The Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival concludes on Dec 12 after four days of activities in Guangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: GZWS411665430]

The Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival (GZDOC) concluded on Dec 12 after four days of activities in Guangzhou.

This year's festival saw 808 organizations from home and abroad participating in the event and the amount of intended transactions amounted to 888 million yuan ($127.31 million), hitting a new festival high.

The "China Stories" International Pitching Session, which was held on Dec 12, received 216 projects from 24 countries and regions covering various topics, of which 25 of them were selected to present during the session.

A total of 11 projects won the Best Pitch prize during the pitching session including Mom of the Ring.

Confucian Dream, produced by Li Mijie, was the biggest winner of this year's Golden Kapok Awards, winning two awards out of 3,441 films from 130 countries and regions.

Li said that the film is her first documentary and it took her six years to finish. She expressed her hopes that the film can become a mirror for audiences to take a fresh look at their relationships with their families. 

Li noted that GZDOC is an excellent starting point for her film to be viewed by a wider audience through various measures spanning online platforms and cinema screenings.

"Compared with previous years' films, this year's films have more depth and breadth. We are impressed by these producers' intentions and we have also seen improvements in the way of telling stories," said Liang Hong, chairman of the final jury of the Golden Kapok Awards and director at China Central Television 9, a documentary channel.