Niu Niu’s “Final Payment” and Dong Jie’s “Zoom In, Zoom Out” each won two awards at the 10th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival in China.
Shanxi-born Niu’s “Final Payment” won the Fei Mu Award for best film, and Niu’s father, Niu Jianrong, also won the best actor award. “Zoom In, Zoom Out” received the Fei Mu jury award and the Cinemaphile Critics Award.
The best picture award carries RMB 1 million ($149,000) for the development of his next film, which will be split equally between the director and the film’s Chinese distributor.
“Tearing a very small slit, he takes us into a vast reality and emotional landscape where we sigh, cry and think. The director’s approach is concise, unpretentious and masterful, earning the whole jury’s heartfelt appreciation,” the jury said.
The film follows the story of a homeowner who has a dispute with his contractor over the final payment for a renovation, a dispute that stems from Niu Jianrong’s own experience.
Niu Jianrong, an experienced TV and film director, made his debut as the leading actor in the film. In addition to Sun Yi winning the best actress award, she was also given a Louis Vuitton accessory box engraved with the festival logo.
“The jury, you are very brave for giving me this award,” Niu Jianrong said on stage. “It was very torture, my director son trained me very hard. In real life, I am my son’s father, but in front of the camera, he is my father.”
Accepting the jury award, Dong said the team approached the film “with absolute intent, which allows me to fully and unreservedly embrace the joy of making it. It’s the joy of conquering something extremely difficult together with dear friends, the joy of connecting with audiences after the premiere, and most of all, the joy of being here in this very moment.”
Xu Zao won the Unitree best director award for his first animated film, “Light Pillar,” which carried RMB 200,000 ($29,800) toward his next film. The jury noted his “strong aesthetic awareness” and “his clever yet warm approach that encourages everyone to hold the flashlight and keep moving forward, even on a cold night.”
Sun won the best actress award for Wang Xiaozhen’s “A Joke”. The jury said she “delivered a restrained and sensitive performance, depicting regret and growth within an intimate relationship.”
The Fei Mu jury also gave a special award to Cai Chengjie’s “Suzhou Quartet” produced by Huang Bo “for their courage, their belief that the cinema screen is still wide and open to new adventures and new forms of storytelling.”
At the Crouching Tigers international competition, Rafiki Fariala’s “Congo Boy” won the Roberto Rossellini Award for best picture and $20,000, which was split between the director’s next film and the film’s Chinese distributor. The jury noted the film’s “simple style, reflecting the great tradition of neorealism.” Fariala, who was not at Pingyao, sent a video thanking the festival and closed the festival by singing a folk song.
Rafael Manuel won the best director award and $10,000 prize for “Filipiñana,” executive produced by Jia Zhangke and acquired by Unknown Pleasures for Greater China.
Lenti Liang’s “Our Secrets” won the Fei Mu award for best short film and RMB 50,000 ($7,450), sponsored by Nowness of Meta Media. On stage, Liang said that the film was based on his own childhood trauma, and that after his mother saw the film on Pingyao, the two talked about it in detail and he made peace with the incident.
Wang Wenting’s “Black Goat” won Unitree’s best student short film award in the Pingyao Corner section with RMB 30,000 ($4,470) and a Unitree robot dog.
Earlier in the festival, Ann Hui received the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award. Pingyao also honored Marco Müller and Han Sanping with the International Contribution to Chinese Cinema Award, and producer Tang Yan, founder of Hello Group, owner of the social app Momo, with the 10th Anniversary Award.
Full list of winners:
Fei Mu Rewards – Hidden Dragons
Best Film: “Final Payment”, direction. Niu Niu
Unitree Best Director: Xu Zao, “Light Pillar”
Best Actress: Sun Yi, “A Joke,” dir. Wang Xiaozhen
Best Actor: Niu Jianrong, “Final Payment”, dir. Niu Niu
Jury Prize: “Zoom In, Zoom Out,” it says. Dong Jie
Special Mention: “Suzhou Quartet”, dir. Cai Chengjie
Best Short Film: “Our Secrets”. Lenti Liang
Best Short Film Special Mention: “If a Walnut Falls.” Liu Bohao
Roberto Rossellini Awards – Crouching Tigers
Best Picture: “Congo Boy,” direction. Rafiki Fariala
Best Director: Rafael Manuel, “Filipinana”
Jury Prize: “Ben’imana”, direction. Marie-Clementine Dusabejambo
Special Mention: “Didn’t Sleep Yesterday.” Rakan Yeast
Pingyao Corner
Unitree Best Student Short Film: “Black Goat”, dir. Wang is leaving
Special Mentions: “Rain Forest,” dir. Justine Moo; “Whose House”, dir. Huang Duojia
Youth Jury Prize: “Whispers in May.” Chen Dongnan
Netpac Award – Best First Film: “Didn’t Sleep Yesterday”, dir. Rakan Yeast
Cinephile Critics Award: “Zoom In, Zoom Out.” Dong Jie
PYIFF–NAAC Distribution Award: “An Unknown Girl.” Zou Jing
Honor Awards
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award: Ann Hui
International Contribution Award to Chinese Cinema: Han Sanping, Marco Müller
10th Anniversary Award: Tang Yan