Winners Of The 17th Annual FIRST International Film Festival

The winners of the 17th annual First International Film Festival (FIFF) were recently announced on July 31, 2023. The 2023 ceremony was held in Xining in the Chinese region of Qinghai. The festival featured a selection of 98 films, including 27 features and 71 shorts, across its nine-day run.

With a reported 30,000 attendees and 500-600 industry insiders, FIFF had a significant presence in China’s film industry. Most screenings of the nominees featured Q&A sessions with the audiences. Additional side events at the festival were the FIRST LAB filmmaker training program and the FIRST market.

A highlight of the festival was the First Frame program and its competition, primarily focusing on the work of female directors or stories about women. This was shown when the program’s main award went to the quasi-documentary This Woman.

The winners are listed below.

• Narrative Feature: Fate of the Moonlight, directed by Qin Tain

• Best Director: Wang Zichuan (Day Dreaming)

• Grand Jury Prize: Galaxy Writer, directed by Li Kuo and Shan Dandan

• Best Performance: Wu Kangren (Abang Adik, Malaysia)

• Best Artistic Originality: Du Guangyu (Day Dreaming)

• Best Screenplay: Shan Dandan, Li Kuo, Gao Qun (Galaxy Writer)

• Best Documentary: Nest, directed by Qin Xiaoyue

• Spirit of Freedom: Nan Xin (Go Photo Shooting)

• Best Short Film: Walking With Her Into The Night, directed by Shu Hui

• Best Animated/Experimental Short Film: Perfect City: The Bravest Kid, directed by Zhou Shengwei

• Special Mention: Where Do Ants Sleep at Night, directed by Dean Wei