Two films that premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival emerged as the major award winners at the seventh edition of the Pingyao International Film Festival in China.
The Fei Mu prize for the best Chinese film was presented to Wei Shujun’s black comedy-thriller, “Only the River Flows.” Meanwhile, “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” the debut feature film by Vietnamese director Pham Thien An, received the Roberto Rossellini prize for the best international film. This picture, a co-production involving Vietnam, Singapore, France, and Spain, had previously won the Camera d’Or for the best first film at Cannes.
Additional awards honored Norman Wang, a Hong Kong-based veteran consultant, marketer, and festival scout, and Huang Jianxin, a prominent Chinese director, screenwriter, and producer known for a wide range of work, from satire to propaganda. Huang Jianxin also produced Sun Zhou’s “Zhou Yu’s Train,” featuring Gong Li and Tony Leung.
The Pingyao International Film Festival, originally conceived by Jia Zhangke and Marco Mueller, takes place in the UNESCO-heritage town of Pingyao in Shanxi. The festival’s opening film this year was “Only the River Flows.”
Although the festival continues until Wednesday, the closing ceremony took place on Monday, featuring prize announcements, a tribute to the late Marie-Pierre Duhamel, a scholar and producer with a long history of involvement in Chinese cinema who passed away earlier this year at the age of 70, and a screening of Fei Yu’s “Football on the Roof.”
Here’s a summary of the main award categories and winners:
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award:
Huang Jianxin
International Contribution to Chinese Cinema Award:
Norman Wang
Fei Mu Awards:
Best Film: “Only the River Flows,” directed by Wei Shujun.
Best Director: Geng Zihan for “A Song Sung Blue.”
Best Actress: Lyu Xingchen for “Carefree Days,” directed by Xu Lingling.
Best Actor: Zhang Yu for “Records Without Words,” directed by Li Lizhong.
Jury Award: “Dance Still,” directed by Qin Muqiu and Zhan Hanqi.
Special Mention: “The Night Rain South Township,” directed by Li Binbin, and “Undoing Time,” directed by Li Pu.
Best Short Film: “Questions to Heaven,” directed by Wenqi and Zheng Ziyi.
Roberto Rossellini Awards:
Best Film: “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” directed by Pham Thien An (Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain).
Best Director: Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir for “City of Wind” (Mongolia, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar).
Jury Award: “Ama Gloria,” directed by Marie Amachoukeli.
Special Mention: Director Behrooz Karamizade for “Empty Nets.”
Best Actor: Abdellatif Masstouri for “Hounds” (also known as “Hassan”) (Morocco, France, Belgium, Qatar, Saudi Arabia).
Youth Jury Awards:
Youth Jury Grand Award: “Carefree Days,” directed by Liang Ming.
Youth Jury Awards Special Mention: “Dance Still,” directed by Qin Muqiu and Zhan Hanqi.
Tong Ye Award
“Ask the Mountain,” directed by Xu Lei.
Cinephilia Critics’ Award
“Only the River Flows,” directed by Wei Shujun (China).
Best Student Short Film:
“Wild Bird,” directed by Cao Yinuo (Communications University of China).
Best Student Short Film Special Mention:
“Strawberry Mark,” directed by Lin Yuyang (Beijing Film Academy).