Deming Chen’s First Film Always Wins Two Major International Awards

The film “Always“, the first feature-length documentary by Chinese director Deming Chen, co-produced by SaNoSi Productions, has just received two major international awards.

First, it won the Best Film Award in the International Competition at the 26th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF 2025). This prestigious prize, awarded in South Korea, honors outstanding international works.

This success adds to an already impressive international recognition: “Always“ had previously won the DOX:Award, the top prize at the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX) in Denmark.

Deming Chen’s film has been praised for its visual poetry and its ability to capture both the intimate and the universal aspects of rural childhood in China.