At the age of 85, "Father of Chinese Documentary" and Professor Situ Zhaodun from Beijing Film Academy passed away
According to multiple insiders, Professor Situ Zhaodun from Beijing Film Academy, known as the "father of Chinese documentaries," passed away in the early morning of August 31st at the age of 85.
Situ Zhaodun was born in November 1938 in Hong Kong, China, with ancestral roots in Chikan, Kaiping. In 1964, he graduated from Beijing Film Academy and has been teaching there ever since. He has served as the director of the department at the 7th or 8th level. Students who have received his guidance include Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and Zhang Yimou. But more often than not, he appears as a documentary mentor, providing enthusiastic and accurate guidance to students.
After the establishment of the documentary film major at Beijing Film Academy in 1998, Situ Zhaodun took on the teaching task of the major and was committed to the popularization and development of documentary films in China. His representative works include "The Road", "Environmental Art", "The Glorious Course", "Our People's Congress", and so on. His professional books include "Fundamentals of Film and Television Directors", "World Film Fun Stories", "Outlook on Chinese Documentary Creation", etc., which have been widely circulated in the industry.
In Situ Zhaodun's view, a documentary tells the audience a true story that has happened before, while a feature film is a story imagined in the author's mind. So the story film centers around the director, presenting the world he has created, while the documentary objectively exists, recording what has happened before, "so these are two great things.".
He believes that authenticity is the top priority of documentaries. "To make a documentary, you need to find the key point, which is to tell the audience what happened in life. Documentaries emphasize the process.".
At the Beijing Film Academy, Situ Zhaodun has a famous saying: I can forgive me for saying the wrong thing, because I have already said many wrong things, but I cannot forgive me for telling lies. He said, "What is truth, truth, and truth? This is the first lesson I must give my students, because documentaries are about seeking truth from facts."
After the news of his death spread, a netizen left a message online, "It's so sad, my favorite documentary teacher has left."