CNEX Foundation

Overview

CNEX Foundation is a Taipei and Beijing-based documentary foundation founded in 2007. The organisation supports the production, distribution, and exhibition of Chinese-language documentary cinema globally, operating as both a documentary commissioning fund and a distribution platform for Chinese-language non-fiction films. CNEX has become the primary institution dedicated to the development of Chinese-language documentary as a distinct and internationally visible cinema tradition.

The foundation commissions documentary films from Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, and the Chinese diaspora on annual thematic programs, and distributes its productions through the CNEX Documentary Film Festival alongside theatrical and digital release in Chinese-language markets. This annual theme-driven commissioning model -- each year's CNEX productions are united by a common subject or question -- creates a coherent curatorial identity that distinguishes CNEX from generalist documentary distributors.

Chinese-Language Documentary Landscape

Chinese-language documentary has developed significantly since CNEX's founding, with films from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong achieving distribution at major international documentary festivals including IDFA, Hot Docs, and CPH:DOX alongside mainstream theatrical releases in Chinese-speaking markets. CNEX's contribution to this development -- providing commissioning funds, distribution infrastructure, and festival platforms for Chinese-language documentary -- has been foundational.

For international documentary filmmakers working on subjects related to Chinese culture, history, society, or the Chinese diaspora, CNEX provides a distribution platform that reaches Chinese-language audiences globally through its network of festival and digital distribution relationships.

What Filmmakers Should Know

For Chinese-language documentary filmmakers -- whether from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, or the diaspora -- CNEX provides commissioning opportunities through its annual thematic programs, distribution through its festival and digital channels, and connection to the international documentary community through CNEX's festival relationships.

For international filmmakers whose documentary subjects engage Chinese communities, CNEX's Chinese-language distribution reach and its relationship with Chinese-speaking audiences provide access to a large and engaged documentary market that standard international documentary distributors cannot serve directly.

See Also

For international documentary sales that cover Chinese-language markets, see Autlook Filmsales and Deckert Distribution in this directory. For the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, see the TFAI entry.