Second Edition

The second edition opened for entries on 25 September 2025 and closed on 20 November, receiving 502 films, 68 of them by invitation. The preliminary committee — Vladimir Perović (Serbia), Jin Huaqing (China) and Yang Juan (China) — watched and argued through several rounds before settling on the twelve finalists, announced on 1 December.

The Donghai International Documentary Masterclass Camp and the second edition’s awards gala were held in Shitang, Zhejiang, from 7 to 9 December. The adviser Eleni Vlassi (Greece), jurors Zlatina Rousseva (Belgium), Zhao Jia and Zhou Hao, and Delaye (France), special assistant to jury president Martine Thérouanne, attended the opening alongside senior Chinese documentarians including Gu Tao and Fan Jian.

At the opening, executive director Li Tutu presented jury certificates to Zhao Jia and Zhou Hao, and Eleni Vlassi — founder and artistic director of the Greek documentary festival — presented a Career Achievement Award to the director Jin Huaqing. Delaye, in traditional Chinese dress, danced with the Da Zou Gu drummers, a Shitang intangible cultural heritage.

The programme included creative masterclasses by Zlatina Rousseva and Zhao Jia, screenings of the finalists with director Q&As, and a midnight section presenting Jin Huaqing’s 《绛红森林》 and Zhou Hao’s The Factory. Directors including Du Haibin, Gu Tao and Fan Jian watched the selection with the audience and joined the discussions afterwards. Head of selection Jin Huaqing spoke at the forum about the preliminary round, discussing both the finalists and the films that narrowly missed out.

The final deliberation took place in Shitang. Zlatina Rousseva, Zhao Jia and Zhou Hao debated for four hours in the room with jury president Martine Thérouanne and Chris Berry joining online. Zhaxi Qingpeng won Best Director for The Third Child, and Ji Qiuyu’s The Homeless took Best Film by a narrow margin. Girl of Wind and Bitter Rice received Special Mentions.