Ne Zha 2, almost a miracle in Chinese box-office history, became the biggest winner at the 38th Hundred Flowers Awards in Beijing on Sunday night, taking home the Best Picture Award.
Director Jiaozi, whose Ne Zha 2 grossed 15.9 billion yuan ($2.35 billion) to rank as the world's fourth-highest-grossing film, was absent from the ceremony – just as he has been from most previous film festivals and award presentations.
Wang Changtian, chairman of Beijing Enlight Media and the film's producer, teasingly described Jiaozi as "the most low-key director", revealing that he had insisted on focusing on the sequel's creation and not on making public appearances.
"However, his talent can't be confined," Wang said. "It blooms wherever his dreams reach. May Chinese animation and Chinese cinema continue to shine brilliantly."
The film's historic win marks the first time in the 64-year history of the Hundred Flowers Awards that the Best Picture Award has gone to an animated feature – a moment Wang described as "a collective honor for Chinese animation".
