overseas, showing an increase in both quantity and quality compared to previous sessions.

Nearly a thousand institutions and more than 4,000 professionals will participate in the Documentary Festival. The highlights also include international forums, the ‘China Stories’ international pitching session, industry training, and other segments, providing a more professional platform for the Chinese documentary industry and assisting domestic documentaries in reaching a broader international market.