A China Global Television Network (CGTN) documentary, Foreigners but not Outsiders, received the EU–China Light & Shadow Communication Award at the 8th EU–China Film Festival in Brussels on Saturday.

Released to mark the 33rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Armenia, the documentary tells the story of Armenian violinist Astrid Poghosyan, also known as Ma Xingxing, whose music brings together the sounds of her homeland and China. Through her violin, Armenian folk melodies meet Chinese music, while the rhythms of Shanghai's Huangpu River resonate with the atmosphere of Yerevan's historic streets.

Another CGTN documentary, The Silver Ball: A Journey Beyond, was named Best Non-Fiction Video at the festival. Produced jointly by Chinese and US teams to mark the 55th anniversary of Ping-Pong Diplomacy, the film revisits the historic story of how "the little ball that moved the big ball" helped pave the way for the normalization of China-US relations in 1971.

The documentary features exclusive interviews with Ping-Pong Diplomacy participants Liang Geliang and Judy Hoarfrost, as well as Thomas Bach, Honorary President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

CGTN also received the EU–China Cultural Exchange Contribution Award – Annual Media with International Communication Impact at the festival.

The 8th EU–China Film Festival is being held at Cinéma Aventure in Brussels from September 23 to 29. At the opening ceremony, festival Secretary-General Yuan Mengqian said that what the festival values most is "the moment when a film truly meets its audience."

"A story can open a window onto an unfamiliar life. It can also reveal familiar emotions across different languages and cultures," Yuan said, adding that meaningful cultural exchange often begins in such moments.

She noted that after a screening, a film can continue to resonate as a conversation, a new question or an experience that remains in people's memories.

The festival has brought together guests from across Europe's cultural, film and public sectors, as well as professionals from related fields.

Bernard A. Zako, one of the final jury members of the Meet China International Communication Section, former head of UNESCO's Culture Sector and a cultural and heritage adviser, took part in the final judging, award presentation and intercultural dialogue.

German visual effects and digital arts expert and International Emmy Award-winning artist Thomas Kutschera served as an award presenter and was invited to chair the AI Cinema & Future Storytelling Section of the 9th EU–China Film Festival in 2027.

Alessia Cova, a policy officer at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), joined a dialogue themed "Stories Across Cultures." Freddy Bozzo, founder and vice-president of the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), also participated in youth film festival activities and presented honorary awards to young and secondary-school filmmakers.

On September 29, the Meet China International Communication Section held a special event at the Nouvelles d’Europe Cultural Centre in Paris. The Paris event complemented the main festival venue in Brussels, extending the MEET CHINA program's screenings and cultural exchanges from Belgium to France and creating further opportunities for Chinese audiovisual works to engage with European audiences in public cultural spaces.

Founded in 2015, the EU–China Film Festival has developed into an important platform for cultural exchange between China and Europe. Over the years, the festival has provided opportunities for Chinese films and audiovisual works to reach European audiences through screenings, filmmaker exchanges, university partnerships, youth programs and international communication initiatives.