"Better Angels," a new Chinese-American documentary coproduction, will be released by China's Nationwide Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas on July 2. Its premiere was held in Beijing on Thursday.

The 92-minute documentary was written and directed by two-time Academy Award-winner Malcolm Clarke and produced by William Mundell and Han Yi. The film examines the proposition that China and America can benefit enormously by looking beyond their traditional rivalries to a future where both sides focus on the issues that unite them, rather than those that drive them apart.

This documentary tells the stories of civilians working together amid superpower rivalries. 

The punditry serves as a background to the intimate and sometimes heartbreaking stories of ordinary Chinese and Americans who became "accidental diplomats" enhancing civil exchanges and bonds between the two countries. Stories like that of Memo Mata, a former U.S. marine from Los Fresnos, Texas, who moved to China and not only became an English teacher and football coach, but also married a Chinese woman.

Another is about a Chinese teacher who helps American children learn math using an abacus. One features a Chinese engineer named Bao Wangli who's on a multi-year assignment in Ethiopia to construct a bridge and can communicate only rarely with his wife and a newborn baby due to intermittent mobile signals. 

More than 60 million children in China, like Bao's child, are growing up in remote villages without parents who move to cities or even overseas for work.

A famous Chinese director, Gu Changwei, said after the premiere that he couldn't help but weep while watching the documentary. He wants more audiences to see it and is looking forward to the sequel.

Audiences elsewhere were also touched by the documentary. Chinese producer Han Yi said, "When we screened the film at a Republican voting town, an old farmer told us excitedly that he finally got to see what is the real China. And this is what keeps us going."

The film was cut from more than 800 hours of footage and was made over five years and shot on four continents. For Han Yi, the challenge was to find stories that entertain and move audiences.

"Not everyone is perfect, and no country is perfect. But we can go beyond the often heard or repeated topics and see something deeper," Han said. "Actually Americans and Chinese are the same; we both want a better life and a better future for our next generation."

(With input from China Daily)