Chinese Net users expressed welcome for a documentary about the disputed Diaoyu Islands filmed by a Hollywood director, which made its debut in Beijing on Sunday.

The 40-minute film, Diaoyu Islands: The Truth, directed by Chris D Nebe, a 76-year-old German, carried the message that the islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times and Japan annexed them from China in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War. The film urged Japan to return the islands to China and make apologies for the crimes it committed during World War II.

Plans for more domestic screenings are underway, Yang Ye, an employee at Global Communication & Cooperation Company, the Chinese cooperative partner of Nebe's company, told the Global Times on Monday.

The company is affiliated to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top consultative body.

The documentary, first screened earlier this month in Los Angeles, is one of 12 documentaries in Nebe's Mysterious China series introducing Chinese history, culture and rapid development to the world.

The series included Tibet: the Truth.

"The director picked topics such as the Diaoyu Islands and Tibet since they have drawn huge attention in the international community and those are what Westerners want to see," Zhang Zhi'an, a professor at the School of Communication and Design of Sun Yat-Sen University, told the Global Times. The public has praised Nebe for refuting Japan's claim to  the islands, with some saying that a bystander's view can be more persuasive.

As a lover of Chinese culture, Nebe, who claimed to shoot the film at his own expense, said he shot the series about China as he felt tired that the Western media always reports a negative image of China.

He noted the documentary had reliable sources, including pictures and footage he found from archives in Washington.

Zhang noted that the reaction of the audience from the international community is what really counts as the documentary aims to help the West better understand China.

Nebe has produced a number of movies including Heartbreaker, Rebels, The Naked Cage and The Inheritors and won many international awards, Xinhua reported.