The poster of Lan (CHINA.ORG.CN)

Chinese actress-turned-director Jiang Wenli's Lan won the Audience Award at the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) on Friday, with prize money of 20 million won ($17,300).

The prize is bestowed to one of the films participating in the New Currents Award that is given the most points by general audience.

Lan, Jiang Wenli's debut film, is set in the era of "Cultural Revolution" (1966-1976), and shows a young girl whose parents were thrown in jail and had to be raised under her grandfather's care.

The story revolves around the girl as she gets introduced to the world of gymnastics while other kids were seeking labor work in cities.

"It might have been Jiang's novel filming style and perspective that appealed to the audience, considering Jiang has been a renowned actress herself," Kim Dong-ho, director of the festival, told the press.

The announcement that Jiang won the award came during the festival closing press conference, along with all the other winners of the PIFF awards, such as the New Currents and the Flash Forwards.

The nine-day PIFF closed on Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency October 16, 2009)