From the food-themed A Bite of China to the historical feature The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, the once-niche documentary sector in China's film and television industry has been attracting increasing attention from audiences. Reflecting local producers' efforts to deliver higher-quality works, a sideline event of the 4th Chinese Documentary Film Festival recently unveiled a lineup of 12 upcoming titles.

Among the highlights are Guia: The Untamed Circuit, which follows racers competing in the 72nd Macao Grand Prix; Mission to the Moon, documenting China's Chang'e-6 mission — the world's first lunar sample collection from the far side of the moon; and The River Cleaners: Three Gorges, which uses innovative AI technology to portray environmental protection efforts along the Yangtze River.

The lineup also includes works that celebrate traditional culture, such as National TCM Master Deng Tietao, profiling the renowned practitioner; Tale of the Kerchief, which follows an actress' interpretation of the classic Huangmei Opera of the same name; and Chuanyue Shikong De Siku Quanshu (The Complete Library of Four Sections: Transcending Time and Space), exploring the preservation and legacy of the world's largest collection of Chinese books, originally commissioned by Emperor Qianlong in the 18th century.

Song Zhiqin, director of the Movie Art Center under the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said that the event has become an important barometer for promoting the high-quality development of China's documentary industry and encouraging more talent to join its creation and production.