The China Film Association (CFA) launched the Golden Rooster Awards' film funding project on Wednesday "to discover good stories, produce good works, and fund good films."

Application is open for "screenplays, stories, and projects in production."

The project is a sidebar event of the Golden Rooster Awards established in 1981. This year will mark the 32nd edition of the Awards. 

This is the first time that a film funding project has been established since the beginning of the Awards.

Established professionals and amateur filmmakers are welcome to take part and submit their projects by September 30.

The association is committed to integrating resources and platforms to aid emerging filmmakers in every step of their projects.

The project is also dedicated to establishing a practical and efficient way to channel production resources for young talents, providing support for them to distribute their work at the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.

The launch of the project is another new and bold move for the festival, which has been seeking new, innovative ways to move forward.

One of China's most prestigious film festivals and awards, the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, in its 28th edition, is scheduled to take place in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province this year.

The coastal city has been chosen as a "permanent home" for the festival and will host it every other year for at least six editions in a first for the event, veteran Chinese actor Chen Daoming, director of the CFA, has said.

"Xiamen has the confidence and the perseverance to be up to the task," said Dai Zhiwang, assistant director of the municipal Publicity Department, at a press conference in June.

Hailed as a "natural film studio," Xiamen and its islands have been the set of over 330 productions every year since 2015.

Actress Yao Chen, who was born in Fujian, has been appointed the ambassador for this year's event.

Yao lauded the food and climate of her home province, saying "I am so excited and it is like to prepare a feast to entertain guests from all over the world."

"I hope that in the future, films will allow Xiamen to become a more wonderful city and that more people from the movie industry would go there to pursue their dreams," she added.

The festival will run from November 19 to 23 at the Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center.

(Cover image by Yin Yating)