YANTAI -- The 2025 China Film Directors' Night kicked off Tuesday in the coastal city of Yantai, Shandong Province, gathering China's top filmmakers to honor the year's most outstanding directorial achievements.

Now in its second year, this prestigious gala co-hosted by China Media Group's Yangshipin, the China Film Directors Guild, and the City of Yantai, celebrates cinematic artistry.

It's the annual celebration and a homecoming of sorts. Filmmakers have converged on Yantai, a city etched in Chinese cinema's DNA.
In 1898, film first arrived in China via American missionaries in Yantai. Now, 127 years later, the China Film Directors Guild honors its best where the story started.

Snatching this year's Best Director Award is director Guan Hu for his film Black Dog which won the Un Certain Regard at the Cannes in 2024.
The Best Picture of the Year went to The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, a powerful documentary about a WWII prisoner war ship that capsized en route to Japan. First time director Fan Li explains why he made this film against all odds.

"Accidentally, everybody told me that sinking shipwreck had never been found. Simply out of curiosity, I tried to find the shipwreck and I found it. Then I realized below the deck when I was searching the boat, there are 828 boys forgotten. So automatically as a father, you want to know who they are," said Fan, Best Picture Winner.

In a posthumous tribute, this year's Jury's Honorary Best Director Award went to the late Pema Tseden, the revered Xizang director who passed away in 2023 at the age of 53.

His son who received the award on his behalf has already been carrying on his legacy.

"The most poignant lesson my father has taught me is his courage to pursue the truth that has led him to making films about his hometown and his version of the world through his eyes," said Jigme Trinley, son of late Pema Tseden.

Trinley is not the only young director who stepped up onto the stage. Gao Peng received the Best Young Director prize for his film.
The award gala this year isn't just about recognizing the creme de la creme in the Chinese film industry, but also a celebration of 120 years of Chinese cinema.

Jackson Yee claimed Best Actor for his transformative role in Big World, while Yong Mei and Song Jia made history, sharing the Best Actress Award in the awards' first-ever tie.