On July 30, 2026, the 5th Asia International Youth Film Festival (AIYFF) held its awards ceremony at Asia Television in Hong Kong. Chinese mainland actor Huang Xiaoming won Best Actor for his precise portrayal of a character’s complex inner world in “Mostly Sunny.” Yu Wenwen and Jiang Yiyang shared the Best Actress award—Yu for her bold performance in “Operation BLACK-OPS” and Jiang for her nuanced expression in “West By Northwest.”
That evening, hundreds of film professionals, cultural figures, and media representatives from around the world gathered together to witness the grand award ceremony of the AIYFF “Golden Orchid Awards.” Among them were Huo Tingxiao, Vice Chairman of the China Film Association; Li Xiaohua, entrepreneur and philanthropist; director Hu Mei; actors Jiang Yiyang, Yu Wenwen, Heung Jacky, Wang Ji, Yu Rongguang, Li Lichi, Che Paul, Shi Yan’eng, and Gao Feng; Li Nonghe, President of the World Chinese Business Promotion Association; traditional Chinese music artist Fang Jinlong; directors Zhong Shaoxiong and Teddy Shan(Shan Zhidan); producers Li Li, Jiang Xiaorong, Qi Rui, Hong Ziqing, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Shenzhen Sunny Group, and Wang Xiaorui, Vice Chairman of the World Film Association. The gala was hosted jointly by Na Wei, Zhao Tianyi, Liu Jie, and Hung CHENG-YANG (from Taiwan, China).
(Group photo of some guests at the event)
The Best Picture award went to the heartwarming film “Dear You,” which also won the Best Screenplay award (Lan Hongchun, Zheng Xuanxuan, Yang Leng, Zhu Liyun), showcasing its powerful narrative strength. Wang Yantong and Li Sitong received the Best Newcomer Actor and Actress awards respectively for their outstanding performances in ” Dear You.”
Veteran director Zhong Shaoxiong won Best Director for ” Operation BLACK-OPS.” The Best Road Movie award went to ” West By Northwest,” and Wang Ji received the Most Powerful Actor Award for her performance in the same film. The Best Documentary was awarded to “Song of the leaves,” while the Best Series title went to “YIRU：Sword and Fairy 2.” The Best Foreign Short Film was “I , Elsewhere.” from Jin Cheng.
The Best Young Production Team award was shared by Li Yang and Zhou Bo for ” Operation BLACK-OPS,” and the Best Producer honor went to Li Li for “THE REGENERATION CODE.”
Lin Siyu won Best Sound Design for “No More Bets.” The Best Inspirational Short Film award went to Songshan Memory Pinhu Tang’s “Sink Your Roots, Young Generation!” Wang Yanan received the Best Music Short Film Director award. “One Night in Hong Kong” took home the Best Adapted Screenplay award. “My Comrade” won the Best Small-to-Medium Budget Story award. “ZhengTai Hotel” claimed the Best Urban Culture Documentary award, and its editor Liu Nana also received the Best Documentary Editing award. In supporting roles, Wang Xun won Best Supporting Actor for “The Fire Raven,” while Li Meng earned Best Supporting Actress for “VANISHING POINT.”
Emerging talents also shone brightly. At just 16 years old, Wang Boxuan won Best Newcomer Actor for his heartfelt performance in the war-themed film “The Great Pride.” Based on the true story of 142 martyrs from Yangloudong, Chibi, Hubei, who sought to reunite with their families, Wang delivered a nuanced and moving portrayal of his character’s struggles and resilience amid historical upheaval—demonstrating maturity and empathy beyond his years—and emerged as one of the most promising new faces at this year’s festival. Feng Keying received the Best Newcomer Actress award. Huangfu Boyuan and Wang Yanan were honored as Most Breakthrough Actor and Actress, respectively. Wu Chunyi earned the title of Most Promising Actress for her role in “Robot No. 8,” while Li Dongxue was named Most Promising Actor for his performance in “THE REGENERATION CODE.”
Heung Jacky won Best Actor in a Short Drama for his role in “Invisible Wind Rising in Tianjin,” which also received the award for Best Short Drama. Gao Feng was honored as Best Director for “Judo Mission,” while Wang Yueyan, Ma Leiming, and Zhang Weizhang were recognized as Best Screenwriters for the same series, highlighting the growing influence of the short drama genre.
This year’s film festival introduced an AI Film section for the first time. The AI film “Hot-Blooded Dachen Island,” produced by Taizhou News Media Center of Zhejiang Province, won the Best AI Film award, while its screenwriter Chen Zhengming also received the Best New Screenwriter Award. Running 120 minutes, the film is based on the historical story of land reclamation on Dachen Island and entirely uses AI-generated visuals, making it recognized as China’s first full-length AI-simulated human network movie.
AI short films and creative units were equally dazzling. “Fuxi and Nüwa: The Light of Creation” won Best AIGC Short Film, “Breath of the Oasis” received the award for Most Internationally Visionary AI Short Film, and “Spy War in Harbin” was honored as Best AI Creative Short Film, showcasing young creators’ pioneering exploration at the intersection of technology and art.
Traditional Chinese music artist Fang Jinlong was honored with the title of “Ambassador for Public Welfare Promotion of Traditional Chinese Music” in recognition of his outstanding efforts in promoting Chinese cultural dissemination through traditional music. That evening, 90s-born singer-songwriter Li Jialin, creative female vocalist Xu Xixi, and internet personality Apple Sister performed together the theme song “Farewell” from the classic film “My Memories of Old Beijing”, earning them the title of “Ambassadors for Public Welfare Promotion of Pop Music” awarded by the organizing committee.
Since its inception, the Asia International Youth Film Festival has successfully held multiple editions in Hong Kong and Macau, steadily increasing its influence year by year. This year’s festival attracted nearly 5,000 entries and projects, evolving into a comprehensive industry event covering all audiovisual formats, including feature films, television dramas, web series, short plays, and AI-driven productions.
The film festival is organized by the Asian Filmmakers Association and Asia International Youth Film Festival Co., Ltd., co-organized by Hong Kong Asia Television, and hosted by Beijing Xuanyuan Zhi Feng Film & Media Development Co., Ltd. and Yuanxiang Qidian (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. It receives strong support from institutions including Pujin Investment Holding (Shenzhen) Partnership (LP), World Chinese Business Promotion Association, Shenzhen Miaomishi Technology Co., Ltd., Qibang Law Firm Beijing Headquarters, and Qibang Law Firm Hong Kong Center, with Tian Tian Xiang Gou and Meili Jiabao serving as strategic partners.
Dr. Shan ZhiDan(Teddy Shan), founder and executive chair of the Asia International Youth Film Festival and secretary-general of the Asian Filmmakers Association, stated that the festival, led by cinema, encompasses various categories including television dramas, online feature films, web series, short plays, and AI-driven dramas. It aims to deepen the connection between Chinese-language cinema and the global film market, support the international expansion of China’s cultural industry and business enterprises, and foster a shared cultural identity among overseas Chinese through the vision of telling compelling Chinese stories.
（Dr. Shan ZhiDan, founder and executive chair of the Asian International Youth Film Festival, speaks with a journalist）
It is worth noting that this year’s film festival continues to deepen the “Golden Orchid Plan”, uniting multiple forces to specifically discover and support young and middle-aged film and television creation talents, promoting high-quality projects to connect with international resources and achieve content export, and effectively building a solid bridge for exchanges and cooperation between the film and television industries of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and even Asia. During the event, a series of concurrent activities such as the Film and Television Legal Forum, the “Light of Hong Kong” Investment Negotiation Salon, and the “Starlight Yacht” further promoted the in-depth integration of Hong Kong and the mainland in the cultural industry and economic and trade fields.
Media ContactCompany Name: Asia International Youth Film Festival LimitedContact Person: QI RUIEmail: Send EmailCountry: HongKongWebsite: www.aiyff.org.cn
