Winners of Golden Panda Awards announced

There's Still Tomorrow, a feminist comedy about a working-class woman fighting gender violence in postwar Italy of the 1940s, which was a huge box-office hit in the country in 2023, won the Best Picture honor at the second Golden Panda Awards held over the weekend in Chengdu, Sichuan province.

Conveying her appreciation, the film's director, Paola Cortellesi, said the recognition in China serves as a reminder that "cinema has the power to connect us beyond borders, languages and cultures".

The winners of the Golden Panda Awards — a biennial event that promotes mutual learning and exchanges among human civilizations — were announced on Saturday night.

Director Chen Kaige, jury president of the Awards, told China Daily that the event has encouraged more foreign filmmakers and TV producers to appreciate the China story, especially as global recognition of China has grown thanks to more than four decades of reform and opening-up.

"Films and television often evolve alongside a country's development. For those interested in understanding how a nation grows stronger, screen works can provide some insights. Today, China has an opportunity to show foreign audiences its long-term development through its films and dramas," he said.

A total of 27 awards — 25 across four categories in film, TV drama, animation and documentary, as well as two Special Jury awards — were selected from 5,343 submissions from 126 countries and regions. Among these, 3,910 were foreign titles, accounting for 73.2 percent of the total.

While the Best Actor award in the film category went to Zhu Yilong for his appearance in the noir crime thriller Only the River Flows, Brazilian actress Denise Weinberg took home the Best Actress prize for her role in the dystopian drama The Blue Trail. Describing the event as a bridge connecting Chinese filmmakers to the world, Zhu said he was thrilled to be recognized on the inclusive stage.

Perhaps one of the most emotional moments of the awards ceremony was when late filmmaker Pema Tseden — a pioneering figure in Tibetan-language cinema — was honored with the Best Director award for the arthouse film Snow Leopard. Tseden died of a sudden illness at the age of 53 in 2023.

Jigme Trinley, Pema Tseden's son and executive director on Snow Leopard, accepted the trophy on behalf of his father, saying the honor was a tribute to his father's artistic life. "Snow Leopard is my father's eighth Tibetan-language film, condensing his experiences, thoughts and reflections of his entire life, carrying the strength of love and mercy beyond time and space," he said.

Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan, along with two fellow writers, won the Best Screenplay award for About Dry Grasses, which explores the emotional struggle of a teacher in a remote Turkish village. Having visited China multiple times in recent years, including serving as jury president of the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2019, Ceylan revealed that his award-winning film is based on the memories of co-writer Akin Aksu, who kept diaries to document his three-year compulsory service as a teacher in Anatolia.

In the TV drama category, She and Her Girls — a 23-episode biographical tale chronicling the life of a dedicated teacher — bagged two awards: Best TV Drama and Best Screenplay. The series is adapted from the true story of Zhang Guimei, who founded the country's first free all-girls high school in Yunnan province, helping over 2,000 rural girls realize their college dreams.

Scriptwriter Yuan Zidan, who described the drama as "a very important work" in her more than 20 years of writing, said the story allowed her to witness the highest expression of noble humanity. Despite poor living conditions and battling multiple diseases, Zhang persevered with her passion and love for education, added Yuan.

While James Strong won Best Director in the TV drama category for the British series Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the Best Actress prize went to Tang Yan for her role as a dynamic woman in Blossoms Shanghai, a drama set against the backdrop of the Chinese financial market's early prosperity. Hong Kong actor Francis Ng bagged the Best Actor honor for his vivid portrayal of a determined broker in Escape from the Trilateral Slopes, depicting the fight against drug trafficking.

For the other two categories, the Best Animation prize went to Ne Zha 2, China's highest-grossing blockbuster of all times, while Norwegian production A New Kind of Wilderness took home the Best Documentary award.

The two-day event, held on Sept 12 and 13, drew over 600 celebrities and industry insiders from home and abroad, turning Chengdu — famous for its spicy hotpots and giant pandas — into a carnival for creators of stories from different cultures and civilizations.

British television producer Mal Young, chairman of the TV drama category jury, told China Daily that the event has encouraged collaboration, helping him establish connections with many actors, writers and directors in China. The Liverpool native added that he has now become a fan of China after spending a few days watching the nominated television shows, which provided him with insights like never before.

American visual effects artist Joel Hynek, a juror for the TV drama category, said that China displays a very high level of expertise. "Bringing all these people from around the world together here is a great way to foster connections and mutual understanding across different cultures," he said.