Guo Guoyun, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Xiamen Municipal Committee and head of the Publicity Department, speaks at a press conference in Beijing on September 26 regarding the upcoming the 38th China Film Golden Rooster Awards ceremony and China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival (ZHANG WEI) 

The 38th China Film Golden Rooster Awards ceremony and China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival will take place in Xiamen, Fujian Province on November 11 to 15. The announcement was made at a press conference in Beijing on September 26, during which several key details of the upcoming festival were also unveiled. 

The Golden Rooster Awards are China’s top film awards. Deng Guanghui, Vice President of the China Film Association, said a total of 212 films released within the eligibility period had been accepted for consideration. The jury, adhering to principles that encourage artistic innovation and genre development, had completed its review and voting procedures, he added. The winners will be announced during the awards ceremony in November. 

Coinciding with the 120th anniversary of the Chinese cinema industry, the festival will feature a wide range of events, including an opening ceremony, awards gala, film screenings, film exhibitions and professional forums. These events are all designed to foster innovation within the industry and strengthen ties between cinema and social development. 

The press conference also announced the award nominees. Contenders for Best Feature Film include movies that generated heated online debate and great box office performance, including Big World, Lychees of Chang'an, and Her story. In the Best Foreign Language Film category, the nominees are F1: The Movie (the U.S.), Here (the U.S.), C'è ancora domani (Italy), I'm Still Here (Brazil/France), and The Chinese Family (Thailand). 

Guo Guoyun, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Xiamen Municipal Committee and head of the Publicity Department, highlighted the city's commitment to ensuring a successful festival. He emphasized that Xiamen is working to enhance the event's professionalism, international appeal and public engagement, in line with the guiding principle of hosting a "safe, orderly, economical, spectacular and effective" film celebration. 

A representative from the Golden Rooster Awards' design team explains the connotation of this edition's festival poster at the press conference in Beijing on September 26 (ZHANG YAGE) 

The press conference also showcased the main poster for the 38th Golden Rooster Awards as well as the festival poster. The awards poster, drawing inspiration from the concept of "the crowing of the golden rooster heralding the dawn," features elements including the morning light along Xiamen's coastline. The festival poster, themed Wings of Light, symbolizes the vitality and artistic ambition of Chinese cinema. In addition, actors Chen Feiyu and Song Qian were appointed as the first batch of promotional ambassadors for the festival in Xiamen. 

Through these multifaceted efforts, the 2025 China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival aims to reinforce its role as a leading platform for cinematic exchange, industry development and cultural celebration in China.  

Since their inception in 1981, the awards have been a hallmark of national pride, sponsored by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association. Named after the Chinese Zodiac sign of the Rooster, in which year they were first held, the awards have been hosted in Xiamen for a decade and evolved from a biennial to an annual event in 2019. 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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