Feng Xiaogang's war epic The Assembly (Jijie Hao) won nine nominations in the upcoming 18th Golden Rooster Film Awards, known as the academy awards of the Chinese mainland.

The film, following a soldier's trek for the dignity of his dead comrades, is nominated for some of the most important awards, such as best feature film, best director and best actor.

Chen Kaige's biopic of Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang has been acknowledged with eight nominations, including those for best feature film and best director. Zhang Ziyi, who plays Mei's lover and a Peking opera star, has been nominated for the best supporting actress award.

This year, the awards will be held in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, from Oct 14 to Oct 17. About 155 films will compete for 18 awards.

Special screenings of selected works by Jackie Chan and Taiwanese directors will be staged during the event, too.

(China Daily September 17, 2009)