On July 30, 2026, the awards ceremony for the 5th Asia International Youth Film Festival (AIYFF) was held at Asia Television in Hong Kong. Chinese mainland actor Huang Xiaoming won the Best Actor award for his precise portrayal of a character’s complex inner world in Mostly Sunny. Yu Wenwen and Jiang Yiyan shared the Best Actress award – Yu for her bold performance in Operation Black-Ops and Jiang for her nuanced expression in West By Northwest.
Jiang Yiyan takes the stage to receive the Best Actress award for her performance in West by Northwest on July 30, 2026.
Yu Wenwen arrives at the red carpet.
Huang Xiaoming delivers his acceptance speech after receiving the Best Actor award.
Hundreds of those from the film industry, and media representatives from around the world came 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; film director Hu Mei; actors and actresses including 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; film directors including Zhong Shaoxiong and Shan Zhidan; producers including Li Li, Jiang Xiaorong and 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 Chengyang from Chinese Taiwan.
Group photo of guests at the 5th Asia International Youth Film Festival held in Hong Kong on July 30, 2026.
The Best Picture award went to the heartwarming film Dear You, which also won the Best Screenplay award, showcasing the powerful narrative it has. Wang Yantong and Li Sitong received the Best Newcomer Actor and Actress awards, respectively, for their outstanding performances in Dear You.
Li Sitong, the lead actress of Dear You, delivers her award acceptance speech.
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 that 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. 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.
Li Li wins the Best Producer award for The Regeneration Code.
Lin Siyu won the Best Sound Design award 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 the Best Supporting Actor award for The Fire Raven, while Li Meng earned the Best Supporting Actress title for Vanishing Point.
Wang Xun takes the stage to receive the award of the Best Supporting Actor.
Emerging talents also shone brightly. Wang Boxuan and Feng Keying were awarded Best Newcomer Actor and Actress awards, respectively, while Huangfu Boyuan and Wang Yanan received the titles of the Most Breakthrough Actor and Actress. Wu Chunyi won the Most Promising Actress award for her role in Robot No. 8, and Li Dongxue was honored the Most Promising Actor for his performance in The Regeneration Code.
Li Dongxue wins the award for Most Promising Actor for his performance in The Regeneration Code.
Heung Jacky won the Best Actor in Short Drama award for his role in Invisible Wind Rising in Tianjin, which also received the award for Best Short Drama. Gao Feng was honored as the 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.
Heung Jacky wins Best Actor in Short Drama award.
This year’s film festival also 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. The film runs 120 minutes and is based on the historical story of land reclamation on Dachen Island. Because the visuals used in the film are entirely AI-generated, it has been recognized as China’s first full-length AI-simulated human network movie.
AI short films and creative units were equally dazzling. Fuxi and Nyuwa: The Light of Creation won the Best AIGC Short Film award, Breath of the Oasis received the award for Most Internationally Visionary AI Short Film, and Spy War in Harbin was honored the 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 the title of “Ambassador for Public Welfare Promotion of Traditional Chinese Music” in recognition for his outstanding efforts in promoting Chinese culture through traditional music. That evening, 90s-born singer-songwriter Li Jialin, creative female vocalist Xu Xixi, and internet influencer 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.
Fang Jinlong gives a live pipa performance.
Since its inception, the AIYFF has successfully held multiple editions in Hong Kong and Macao, 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. Tian Tian Xiang Gou and Meili Jiabao served as strategic partners.
Dr. Shan Zhidan, founder and executive chair of the AIYFF and secretary-general of the Asian Filmmakers Association, said that the festival, led by cinema, encompasses various categories including television dramas, online feature films, web series, short plays, and AI-driven dramas. Its goal is 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, answers questions from media outlets.
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 talents. In this way, it helps connect high-quality projects with international resources. This also effectively builds a solid bridge for exchanges and cooperation between the film and television industries of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and the entire Asia. During the event, a series of concurrent activities which included the Film and Television Legal Forum, the Light of Hong Kong Investment Negotiation Salon, and the Starlight Yacht did much to further promote the in-depth integration in the cultural industry and economic and trade fields.
