The 2019 Golden Tree International Documentary Film Festival concluded Sunday in downtown Frankfurt in Germany, with nine awards unveiled at its closing ceremony.

Directed by Turkish-American documentary filmmaker Shevaun Mizrahi, the film "Distant Constellation," which focuses on the elderly's lives at a retirement home in Istanbul, won the award for Best Feature Film.

The Best Medium-length Documentary, Best Short Documentary and Best Mini Documentary Awards went for the works from Netherlands, Cuba and New Zealand, respectively.

Chinese director Zhang Nan's documentary "Stammering Ballad" was awarded the Golden Tree Jury Award. The visually stunning documentary depicts a journey of a young Chinese folk singer, who leaves his hometown near the Yellow River for a big city.

The film featuring local ballads and folk music not only showcases the traditional cultural treasures, which are disappearing due to increasingly frequent migration but also presents the complex connection and emotions Chinese people have with their hometowns.

Launched in 2016, the annual documentary film festival, in its fourth edition, kicked off on October 10, aiming at attracting global attention on the development of films in the genre and promoting high-profile documentaries worldwide.

Under the theme of "Roots and Inheritance of Culture," the four-day event included film screenings, forums, investment funds, exhibitions and presentations of more than 20 projects, exploring the cultural origins of different civilizations and the charm of cultural heritage.

According to Sun Congbin, the Chinese consul general in Frankfurt, the festival could serve as a platform to display excellent documentaries from all over the world and as a bridge for more and deeper cultural exchanges.

Renate Sterzel, Frankfurt's city councilor, noted at the opening ceremony that the prestigious event is expanding its influence with the steadily rising number of participants.

"We are proud to host this successful event as it makes a significant and important contribution to the culture of our city," said Sterzel.

A special event named "China Night" was held during the four-day festival, featuring the screening of a documentary on China's governance concepts, which depicts a vivid picture of China.

The Friday event showcased the final episode of "China: Time of Xi," a three-episode documentary series co-produced by China Intercontinental Communication Center and the Discovery Channel from the United States.

Numerous industry professionals, filmmakers and other guests were in attendance at the event. Kathryn Bree Fitzgerald, a Canadian filmmaker and chief consultant of the festival, said the episode conveys a clear message and can reach a greater audience.

"We tend to have a bit of a vague picture when it comes to the Belt and Road Initiative. A lot of people were somewhat intimidated by the speed of this development. So I thought this (the documentary) really put it into a very clear, human perspective, something that many people can relate to," she said.

This year's festival received a total of 4,523 submissions from 126 countries and regions, among which 53 documentaries were shortlisted for the final awards, including seven from China.