Having started off in 2003 as an academic seminar, later going on to become a documentary conference, the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival (GZDOC) in China has established itself as one of the most important platforms for Asian documentaries, and has been a significant boost for the development of China’s documentary industry.

In addition to the main Golden Kapok Award Competition, the festival comprises several sections, including the Doc Shop, one-on-one meetings with commissioning editors, International Producers Day, Special Screenings, fundraising for “Projects with the Most Marketing Potential”, the DocuMart for project pitching and industry networking, as well as a rich programme of public activities.

Applications for this year’s edition are open until 31 July for film entries, and until 31 August for project entries.

The jury panel will be chaired by renowned national and international documentary experts, including directors, producers and other professionals. Participants can benefit from the opportunity to come into contact with over 200 influential institutions and more than 600 documentarians from within the Chinese and international documentary industry.

GZDOC 2015 will take place in early December in Guangzhou Library, in Guangzhou, China. For more information on the call for entries, click here.