In a world filled with short videos, documentaries matter as they draw long attention spans so that people can better make sense of things, said Bill Nichols, one of the most influential contemporary documentary theorists from the West.
Nichols is now the Jury President for the Documentary Unit of the Golden Goblet Award at the ongoing 26th Shanghai International Film Festival.
Nichols said he is expecting some challenges as the jury president.
"I'm expecting there will be some, because there usually are, because you have... we have four people, all accomplished and creative individuals. And I found from other juries that even though we have a lot of background in film and a lot of knowledge, our responses to particular films vary quite a bit," he said.
"I think a mistaken notion of documentaries is that they provide information. News does, and newspapers and ... documentaries to a degree. But I think what makes documentaries different from journalism or from reports and essays is that they are more personal, more subjective and more emotional. So a good documentary doesn't just tell us what could be in the news. They are a way of moving into and entering into a particular reality that is real but presented in a way that draws us and engages us. So the 'draw and engage us' part is like fiction, and documentary films use now many of the techniques that used to be more unique to fiction," he continued.
He said people need time to make sense of things, and documentaries contribute to that.
"I think what we need to make sense of things is time. It's part of understanding history. Where we have been and how that affects where we're going now? And to do that, we need the time to process and bring back alive where we have been in the past, and how that affects where we are in the present, and how that might shape where we want to go in the future. So I think documentaries contribute to that in a way that things that have a shorter attention span don't," he said.
Documentaries draw long attention spans for making sense of things: jury president
A youth summer camp aimed to carry forward the spirit of the Flying Tigers and promote friendship and cultural exchanges between Chinese and American students was opened in Beijing on Wednesday.
The Flying Tigers, officially known as the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, was formed in 1941 by U.S. General Claire Lee Chennault to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China during World War II.
After over eight decades, the stories about the Flying Tigers have been passed down from generation to generation in both China and the United States, with mutual friendship continuing to flourish, and with new vitality.
The summer camp, officially known as the Chinese Bridge Flying Tigers Summer Camp for American Students, was organized by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under China's Ministry of Education and the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation (SAAHF), and has attracted over 100 teachers and students from the United States and various regions of China.
Before the launching ceremony, the organizers, along with many Chinese students, prepared various Chinese folk activities and games for the overseas friends, such as trying traditional Chinese musical instruments, playing the Touhu or pitch-pot game, and experiencing paper-cutting techniques.
"I'm going to try the Chinese flute," said an American student.
"I pretty much enjoyed the pitch-pot game," said another American student.
Most of the students participating in the event were from friendly schools of the Flying Tigers, and some were even descendants of the Flying Tigers.
"Yes, he was in the Flying Tigers before I was born. He flew hundreds of mission. [I am expecting] to see a lot more history about the Flying Tigers, to have a lot more learning about it," said another summer camp student. "I think this is a wonderful moment to commemorate our solidarity with the students of the Flying Tigers summer camp and to strive for progress together," said Zhang Yiyuan, a Chinese student from central China's Hunan Province.
At the opening ceremony, Jeffrey Greene, chairman of the SAAHF, said that he hoped the campers can cherish and enjoy this journey, spend a fulfilling and meaningful time in China, and share the story of the Flying Tigers with more people.
Organizers said that they will launch five such youth summer camps in the next five years to deepen bilateral friendship and pass on the Flying Tigers spirit.
After the trip to Beijing, the campers will also go to southwest China's Yunnan Province, the birthplace of the Flying Tigers, to learn more about the stories of these war heroes, according to organizers.
Flying Tigers youth summer camp opens in Beijing
Flying Tigers youth summer camp opens in Beijing
