The opportunity has come for ordinary movie fans to help their favorite film and actor win a popular award.

The China Film Association on Wednesday announced ten candidate films, all box-office leaders, for the 29th Hundred Flowers Awards, which are to be given away in September during the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.

The ten films are: Benny Chan's "Rob-B-Hood," Feng Xiaogang's "The Assembly," Feng Zhenzhi's "Invisible Wings," Frankie Chung and John Chu's "The Secret of the Magic Gourd," Gao Qunshu's "Tokyo Trial," Ning Hao's "Crazy Stone," Peter Chan's "The Warlords," Stephen Chow's "CJ7," Yin Li's "The Knot," and Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower."

Besides Best Film, they will produce five nominees for all the awards' other categories, which include directing and acting.

Through to July 31, movie-goers can vote for their favorites via mail, text message or the Internet. From the voters, 101 audience judges will be selected by lottery to decide the final winners.

The ten films were picked from a pool of almost every Chinese-language blockbuster with a box-office gross of over five million yuan (US$715,920) since the last edition of the Hundred Flowers Awards, in 2006.

"We hope the Hundred Flowers Awards can accurately reflect the audience's taste," said Kang Jianmin, executive vice president of the China Film Association at Wednesday's press conference.

The biennial Hundred Flowers Awards, together with the Golden Rooster Awards, are given in turn at the annual Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival. Unlike its twin sister, which gives prestigious honors and professional acknowledgements, the Hundred Flowers Awards give priority to the audience's view.

(CRI April 18,2008)