A Chinese film has been awarded a gold prize in the first Nile International Film Festival for Environment Films in Cairo, Egypt's newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Tuesday.

The Chinese film Brother Tree, a story about a teenager in northern China who tries his best to protect and take care of a tree planted by his late elder brother, got the gold award of "Hebat El Nile" for long feature films, said the report.

The gold prize for long documentary films went to the Kuwaiti film Last Resort: Environment Cry, said the report, adding the Egyptian film Hell Underground got the special award of the judging committee.

The environment film festival, launched by Egypt's Society of Promoting the Artistic Appreciation for Environmental Development in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs, was held during June 5-10 in the Egyptian capital of Cairo.

Some 60 films, including features and documentaries, from 16 countries and regions on environment were presented at the festival.

According to the organizing committee, the film festival will be held in the capital every year on the occasion of the World Environment Day on June 5 in a bid to call for more efforts to protect environment, one of the most challenging issues facing the planet.

(Xinahua News Agency June 13, 2007)