APEC Documentary Screening Programs Showcased in Papua New Guinea
This year marks the APEC China Year. From the vibrant urban rhythms of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to the ecological wonders of the azure seas, Guangdong Radio and Television has brought its flagship feature program ”Canton Today” and six outstanding films produced in Guangdong across mountains and oceans, illuminating screens in Papua New Guinea with a dazzling ‘Chinese red.’
Feature Program “Canton Today”Premiered at NBC PNG
GBA-APEC Documentary Screening Event Kicks Off in South Pacific Countries
GBA-APEC Documentary Screening Event Kicks Off in South Pacific Countries
Ma Yangzhou, Senior Management of GRT and Michael Samuga, Deputy Managing Director of NBC signed an MOU
On July 30, Guangdong Radio and Television’s feature documentary program ”Canton Today” officially premiered on the National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea (NBC) . Meanwhile, the ‘Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – APEC Documentary Screening Event’ commenced in the South Pacific region, coinciding with the eighth anniversary ceremony of ”China Theater”. Together, these events marked the grand opening of an audio-visual cultural feast spanning the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
Deng Hong, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and Ma Yangzhou, senior management from Guangdong Radio and Television led the delegation. The Deputy Managing Director Michael Samuga of NBC Papua New Guinea and other senior management members attended the event. Deng Hong, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, said in his speech: ‘This year marks the APEC China Year and also celebrates the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Papua New Guinea. The “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – APEC Documentary Screening Event,” together with the newly launched ”Canton Today”, focuses on the coordinated development of the Greater Bay Area and APEC economies, and is intended to present a true, diverse, and three-dimensional China to the people of Papua New Guinea. He also extended a warm invitation to the NBC team to come to Guangdong for coverage and reporting on the APEC summit.
Deng Hong, Deputy Director of the Information Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province Delivered a Speech
In the meeting, Michael Samuga, Deputy Managing Director of NBC PNG, spoke highly of the long-term effectiveness of media cooperation between China and Papua New Guinea. He particularly noted that the substantial high-quality programming provided by Guangdong Radio and Television has offered NBC rich content and valuable opportunities, and expressed anticipation for further deepening the partnership in technology, content, and the exchanges of ideas. Meanwhile, NBC will officially broadcast four documentaries focusing on the economic, social, cultural, and ecological aspects of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, with the aim of promoting people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Michael Samuga, Deputy Managing Director of NBC PNG Addressed at the Meeting
The National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea is the largest and oldest state-owned broadcaster in the country, with its signal covering nearly 10 million people across 22 provincial-level administrative regions, and enjoys extensive and profound influence throughout the Pacific Island region. The partnership between Guangdong Radio and Television and NBC Papua New Guinea began in 2018. Over the past eight years, Guangdong Radio and Television has provided Papua New Guinea with nearly 30 premium programs, including dubbed television dramas, animated series, and documentaries, totaling over 26,400 minutes of content, which have been warmly received by local audiences.
As China is to host this year’s APEC summit, Guangdong Radio and Television has joined hands with the NBC to jointly launch the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – APEC Documentary Screening Event.” The documentary series ”Inspiring Greater Bay Area” , ”Touching Greater Bay Area”, ”Chinese White Dolphin”, ”Where Are you Going”, as well as the Guangdong-produced films ”Blossoms of Luck”, “Honey Money Phony” will be presented to local audiences.
The documentary program ”Canton Today” also launched this year on the National Broadcasting Corporation of Papua New Guinea (NBC). The program is a weekly show, with each episode lasting 20 minutes. Since its debut in 1997, ”Canton Today” has been broadcast on over 50 channels in more than 30 countries and regions across North America, South America, Europe, Oceania, Asia, and Africa. In 2020, the program was already launched and broadcast in Fiji.
Currently, ”Canton Today” also collaborates with television stations in more than 20 countries and regions, including RTM, VTV, Antara TV, Mediacorp, MCOT, Arirang TV, as well as Portuguese-language media outlets such as TVE Bahia, Televisión Metropolitana, iCiTi TV, Hawaii Chinese TV, Fairchild Television, RTHK, TVB, Hong Kong Cable TV, Now TV, Macau Cable TV, and Teledifusão de Macau (TDM). The program airs over 6,000 minutes of content annually through these partnerships.
Papua New Guinea was one of the first Pacific Island countries to establish diplomatic relations with China and the first Pacific Island country to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with China on jointly building the Belt and Road Initiative. Through fifty years of journeying together, and eight years of friendship relations through program exchanges, Guangdong Radio and Television has used high quality content as a bridge to showcase the brilliance of China-Papua New Guinea friendship, and film and television as a medium to breathe new life into Chinese stories. It will continue to tell the stories of China, the Greater Bay Area, and Guangdong with excellence.