We begin today with the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, which wrapped up on Saturday in southern France. The 71st edition saw six Asian movies -- the most in recent years -- competing for the prestigious awards. The Japanese feature "Shoplifters" picked up the top prize, while Chinese cinema was also well represented.

Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda 's movie "Shoplifters" won the Cannes Film Festival's top prize  -- the Palme d'Or -- on Saturday. The flick tells the story of a family that relies on stealing to cope with a life of poverty. The auteur from Japan has been a mainstay on the festival circuit for many years. He's made multiple trips to the French resort before, with acclaimed dramas like "Nobody Knows," "Our Little Sister," and "After the Storm". The runner-up prize -- the Grand Prix -- went to Spike Lee's satire "BlacKkKlansman," which is based on the true story of an African-American police officer who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group in the 1970s.

A group of Chinese films also caused quite a stir this year. In the official competition, the country was represented by Jia Zhangke's movie "Ash is Purest White." Known as a leading light of the "Sixth Generation" of Chinese cinema, Jia previously served on the Official Selection Jury at Cannes in 2014. "Ash is Purest White" is set in an inland city in the early 2000s, and details a poignant romance between a young dancer and a local gangster.

CHRISTOPHE TARDIEU, DIRECTOR FRENCH NATIONAL CINEMA CENTER "We can see more and more Chinese films are being selected to compete in the Cannes Film Festival. I think this is because the Chinese film industry has made big progress in recent years. Now Chinese films are being distributed all over the world and they are quite competitive."

Young Chinese director Bi Gan's second feature film "Long Day's Journey Into Night" was also a contender at the festival. This was his first time to be selected for Cannes. DJ, CGTN.