Top film festival wraps up in Beijing

(China Daily) Near the picturesque Yanqi Lake in northern Beijing, the 11th Beijing International Film Festival dropped its curtain on Sept 29, gathering many celebrities with the unveiling of the festival's top honor, the Tiantan Award.

Beyond the Skies -- a war film about a Red Army operation in 1935 -- became the biggest winner, sweeping three awards for best feature, actor and cinematography.

Russian director Andrey Zaytsev won best director for A Siege Diary, while the best actress award went to Noée Abita for her film Slalom, about a teenage ski prodigy.

Due to the pandemic, the closing ceremony employed internet technology to simultaneously connect to the overseas crews of 12 films which were shortlisted for the Tiantan Award, making the festival still tightly tied to international filmmakers despite the special times.

Veteran actors and actresses such as Chen Daoming, Ge You, Jiang Wen and Liu Xiaoqing also attended the closing ceremony, reminding audiences of the golden era of Chinese cinema.

Gong Li -- president of the Tiantan Award's jury panel -- walked out hand in hand with actor Jiang, stirring up nostalgia over their performances together in the classic Red Sorghum, the first Chinese film to win a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1988.

Actors Ge You (left) and Chen Daoming
Actress Gong Li, president of the Tiantan Award jury panel, attends the closing ceremony of the 11th Beijing International Film Festival with another juries.

Source: By Xu Fan | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2021-09-30 14:02

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