The 8th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) wrapped up on Sunday at the scenic Yanqi Lake. In spite of the misty chill, celebrities strutted down the red carpet in full glamour. The evening culminated with Georgian-Estonian film "Scary Mother" taking home gongs for both the Best Feature Film and Best Actress. 

China's tinsel town lit up once again.

After a week of intensive screenings and judging, the jury members led by President Wong Kar-wai met the public again.

Filmmakers and actors gathered from around the world to cheer on their fellow artists. Actress Isabelle Huppert flew in from France to present the Tiantan Award for Best Actress.

"This is the first time I've attended the Beijing International Film Festival. I've heard a lot about it. I was invited here in China to do a reading of Marguerite Duras' work and I was very touched and moved by the fervor of the Chinese public and knew I wanted to come back more,” said Isabelle.

Chinese blockbuster "Operation Red Sea" – one of the two Chinese films in competition this year – picked up the award for Best Special Effects. Actor Du Jiang also had a dramatic transformation in his physique having spent eight hours a day at the gym preparing for his first combat role.

"The biggest challenge making this film was that we had to keep ourselves in tip-top shape. In the story, we all worked very closely in units, so much so that if one of us got injured while filming, then we would surely be cut out of the movie,” said Du Jiang.

The closing ceremony of the BJIFF doesn't feel like an end. Rather, it marks the beginning of a new year in the world of cinema, one that is celebrated with much song and dance.

Grammy Award winning artist and Silk Road Ensemble musician Wu Tong gave a virtuoso performance on the Sheng. It was the perfect celebration of a fulfilling and arduous week.

"I would like to extend my gratitude to my fellow jury members who have been working ten-hour days for the past week. One hundred years ago, Mr. Liu Ban'nong invented the pronoun character 'She'. This is an important cornerstone in women's narrative history in China. One hundred years later at this year's film festival, five out of 15 films are about the strength of women and directed by women. I hope more women and more people will tell stories about women through film,” said jury president, Wong Kar-wai. 

Georgian-Estonian film "Scary Mother," about a mother who's caught in a dilemma between her family and her writing, went home with the coveted Tiantan Award for Best Feature Film. Director Ana Urushadze received the award on behalf of the film's producer.

Coincidentally, "Scary Mother" also snatched the Tiantan Award for Best Actress. Urushadze received the award in the place of winner Nata Murvanidze .

The Best Actor went to Joe Cole for his performance in "Eye on Juliet." Fellow actor Brent Andrew Skagford received the honor on his behalf.

15 films from 19 countries and regions competed for the Tiantan Awards this year.