Hundred Flowers confirms culture is hot ticket

China's longest-running film award announces winners, Xu Fan reports in Chengdu.

On Sunday night, 101 jurors representing movie enthusiasts from across the country assembled in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, to select the recipients of the 37th Hundred Flowers Awards. Established under the advocacy of former premier Zhou Enlai in 1962, it is China's oldest cinematic accolade.

Zhang Yimou, the auteur known for his work on the opening and closing ceremonies of both the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and 2022 Winter Olympic Games, took home the Best Director Award for Article 20, a film inspired by real-life cases of justifiable defense. It was the eighth time for the 74-year-old director to be honored at the Hundred Flowers Awards, but his first time winning best director.

Zhang said that the award was a testament to public recognition and he felt honored to have been nominated alongside four fellow filmmakers, including Rao Xiaozhi and Wuershan, whom he praised as the future of China's film industry.