On February 4, the 2023 Chinese Government Friendship Award Ceremony was held at the Great Hall of the People. 50 foreign experts from 26 countries across five continents wereawarded the honor. Among them was foreign expert Vikram Channa Narayan, a distinguished professor at the School of Art and Communication, Beijing Normal University.

Vikram Channa said, “I am excited to receive this award in the Great Hall of the People. I have been on a journey of discovery in China for over 20 years and have documented numerous rich and colorful China’s stories. It is a very special experience for me, an Indian, to observe the amazing Chinese culture. China and India are the only two countries in the world that share a similar experience in terms of scale and complexity. To understand China, we have to feel it with our hearts. Over the years, each of these films has opened the door to fostering strong friendships and exploring Chinese geography and culture. The documentaries about China have made distinctive ties of understanding and exchange between us. I am convinced that my choice has been the best possible one!”

Vikram Channa is the incumbent Vice President of Warner Bros. Discovery and the Chief Editor of Greater China and Southeast Asia of the company. His work involves non-fiction program content management, content production and broadcasting, and program production. He has produced more than 2,000 documentaries, with approximately 100 hours of programming aired annually through the Discovery Channel global network, covering eight channel brands under the Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.

Over the past two decades, his footprints have reached most places in China as he has led his team to produce nearly 200 documentaries about China, making significant contributions to the international communication of China’s stories.

In 2016, Vikram Channa became a distinguished professor at BNU and co-established the “Explore - BNU Documentary Workshop” with the Documentary Center of BNU, aiming to connect the industry with the academic community and integrate teaching and creation, cultivate students’ international perspectives and professional skills through creative projects, and develop them into proficient international talents. So far, the workshop has been held eight times.

Together with professors of the Documentary Center, namely Zhang Tongdao, Fan Qipeng, and Yu Ming, Vikram Channa has been instructing students in creating high-quality documentary works with international communication power. Enjoying diversified styles, clever narratives, and novel ideas, these works have won more than 20 awards in domestic and international film and television festivals.

Vikram Channa expressed that the Chinese Government Friendship Award is both an affirmation of his past work and an encouragement for his future efforts. He will not only work to bring more of China’s stories to the international stage but also contribute to the development of Drama, Film, and Television Studies at BNU and the cultivation of more documentary talents for China.