The 2020 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival is being held in Guangzhou from Dec 14 to 17. [Photo/southcn.com]

The 2020 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, co-hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration and the People's Government of Guangdong Province, is being held in Guangzhou from Dec 14 to 17.

First held in 2003, the film festival has grown into a platform for cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.

A total of 3,227 works from 126 countries and regions around the world are participating in the festival this year, of which 2,644 of them are from overseas, accounting for 81.9 percent of the overall number.

Zhang Li, an official from the organizing committee of the 2020 Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, said that this year's festival has made innovations in breaking the limits of venues, allowing people to enjoy the documentaries both online and offline.

Zhang added that this year's event is opened to the public for free for the first time and that all documentaries will be available on the official website of the festival and Youku. 

Six international master classes were scheduled to be held online during the festival for free, inviting guests including Kevin Macdonald and Mark Harris, both Oscar-winning directors. 

In addition, industry giants like Frederick Wiseman, winner of the Oscar's Lifetime Achievement Award and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the Venice International Film Festival, have been invited to share their insights with audience members.