Golden Rooster Film Festival reveals nominations

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The organizers have announced the nominations for the upcoming 26th Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival set to be held in September.

Award-winning romance drama "Soulmate" leads the list with four nods, including the best feature, best directorial debut, best leading actress and best film editing.

The film was nominated for the Golden Horse Awards in 2016 in Taiwan and the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2017 – two major film awards in the Greater China area.

Still from "Soulmate". /Photo via Mtime.com

Leading actress Zhou Dongyu will compete with veterans Bai Baihe, Yan Ni, Song Jia and Fan Bingbing. However, her "soulmate" Ma Sichun is not included in the category this time. The duo shared the best leading actress award in the 2016 Golden Horse Awards – a first in the award's history.

Renowned director Feng Xiaogang is also a hot contender with two nominations. He will compete with Deng Chao, Bao Beier, Tu Men and Liao Fan in the best leading actor category for his role in crime drama "Mr. Six."

Still from "Mr. Six". /Photo via Mtime.com

Feng is also nominated for best director for 2016 comedy "I Am Not Madam Bovary".

The organizing committee has shortlisted 84 candidates from more than 260 films, including 86 features and 18 documentaries.

19 awards will be handed out at the closing ceremony on September 16.

The film festival is set to open in Hohhot, capital of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on September 13, with Mongolian filmmaker Lisi Mai's biopic "Genghis Khan."

Five theme exhibitions are planned during the four-day event to premiere the latest domestic films, including acclaimed films from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, as well as foreign classics and titles about China's ethnic groups.

25 films from 18 countries and regions will also debut at the festival as part of the Golden Rooster International Exhibition.