Nearly a hundred famous actors, including Zhang Guoli, Zhao Wei, Huang Xiaoming, Tao Zeru, Huang Jue, Liang Jing, Zhang Jingchu and Huang Hong attended an event held by the organizers of the 29th China Golden Rooster Awards for this year's nominees, in Wuhan on Sept 27.

The film So Young, marks Vicki Zhao's debut as a director, and it earned her a nomination in the category of Best Directorial Debut. Zhao, who opted for the understated elegance of a black dress, said that she would not have been able to complete the film without the cooperation of the whole crew.

Actor Huang Xiaoming was nominated for Best Actor for the first time for his performance in the film American Dreams in China. He echoed Stephen Chow's classic line, telling the audience: "Cheng Dongqing, this role has finally given me the feeling that I'm an actor."

Huang was facing intense competition from his fellow nominees: Zhang Guoli in Back to 1942, Tao Zeru in Bai Niao Chao Feng(Birds paying homage to the phoenix), Huang Jue in Fallen City, and Sun Weimin in The Story of Zhou Enlai.

This was the first time that the organizers held such a ceremony for the nominees, and this year is also the first time that the Best Screenplay Award was divided into two categories: the Original Screenplay Award and the Adapted Screenplay Award. The winners were announced the next day.

Edited by Niva Whyman and Le Qin