Asian filmmakers stormed the 7th Shanghai International Film Festival, taking five of the eight Jin Jue or Golden Goblet Awards at the closing award-giving ceremony of the festival on Sunday.

The Iranian film Tradition of Lover Killing won the Best Film Award, while China's Jasmine Women (Molihua Kai) got the Jury Grand Prix.

South Korean director Lee Byeong-Woo received the Best Director Award for his Untold Scandal, which also won the Best Music Award.

Hong Kong actress Gu Meihua was awarded Best Actress for her role in Shanghai Story (Meili Shanghai).

Nordic film makers showed their strength as well, with Andreas Wilson from Sweden winning the Best Actor Award for his role in Evil, the film also sharing the Best Cinematography Award with Brothers from Finland. Best Screenplay also went to Brothers.

Selected by 400 journalists covering the SIFF, China's Jasmine Women and South Korea's Untold Scandal won the Best Screenplay Award and Best Visual Effects Award, respectively.

"All these movies bear proof of the flourishing of world films, and the improvement of the Asian films in particular," says Ding Yinnan, chairman of the jury panel.

"These Asian movies represent the attainments of Asian film industry, indicating the potential of Asian movie makers."

He strongly praised the Iranian film Tradition of Lover Killing, saying it "displays the most profound feelings of human beings through the simplest cinematic language."

China's Jasmine Women, on the other hand, shares with the audience "the subtle feelings of three generations of women in Shanghai, extraordinarily beautifully, yet with great power," Ding said.

Ron Henderson, artistic director of the Denver Film Society and one of the jury members, said South Korea's Untold Scandal was his personal favourite.

"I can strongly feel the creativity of the South Korean director in the movie. It is a movie that keeps one eye on the present without losing its focus on the past," Henderson said.

Altogether, 16 films from 14 countries including Japan, Britain, Croatia and Finland entered the competition for the Golden Goblet Awards.

A total of 180 films selected from 578 submissions were screened over nine days in 15 cinemas in Shanghai, drawing thousands of Chinese viewers.

(China Daily June 15, 2004)