New Zealand’s leading documentary festival, Doc.edge, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year by presenting the “Super Hero” Award to Ruby Chen, Co-founder and CEO of the CNEX Foundation, in recognition of her long-standing contribution to promoting Chinese-language and Asian documentaries on the international stage.
Doc Edge Co-founderAlex Lee stated: “She and her team have spent years building a future roadmap for Chinese documentaries. Today, we are seeing more outstanding works from Chinese-speaking regions at international festivals and markets, and more directors stepping onto the global stage to seek opportunities for cross-border collaboration.”
(Photo credit: Doc Edge)
In her acceptance speech, Ruby Chen remarked: “This honour is not just for me personally. Superhero usually involves capes and flying through cityscapes. Not late-night emails, application writing, or passionately pitching to hesitant funders. The real superheroes are the documentary filmmakers, and the supporters here and around the world, who all believe in the importance of documentaries and the power of visual storytelling.”
She concluded with words of encouragement for fellow filmmakers: “Today, I stand here not only representing myself but also the belief that behind every powerful documentary, many hands and hearts are working tirelessly to bring it to life. Thank you, Doc Edge, for your mission and for creating this crucial platform in Asia Pacific to champion these important stories.”
