Documentaries put Chinese creativity in the frame

"For this specific topic, I tell a story and at the same time present the beauty of Qinghai's landscapes," Zrihen says.

Being thrown together with Ge in the wild, Zrihen also felt a two-way chemistry between them.

"For what he loves, Ge risks his life and steps out of his comfort zone. Similarly, I would also spare no effort to make high-quality films," he says. "Although there are language barriers and a generation gap between us, when we look into each other's eyes, I feel we have things in common."

Sarah Choi, from York University in Canada, puts cultural heritage into focus for the project. She documents how the art of traditional paper-cutting is passed down from generation to generation in an Inner Mongolian family to illustrate her understanding of the project's theme.

"I am a dance filmmaker, so I'm really interested in movement. I initially wanted to capture the craftswoman's meticulous movements as resembling a dance between paper and scissors," says Choi.

After she visited the paper-cutting artist Zhao Meiling's studio in Ordos, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Choi was deeply touched by the connection between Zhao and her granddaughter, an outgoing and clever primary school student who relishes learning the intricacies of paper-cutting and serves as a guide for visitors to the studio. Choi highlights the bond between the grandmother and granddaughter.