Winner of 2016 Impact DOCS Award

In the Name of Confucius was recently awarded the Impact DOCS Award of Excellence 2016. The Impact DOCS award launched two years ago, and it recognizes filmmakers who demonstrates craft and skills, and for their creativities.  

In the Name of Confucius delved on the issue of Chinese soft power extension through the controversial Confucius Institute. On the surface, the Confucius Institutes seems to be teaching Chinese language and culture; however, they secretly incorporate the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political agenda into the curriculum. The film features Sonia Zhao, played by Miss World Canada Anastasia Lin. Sonia was a teacher sent abroad by the Confucius Institute to teach in Canada. She quickly learned the restrictions she must obey and the censorship the CCP has placed on topics like Falun Gong, Taiwan, and Tibet. She escaped from the institutes and sought out refuge through Canada.

In winning an Impact DOCS award, director Doris Liu joins the ranks of other high-profile winners of this internationally respected award including the Oscar winning director Louie Psihoyos for his 2016 Best of Show – Racing Extinction, Oscar winner Yael Melamede for (Dis)Honesty – The Truth About Lies, and Emmy Award winner Gerald Rafshoon for Endless Corridors narrated by Oscar winner Jeremy Irons, and many more.

Rick Prickett, who chairs Impact DOCS, had this to say about the latest winners: “The judges and I were simply blown away by the variety and immensely important documentaries we screened. Impact DOCS is not an easy award to win. Entries are received from around the world from powerhouse companies to remarkable new talent. Impact DOCS helps set the standard for craft and creativity as well as power catalysts for global change.”

The hope of the In the Name of Confucius team is to make impactful changes to the world, particularly to the western educational institutions, inspire them to reflect and reconsider its engagement with China under the Communist rule.

For more information about the Impact DOCS Award and a list of recent winners, please visit: http://impactdocsawards.com/