The award streak continues for Always, the documentary by Chinese director Deming Chen. In September 2025, the film received the prestigious Harrell Award for Best Documentary at the 26th Camden International Film Festival in the United States.
Since early 2025, Always has received recognition at several renowned international festivals. In March, it won the DOX:Award (Grand Prix) at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, Denmark. In May, it was awarded Best Film in the International Competition at the 26th Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea, as well as Best Editing at the DocsBarcelona International Documentary Festival in Spain. This new award at Camden confirms the remarkable journey of a documentary praised by critics and audiences alike throughout the year.
Always was also selected at several major festivals, including the États-Généraux du documentaire in Lussas, France, the 69th BFI London Film Festival in the United Kingdom, and the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) in Canada.
Always is a co-production of Sanosi Productions, HandsOnStudio, and Bip TV. It has benefited from the support of prominent institutions such as the International Documentary Association (IDA), the Docs Up Fund, the CNC, Ciclic, and the Région Centre-Val de Loire.
This documentary poetically explores the lives of children in a rural village in Hunan, China, confirming its place among the most significant documentary works of 2025. Variety magazine describes it as “a long visual poem.”
