WITH the cool winter breeze coming from the sea, Xiamen, in China’s southeastern Fujian Province, is once again the central stage of the cinematic arts as the nation’s top film awards, the Golden Rooster, returned with a star-studded movie-themed concert Wednesday and a series of festive activities.

Featuring a dazzling constellation of movie actors and directors, such as Jackie Chan, the opening ceremony was staged at the Bailuzhou Park, a landmark in downtown Xiamen, showcasing a series of classic music pieces from films with musical fountains and light shows.

The event, in its 33rd edition, is running from Nov. 25 to 28, and includes film-themed activities across the city under stringent anti-coronavirus condition. The measures include shortening the awards to four days from the traditional five-day event, as well as controlling the number of participants.

The event will culminate with the closing and award ceremony Saturday night in which winners will be unveiled. A total of 155 films have been shortlisted.

This year, prizes will be given out across 18 categories. The youth drama “Better Days” is the most nominated film, with 11 nods. Volleyball drama “Leap” and crime thriller “Sheep Without a Shepherd,” a remake of the 2013 Indian film “Drishyam,” come in second with eight nominations apiece.

The five nominees for best narrative feature film include three directed by helmers from outside the mainland. They include: “Leap,” from Hong Kong’s Peter Chan; Hong Kong director Derek Tsang’s youth drama “Better Days”; “Sheep Without a Shepherd” from Malaysia-born director Sam Quah; Mongolian language film “Chaogtu with Sarula,” which won the best artistic contribution award at the Tokyo International Film Festival last year; “Spring Tide,” a family drama from female helmer Yang Lina; and National Day film “My People, My Country.”

There are six nominees for best director: all the helmers of the five above titles, plus the duo Shen Zhou and Liu Lu for their film “Almost a Comedy,” which grossed US$28 million.

Best actor nominees include TFBoy boy band idol Jackson Yee (“Better Days”), Da Peng (in rom-com “My Dear Liar”), Xiao Yang (“Sheep Without a Shepherd”), Wu Yuhan (“Almost A Comedy”), and Huang Xiaoming (“The Bravest”).

Best actress nominees include Zhou Dongyu (“Better Days”), Tan Zhuo (“Sheep Without a Shepherd”), Ren Suxi (“Almost a Comedy”), Liu Yan (“My Dear Liar”), and Zhu Xijuan (“The Empty Nest”).

This year’s screening section is already underway in 10 cinemas across the city and will run until Nov. 29, showcasing over 60 titles from home and abroad.

Local viewers have 32 critically acclaimed titles by award-winning filmmakers from over 20 countries and regions available, such as “The Truth” by Palme d’Or winner Hirokazu Kore-eda and Silver Bear for best actress Paula Beer’s “Undine” running in the International Film Panorama section. Some of which are making their China debuts.

The cast of some new releases, such as award-winning director Pema Tseden’s “Balloon,” will participate in the before-or-after screening events.

This year’s festival launched the first Cross-Strait Youth Short Film Season in May with a key program called “New Wings” that annually selects and supports 10 promising filmmakers from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

It allows the young directors from two sides to interact with their peers and seasoned filmmakers, and to present their works to producers and distributors during the festival.

Launched in 1981, the Golden Rooster Awards is widely considered as one of the three most prestigious awards for Chinese-language films, jointly ranking with Hong Kong’s Golden Statue Awards and Taiwan’s Golden Horse Awards. (SD-Agencies)