Poster of The Apology [Photo provided to China Daily]

The festival selected the winners from a shortlist of 20 aspirants from eight countries and regions, including Germany, France, Canada, Japan, Lithuania and India.

The award winners include Crossing Road from Japan, The Apology (Canada), Burqa Boxers (India) and A Young Patriot (China).

Through the perspective of a survivor of the Akihabara massacre, allegedly a random mass murder in Tokyo in 2008, the Crossing Road tries to explore the killer's inner world.

Crossing Road's director Hayato Obiki says there's more freedom to shoot a documentary about the incident now than earlier, which is why he could retell it in a different way.

Following the personal journeys of three former "comfort women"－in China, South Korea and the Philippines－who were among the multitudes of women forced into sexual slavery by Japanese troops during World War II, Canadian director Tiffany Hsiung's documentary The Apology shows the victims' courage to face trauma and later seek justice.