Beijing film festival announces Tiantan Award winners

The 15th Beijing International Film Festival concluded on Saturday night with the Tiantan Award, its top honor, presented during a star-studded ceremony.

Norwegian film Loveable, the directorial debut of female filmmaker Lilja Ingolfsdottir, emerged as the biggest winner, sweeping four awards — Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Screenplay. The film tells the story of a 40-year-old woman striving to rebuild her life after her marriage ends.

Helga Guren, the Norwegian actress who enthusiastically accepted the awards on behalf of Ingolfsdottir — who didn't attend the ceremony - shared that she received the draft script from Ingolfsdottir seven years ago. Since then, she has discussed a lot with the director, hoping the film would delve deeper into the human experience.

Guren also revealed that she was glad Ingolfsdottir — who once had to set the project aside for a time due to other work commitments — finally had her talents recognized.

The Best Actor award went to Pierre Bastin and Benjamin Lambillotte for their roles as two police officers in the Belgian film Vitrival: The Most Beautiful Village in the World, which tells the story of their efforts to ease villagers' fears after a series of suicides.