‘Operation Mekong’ wins big at China-Britain Film Festival Awards

The 5th China-Britain Film Festival Awards kicked off at London’s Indigo at The O2 on Wednesday.

In a letter, Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong encouraged filmmakers in both China and the UK to enhance the relationship between the two countries through outstanding stories.

A total of 13 films competed for 11 awards that night.

Chinese film Wolf Warrior 2, which set box-office records in China, won the Special Contribution Award, while Wu Jing, the film’s director, took home the Best Director Award.

Best film went to Chinese action flick Operation Mekong, while the film’s lead, Zhang Hanyu, won best actor.

Actress Yu Nan, heroine of Chinese thriller Explosion, won the Best Actress Award.

Other winners of the night include Jiangnan Story (Best Short Film), Digby Dragon (Best Animation) and Li Lei and Han Meimei (Best Newcomer).

“The China-Britain Film Festival has become one of the most important cultural exchange events between the two countries. I hope Chinese filmmakers can tell good Chinese stories that enable Western countries to learn more about China,” Tong Gang, vice minister of China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said at the festival on Wednesday.

In addition to the awards ceremony, the festival also held a series of forums and talks aimed at encouraging collaboration between filmmakers in the UK and China.

One of the largest and most influential international Chinese film festivals outside of China, the festival, launched in 2013, aims to promote Chinese culture to overseas audiences by showcasing some of the country’s best movies.