The Berlin International Film Festival set up Asian Brilliant Stars awards at the ongoing film festival with three Chinese filmmakers among the awardees for the inaugural awards. The exclusive award section for movies from Asia highlight’s films from the region and show the cultural heritage and social values of Asia.
Clean Sweep of Awards
The awardees are Xu Haofeng who got the Best Director award for “The Master,” Liu Zhenyun who received the Best Writer award for “Someone to Talk To” and Ye Ning and the entertainment company Huayi Brothers who were given the Best Producer award for “The Wasted Times,” CRI reported. Organizations such as the Beijing Film Academy, European Shooting Stars and Asian Film & Television Promotion were behind the Asian Awards.
Several Chinese films premiered at the 67th Berlinale such as Huang Ji’s “The Foolish Bird” and Liu Jian’s “Have a Nice Day.”
“The Foolish Bird” is the story of a rural teenage girl who left her home to find work in the city. Huang Ji, who directed the film with Japanese husband Ryuji Otsuka, said the film is a reflection of her story as a “left-behind” child. Absent parents is a recurring theme in the couple’s movies. The pair previously directed “Egg and Stone” which is about the life of a Chinese teenage village girl. The movie won the Tiger Award at the 2012 International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Animated Movie
“Have a Nice Day,” an animated movie by Liu Jian, would have a world premiere on Feb. 17. It is one of six Chinese movies that will screen in different sections of Berlinale. The film is about a young Chinese man from a small village who steals a bag of money from his employer. He stole it so his girlfriend could have cosmetic surgery.
The last animated film from Asia that participated at Berlinale’s Competition section is “Spirited Away” by Hayao Miyazaki in 2002.