Film unveils dark side of China's TV talent shows

"While they feel stressed inside what appears like a machine that makes stars, they struggle or compromise in their own ways," Fan says. "It makes me think that every one of us is in the middle of a talent show. It's more a social metaphor than a simple TV program."

These days Fan describes himself as a showman jumping from location to location to promote the value of documentaries. He says that directing the film was a "practical choice", too, given the influence the young stars hold in the market.

Chinese film distributors and cinemas have shown little interest in documentaries.

Securing a nationwide release in China for a documentary was an uphill task for the makers of No Zuo No Die.

Despite the critical acclaim Last Train Home received globally, very few cinemas across a handful of cities showed the film.

"I hope good documentaries will prove to the market that the film has a reason to exist," he says.

To maintain the quality of his work, Fan says he has avoided making No Zuo No Die a flattering piece and has kept it as realistic as possible, something that his genre of film making demands.

In No Zuo No Die, there are reflective moments where the participants become aware that the program is "draining their souls, turning them into commodities" and that fame can fade quickly.

"But of course the audiences are allowed to see for themselves. Some of them can read between the lines, while others may see it as pure entertainment," Fan adds.

Sun Li contributed to this story.