Chinese films win awards

Mainland Chinese movies won big at the Hong Kong International Film Festival awards gala Thursday, bagging gold and silver in the Asian Digital Competition and the Humanitarian Award for Best Documentary.

The Tibetan film “The Silent Holy Stones” won the International Film Critics Federation prize, known as the FIPRESCI. The citation called the movie, about a young lama who returns to a home changed by modern influences, “a beautifully observed, very well-made and touching first feature from China that deals with the subject of cultural change with remarkable subtlety.”

In the Asian Digital Competition, the gold winner was “Taking Father Home,” about a young boy’s search for his missing father, by Ying Liang. Silver went to “Walking on the Wild Side” by Han Jie, which tells the story of three misguided youngsters who flee after causing trouble in their hometown.

Director Zhou Hao’s “Senior Year” took home the best humanitarian documentary award.