A string of filmmakers were honored and "Love Poem" was the biggest winner at the star-studded closing ceremony of the 14th FIRST International Film Festival in Xining, capital of northwest China's Qinghai Province, on Monday.

"The Peron of the Year belongs to everyone here and those who did not come but have kept their eyes on FIRST," said Chinese Director Wen Muye, who presented the Face of the Year award at the ceremony.

"In the past 176 days when cinemas and the industry were shutdown, you continued to create while waiting patiently. I would like to pay respect to every filmmaker who is holding on and every film lover who never walked away," he said.

The two-hour closing ceremony was hosted by Huang Bo and Huang Xuan, and attended by a constellation of stars, including Jing Boran, Jackson Yee, Hao Lei, Duan Yihong and Ma Yili.

The family drama "Love Poem," directed by and starring Wang Xiaozhen, nabbed two major awards, Best Narrative Feature and Best Performer.

"I'm an ordinary person. But I hope my husband, who is also the director of 'Love Poem,' could win an award. It is FIRST that brought our low-cost, long-take film shot in a confined space to the audience," said actress Zhou Qing. 

Wang Xuebing, who starred in the crime drama "The Partner," won Best Actor.

Xiao Yifan's crime thriller "Leaping Over the Dragon Gate" won Best Director. "Since I won the award, I think I might have done something right. I have to reflect on myself later on," said Xiao. "I want to thank my parents, who read bedtime stories to me in my childhood. And I also want to thank my wife, who asks me to read bedtime stories for her every day.”

The Grand Jury Prize winner "Harhuu," which depicts a horse's long way back home, and Best Documentary "Tough Out," which tells the story of a baseball-loving group of underprivileged children, got nods from the audience and won the Audience Award in their respective categories.

Other awards included Best Artistic Visual Presentation for "Slow Singing," Best Cinematic Script for "Only You Alone," Spirit of Freedom for "Art is Dead," Best Short Film for "The Town," Best Experimental Film for "The Coin."

FIRST is a platform for emerging film talents to show their first tries before potential investors and learn from the industry's best. The festival is one of the first in-person events held in China since the coronavirus outbreak.