Christian Petersen-Clausen
Christian Petersen-Clausen is a documentary filmmaker based in Shanghai. He has filmed documentary films and segments for Discovery, ARTE, CCTV, Radii, SRF, DW, among others.
His current project together with Chinese filmmaker Wu Yuxiao ε΄ι¨ζ½ is βLiving History: Stories from the Opening of China,β a documentary series of video interviews about the years following the Opening of China in 1979 until roughly 2010. Our goal is to record the experiences of the people who were there in these early years for future generations. We are specifically interested in people-to-people relations between foreigners and Chinese citizens. So far we have spoken with ambassadors, businesspeople, authors, early international college students, the first barista to ever sell a cup of Starbucks coffee in China, athletes, artists, policymakers and many more. We have filmed 30 interviews so far and hope to eventually reach 100.
Living History is an ongoing documentary series of video interviews about the years following the Opening of China in 1979 until roughly 2010. Our goal is to record and preserve the personal experiences made during this time by academics, diplomats, policymakers, businesspeople, artists, students, athletes and others. We are specifically interested in people-to-people relations β what it was like to meet each other, what surprises, challenges and memorable experiences people made together when meeting others from places or cultures other than their own. Itβs personal stories through which history comes alive.
How to Make a Documentary Film That Works
In this talk we will go into what it is like for us to film documentaries in China today. We will talk about our journey from identifying the topic and securing initial funding, speak about the setbacks and difficulties we had to overcome to the lessons we have learned. We hope this talk can inspire you to realize your own filmic visions and bring the Shanghai film community closer together.
