Teaching cross-cultural documentary filmmaking in China: navigating a parallel universe

This conversation between two documentary film educators in China, one born in China and one born in the U.S., explores how the different definitions and concepts of what constitutes a documentary film impact creative collaborations between film students in China and other countries participating in the Looking China short documentary film program. With rapid advances in digital technology and an internet that enables instantaneous global distribution, new styles of documentary film are galloping ahead apace, widening the gap in definition of documentary film between China and countries with a more expansive understanding and practice. The discussants share experiences teaching documentary film in China, and discuss the debate about what constitutes a documentary, documentary ethics and artistic integrity. They propose approaches for a more holistic film education.