More than 50 university students, film critics and media representatives gathered in Beijing’s Palace Cinema on Sunday to see the premieres of 10 short films from the Looking Beijing 2012 Chinese and American Youth Summer DV (digital video) Project.

In the past nine days, 10 students and graduates from Boston University and Emory University cooperated with 10 students from Beijing Normal University’s school of art and communication on 10 digital videos about Beijing. The subjects they touched on included not only Chinese tea ceremonies, tai chi, Chinese dumplings and acrobatics, but also things common in modern life, such as coffee and bottled water.

The Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture and Beijing Normal University started the annual project in 2011 with the aim of presenting Chinese culture from an American perspective.

“It’s important to achieve mutual understanding and respect in humanity and cultural communications,” said Huang Huilin, dean of the Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture. “Looking Beijing will be our brand name when we try to promote culture in a modern way. Videos are both direct and simple.”

“This is my first production using digital video,” said Markbradley Kitay from Emory University’s Goizueta business school. “I’m very excited. I want to say ‘hello’ to my Chinese partner, as I’ve learned many Chinese culture and shooting skills from her.” His production, entitled Bottled Beijing, is about how bottles used to hold water are recycled, as well as how they affect the lives of bottle collectors and other people.