Representatives and experts announce the opening of the Third Chinese Documentary Film Festival on Thursday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Advancing the cultivation of a modern Chinese civilization was the theme of the Third Chinese Documentary Film Festival which took place from Thursday to Saturday in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.

Co-hosted by the China Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio (Group), the China Film Association and Zhuhai's publicity department, this year's festival featured an opening ceremony, keynote forums, film screenings, panel discussions, film releases, an award ceremony and a closing ceremony.

Yao Yonghui, chairman of the China Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio (Group), said in his speech at the opening ceremony that the two previous festivals were marked by rich, high-quality events, which provided a platform for filmmakers to exchange and collaborate.

Through the medium of Chinese-language documentaries, this year's festival aimed to inspire innovative and high-quality filmmaking, enhance the reach and impact of Chinese-language documentaries, and contribute to the prosperity of documentary cinema.

The festival received 46 documentary submissions, including science, educational and theater production recordings. At the award ceremony on Saturday, The Great Journey and The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru received special recommendations.