‘Final Payment,’ ‘Zoom In, Zoom Out’ Win Big at Pingyao; ‘Congo Boy’ Takes Rossellini Prize

Niu Niu’s “Final Payment” and Dong Jie’s “Zoom In, Zoom Out” each won two prizes at the 10th Pingyao Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon International Film Festival in China.

“Final Payment,” from Shanxi-born Niu, won the Fei Mu Award for best film, along with best actor for Niu’s father, Niu Jianrong. “Zoom In, Zoom Out” took the Fei Mu jury award and the Cinephilia Critics’ Award.

The best film prize carries RMB1 million ($149,000), split equally between the director, for the development of their next film, and the film’s China distributor.

“Tearing through a very small rip, the film leads us into a reality and emotional landscape so expansive, where we sigh, lament, and reflect. The director’s approach is concise, unpretentious, and masterful, earning the wholehearted recognition of the entire jury,” the jury said.

The film follows a homeowner locked in a standoff with his contractor over the last payment for a renovation, a dispute drawn from Niu Jianrong’s own experience.

Niu Jianrong, an experienced TV and film director, made his debut as a lead actor in the film. Along with best actress winner Sun Yi, he received a Louis Vuitton accessories box engraved with the festival logo.

“You jury’s bold for giving me this award,” Niu Jianrong said on stage. “It was such torture, my director-son trained me really hard. In real life, I’m my son’s father; but in front of the camera, he’s my father.”

Accepting the jury award, Dong said the team approached the film “with absolute purity of intent, which allows me to fully and unreservedly embrace the joy of making it. It’s the joy of conquering something immensely difficult alongside dear friends, the joy of connecting with audiences after the premiere, and, above all, the joy of simply being here, in this very moment.”

Xu Zao won the Unitree best director award for his debut animated feature “Light Pillar,” which carries RMB200,000 ($29,800) toward his next film. The jury cited his “strong aesthetic awareness” and “astute yet warm approach,” which “encourages everyone to hold up the beacon and keep moving forward even on a cold night.”

Sun won best actress for Wang Xiaozhen’s “A Joke.” The jury said she “delivers a delicate performance with restraint, portraying the regret and growth within an intimate relationship.”

The Fei Mu jury also gave a special mention to Cai Chengjie’s “Suzhou Quartet,” produced by Huang Bo, “for its bravery, for its belief that the movie screen is still vast and open to new adventures and new forms of storytelling.”

In the Crouching Tigers international competition, Rafiki Fariala’s “Congo Boy” won the Roberto Rossellini Award for best film and $20,000, split between the director’s next film and the film’s China distributor. The jury cited its “simple style that echoes the great tradition of neorealism.” Fariala, who was not in Pingyao, sent a video thanking the festival and closed it by singing a folk song.

Rafael Manuel won best director and $10,000 for “Filipiñana,” which Jia Zhangke executive produced and Unknown Pleasures acquired for Greater China.

Lenti Liang’s “Our Secrets” won the Fei Mu best short film award and RMB50,000 ($7,450), sponsored by Nowness of Meta Media. On stage, Liang said the film drew on her own childhood trauma, and that after her mother saw it in Pingyao, the two talked it through and she had made peace with it.

Wang Wenting’s “Black Goat” won the Unitree best student short film award in the Pingyao Corner section, with RMB30,000 ($4,470) and a Unitree robot dog.

Earlier in the festival, Ann Hui received the Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award. Pingyao also honored Marco Müller and Han Sanping with the International Contribution to Chinese Cinema Award, and producer Tang Yan, founder of Hello Group, which owns social app Momo, with the 10th Anniversary Award.

The full list of winners:

Fei Mu Awards – Hidden Dragons
Best Film: “Final Payment,” dir. Niu Niu
Unitree Best Director: Xu Zao, “Light Pillar”
Best Actress: Sun Yi, “A Joke,” dir. Wang Xiaozhen
Best Actor: Niu Jianrong, “Final Payment,” dir. Niu Niu
Jury Award: “Zoom In, Zoom Out,” dir. Dong Jie
Special Mention: “Suzhou Quartet,” dir. Cai Chengjie
Best Short Film: “Our Secrets,” dir. Lenti Liang
Best Short Film Special Mention: “If a Walnut Falls,” dir. Liu Bohao

Roberto Rossellini Awards – Crouching Tigers
Best Film: “Congo Boy,” dir. Rafiki Fariala
Best Director: Rafael Manuel, “Filipiñana”
Jury Award: “Ben’imana,” dir. Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo
Special Mention: “Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep,” dir. Rakan Mayasi

Pingyao Corner
Unitree Best Student Short Film: “Black Goat,” dir. Wang Wenting
Special Mentions: “Rainforest,” dir. Justine Moo; “Whose Home,” dir. Huang Duojia

Youth Jury Award: “Whispers in May,” dir. Chen Dongnan
Netpac Award – Best First Film: “Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep,” dir. Rakan Mayasi
Cinephilia Critics’ Award: “Zoom In, Zoom Out,” dir. Dong Jie
PYIFF–NAAC Distribution Award: “A Girl Unknown,” dir. Zou Jing

Honorary Awards
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon East-West Award: Ann Hui
International Contribution to Chinese Cinema Award: Han Sanping, Marco Müller
10th Anniversary Award: Tang Yan