‘Only the River Flows,’ ‘Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell’ Win Prizes at Pingyao Film Festival

Two titles which debuted at Cannes this year were named as the major prize-winners at the seventh edition of the Pingyao International Film Festival in China.

Wei Shujun’s black comedy-thriller “Only the River Flows” won the festival’s Fei Mu prize for best Chinese film. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell,” by Vietnamese feature film debutant Pham Thien An, won the Roberto Rossellini prize for best international film. The picture is a Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain co-production and won Cannes’ Camera d’Or for best first film.

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Other prizes went to Hong Kong-based Norman Wang, a veteran consultant, marketeer and festival scout, and to Huang Jianxin, a leading mainland Chinese director-screenwriter and producer whose directing career has ranged from satire to propaganda. He also produced Sun Zhou’s Gong Li- and Tony Leung-starring “Zhou Yu’s Train.”

The festival, originally conceived by Jia Zhangke and Marco Mueller, is held in the UNESCO-heritage, Shanxi town of Pingyao. It opened this year with “Only the River Flows.”

While the festival continues until Wednesday, its closing ceremony was held on Monday, comprising the prize announcements, a tribute to the late Marie-Pierre Duhamel, a scholar and producer who was involved with Chinese film since the 1970s and who died earlier this year, age 70, and the screening of Fei Yu’s “Football on the Roof.”

The 7th Pingyao International Film Festival Winner List

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award
Huang Jianxin

International Contribution to Chinese Cinema Award
Norman Wang

Fei Mu Awards

Fei Mu Awards: Best Film
“Only the River Flows” Dir. Wei Shujun.

Fei Mu Awards: Best Director
Geng Zihan for “A Song Sung Blue”

Fei Mu Awards: Best Actress
Lyu Xingchen for “Carefree Days” (dir. Xu Lingling)

Fei Mu Awards: Best Actor
Zhang Yu for “Records Without Words” (dir. Li Lizhong)

Fei Mu Awards: Jury Award
“Dance Still” Dirs. Qin Muqiu, Zhan Hanqi

Fei Mu Awards: Special Mention (joint winners)
“The Night Rain South Township” Dir. Li Binbin.
“Undoing Time” Dir. Li Pu

Fei Mu Awards: Best Short Film
“Questions to Heaven” Dirs. Wenqi, Zheng Ziyi.

Roberto Rossellini Awards

Roberto Rossellini Awards: Best Film

“Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” Dir. Pham Thien An (Vietnam, Singapore, France, Spain?

Roberto Rossellini Awards: Best Director
Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir for “City of Wind” (Mongolia, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar?

Roberto Rossellini Awards: Jury Award
“Ama Gloria” Dir. Marie Amachoukeli.

Roberto Rossellini Awards: Special Mention
Dir. Behrooz Karamizade for “Empty Nets”

Actor: Abdellatif Masstouri for “Hounds” (aka “Hassan”)
(Morocco, France, Belgium, Qatar, Saudi Arabia?

Youth Jury Awards

Youth Jury Grand Award
“Carefree Days” Dir. Liang Ming.

Youth Jury Awards: Special Mention
“Dance Still” Dirs. Qin Muqiu, Zhan Hanqi.

Tong Ye Award
“Ask the Mountain” Dir. Xu Lei.

Cinephilia Critics’ Award
“Only the River Flows” Dir. Wei Shujun (China?

Best Student Short Film
“Wild Bird” Dir. Cao Yinuo (Communications University of China)

Best Student Short Film Special Mention
“Strawberry Mark” Dir. Lin Yuyang (Beijing Film Academy)

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