Chinese fantasy blockbuster "Monster Hunt" was a double winner at the grand finale of the 13th Abuja International Film Festival which ended on Friday at the Nigerian capital.
Monster Hunt, released in July last year, was awarded the "Outstanding Film In Animation" and "Golden Jury Award" amidst loud applause from the audience, the entertainment research services provider EntGroup said in a press release on Monday.
Blending 3D animation with live action sequences, Monster Hunt became a box office sensation in China, breaking numerous records upon its release including the country's highest-grossing film of 2015.
Three other Chinese films--"Monkey King," "Ballet in Flames of War" and "Bonnie Bears"--were also featured at the film festival.
All the Chinese films were nominated in six different award categories, EntGroup said in its press release.
Yan Xiangdong, cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, received the two awards, remarking that in the previous edition of the festival only Chinese feature films were recommended.
"These two prizes are very important to us. I am very excited. The animation movies are very popular, so this time we concentrated on these animation movies," Yang said. "I think it means that the animation movies are well recognized by the professionals here.
The Abuja International Film Festival, which is held every year, is the biggest of its kind in West Africa with a particular focus on rewarding creativity in filmmaking.
According to the organizers of the four-day film festival, the nominees are selected through a process involving two weeks of screening of more than 700 films from 39 countries. The individuals involved in the screening process consist of filmmakers, movie critics, and other industry stakeholders.
The movies that were screened and given awards at the festival were received in all genres, including full-length features, short films, documentaries, animation, and experimental films.