Chinese film, Still Life (Sanxia Haoren), directed by Jia Zhangke, has been awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 63rd Venice Film Festival, which concluded on Saturday.

 

French director Alain Resnais was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Director for Coeurs. British actress Helen Mirren won the Best Actress award for her performance in Stephen Frears' The Queen, while American star Ben Affleck's role in Hollywoodland brought him the Best Actor award.

 

A second film by Jia Zhangke, Dong was also featured in the festival's Horizons section.

 

A total of 7 Chinese films, among which four from the Chinese mainland, two from Hong Kong and one from Taiwan, took part in competition at the Venice Festival.

 

Another Chinese director, Liu Jie, took the Best Film prize in the Horizons fiction section for Courthouse on Horseback (Mabei Shang de Fating).

 

 

 

 

(CRI September 10, 2006)