On December 7, the Guangdong Excellent Film Screening and Promotion Event, as well as the premiere ceremony of the documentary film Chinese White Dolphin, was held at the University Town Campus of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. The film’s chief director Yan Dong, executive chief directors Tan Shizhen and Lin Weiqi, and other key creative team representatives attended the event. They witnessed the “marine giant pandas” hitting the big screen together with nearly a thousand audiences, and shared their creative insights and unforgettable moments during the shooting process.
The event was hosted by the Guangdong Provincial Film Bureau, co-organized by the Guangdong Film Association and the Guangdong Film Industry Association, undertaken by Southern Metropolis Daily, Nandu Entertainment Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, and supported by China Media Group, Guangdong Radio and Television Station, and Zhuhai Media Group.
Why did the team turn their camera lens to these lovely marine elves? Yan Dong said that when shooting the documentary Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, he saw the cute and vigorous figures of Chinese white dolphins, so in the winter of 2014, he decided to start filming this documentary that reflects the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. “It took us 6 years, with a voyage of 3,600 nautical miles, and we pooled the efforts of the filming team and scientific research team to finally complete this 82-minute documentary film.”
It is understood that Chinese White Dolphin was co-produced by China Media Group, Guangdong Radio and Television Station, and Zhuhai Media Group.
There is a set of data in the film: during the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, 94 piers were quietly removed from the original grand blueprint just to leave a free swimming channel for Chinese white dolphins; 340 million yuan of environmental protection funds were invested, and the underwater acoustic barrier woven by “bubble curtains” gently guarded this blue home… When the scene of “more than 500 white dolphins returning home and the population recovering to more than 1,100” appeared on the screen, it silently conveyed the profound concept of ecological priority.
Chinese white dolphins swim very fast, with a maximum speed of over 12 nautical miles per hour, and they are also endurance athletes, so it is not easy to capture the details of these “sports stars”. In this regard, Yan Dong pointed out that the team needs to keep pace with the times, learn the latest technologies and shooting techniques, and more importantly, communicate and exchange with experts in different fields in a timely manner, and continuously learn and innovate during the shooting and production process.
In addition, the key creative representatives of the film also introduced the “black technologies” used during the shooting: “Including the custom-made 4K stabilization platform of China Media Group, which can stably capture the movements of Chinese white dolphins and zoom in 8 times to watch the moment they leap out of the sea. We also used various water drones and underwater shooting equipment. Behind the vivid and beautiful images on the big screen lies a lot of advanced technologies.”
What does it feel like to watch such a documentary film on the big screen? Shan Wanli, a researcher at the China Film Art Research Center, praised the film’s effect, “Watching this film on the big screen allows you to see many details and gives people an immersive feeling of being there in person.”
In addition, as a supporting activity of the 2025 Silk Road TV Community Summit Forum, the preview and appreciation of the documentary film Chinese White Dolphin was recently warmly launched in Yangjiang, winning widespread praise from professionals and the general public.
It is reported that the documentary film Chinese White Dolphin will be released nationwide on December 12.
