Shining stars

Held biennially, the Hundred Flowers Awards is seen as a retrospective of the best Chinese films of the previous two years, as well as a glamorous event that attracts numerous A-list stars.

A thought-provoking story that delves into concepts of justice, Article 20 also picked up two other awards — Ma Li for Best Actress and Zhao Liying for Best Supporting Actress.

Upon winning the Best Actress Award with 48 votes, Ma was overjoyed and unable to hold back her tears.

Embarking on her acting journey as a member of the comedy troupe Mahua FunAge, Ma said that it had taken her 20 years to transition from comedy to the prestigious Hundred Flowers Awards ceremony.

"The past two decades have been very challenging. There were times when I even thought about giving up because comedians are sometimes undervalued," she said, emphasizing that her passion for acting had enabled her to persevere.

Director Chen Kaige's epic The Volunteers: To the War, the first installment of a scheduled trilogy which tells a panoramic story of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), won the Best Film award.