Documentary co-produced by CICG wins national award

The documentary "A Long Cherished Dream," co-produced by the China Review Studio of the China Center for International Communication Development under China International Communications Group (CICG) along with companies including Tencent Video, was named best documentary series at the Magnolia Awards during the 28th Shanghai Television Festival on June 23.

The documentary "A Long Cherished Dream," co-produced by China International Communications Group (CICG), is named best documentary series at the Magnolia Awards during the 28th Shanghai Television Festival, June 23, 2023. [Photo/CICG]

The Magnolia Awards is one of the three major national television awards in China.

Directed by Malcolm Clarke, a two-time Oscar-winning director from the United Kingdom, the four-part documentary presents inspiring stories of ordinary Chinese people ranging from a grassroots official on the frontline of poverty alleviation and a young female truck driver, to an industrious acrobat and hardworking entrepreneurs. 

Posters introduce the main characters in the documentary "A Long Cherished Dream," co-produced by China International Communications Group (CICG). [Photo/CICG]

In the words of the Magnolia Awards jury, the documentary meticulously demonstrates the extraordinary work of lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty through plain language and by focusing the lens on ordinary people.

"The idea of the series was to show the world how China is changing and how the lives of Chinese people are improving every year," Clarke said at the awards ceremony. "China is misunderstood, and I hope, with something like this series, that we can make China a little bit more sympathetic to the rest of the world. China certainly deserves it."

The documentary has been broadcast on China Central Television, UK Sky TV and Discovery Channel Southeast Asia, generating widespread discussion both domestically and globally, and winning praise from people of all walks of life.