China Golden Rooster award, established in 1981, is an authoritative and specialized film award in the mainland, China, jointly held by China Film Association and China International Literature Association. Given the fact that it was established in the year of rooster, it was named “Golden Rooster”. Judge Committee of Golden Rooster award is composed of the most authoritative directors, actors, script writers, photographers, musicians, fine artists, film theorists, educators and entrepreneurs in China, thus also called “Expert Award”.
Golden Rooster award establishes Best Feature Film, Best Medium- and low-cost Feature Film, Best Children’s Film, Best Science Film, Best Documentary, Best Art Film, Best Drama Film, Best Script Writer, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Photography, Best Fine Art, Best Music, Best Record, Best Editing, Director’s Debut and other prizes. If there are no proper films or candidates, the award can be preserved. One film is selected for the above awards respectively. In terms of every award above, one excellent producer is also selected. Co-producers are collectively awarded. Each award above is merely for feature films (including medium- and low-cost feature films and children’s films).
Golden Rooster award is appraised once every two years. The films and producers in the award are generally for the works produced that year. The method of “deadline of sign-over” is adopted. The films and single award candidates can only obtain qualifications after initial screening by professionals in the host organizer. The films jointly made by production organizations in the mainland (China), Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan and foreign countries as well as actors in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are also allowed to join in the award and single award selection.
The film production organization recommends one to several films of different kinds as well as single award producers (Co-producers are allowed to be collectively recommended. The roles must be dubbed by actors themselves). When each organization recommends films and candidates, it shall carefully fill in film application form and candidate application form. Members of Judge Committee have the right to recommend films or producers that do not join in the awarding. Judge Committee abides by “academic, democratic, competitive” principle, and decide special matters not regulated in awarding articles and rules in the process of awarding. However, the decisions are merely valid that year. Judge Committee’s awarding is divided into initial and final appraisal. After meticulous discussion about the films and candidates, Judge Committee nominates the list of each award in the form of “secret ballot”. In the final appraisal, Judge Committee gives the list of best awards in the form of “secret ballot”.
List of First China Golden Rooster Award Judges (1981)
Honorary Director: Xia Yan
Directors : Yuan Wenshu, Zhang Junxiang
Members: (in the order of number of stroke of family name)
Yu Min Yu Lan Shui Hua Wang Ping Wang Jiayi Shi Chao BaiYang Shen Fu Zhang Tianmin Chen Liting Jin Shan
Luo Yijun Lin Shan Ke Ling Zhong Dianfei Hong Lin Qian Xiaozhang Te Wei Mei Duo Cheng Jihua Xie Fei Xie Tieli
List of First Golden Rooster award winners and nominees (1981)
Best Feature Films: Evening Rain, Legend of Tianyun Mountain (parallel)
Nominees: Evening Rain, Legend of Tianyun Mountain, In and Out of Court
Best Documentary: Liu Shaoqi is Immortal
Nominees: Liu Shaoqi is Immortal, Online Pop Stars, Splendor of Huangshan, Joyful Sea Algae, Across the Journey
Best Science Film: Life and Protein - Synthetic Insulin
Nominees: Life and Protein - Synthetic Insulin, Test-tube Plantlet, Blue Blood
Best Fine Art Film: Three Monks
Nominee: Three Monks
Best Drama: Absent
Nominee: Absent
Best Script Writer: Ye Nan
Nominees: Ye Nan “Evening Rain”; Lu Yanzhou “Legend of Tianyun Mountain”
Best Director: Xie Jin
Nominees: Xie Jin “Legend of Tianyun Mountain”, Wu Yonggang, Wu Yigong Evening Rain, Xie Teili “Starry is the Night”
Best Actor: Absent
Nominee: Li Zhiyu “Evening Rain”, starring Qiushi
Best Actress: Zhang Yu
Nominee: Wang Fuli “Lengend of Tianyun Mountain”, starring Song Wei; Tian Hua “In and Out of Court”, starring Shang Qin; Zhang Yu “Love in Lushan”, starring Zhou Jun, Evening Rain, starring Liu Wenying
Best Actor and Actress (collective award): Shi Ling, Ouyang Ruqiu, Mao Weihui, Lin Bin, Zhong Xinghuo, Lu Qing
Nominees: Shi Ling, Ouyang Ruqiu, Mao Weihui, Lin Bin, Zhong Xinghuo, Lu Qing
“Evening Rain”
Best Photography: Xu Qi
Nominee: Xu Qi “Legend of Tianyun Mountain”
Best Record: Absent
Nominee: Absent
Best Fine Art: Ding Chen, Chen Shaomian
Nominees: Ding Chen, Chen Shaomian “Legend of Tianyun Mountain”
Best Music: Gao Tian
Nominee: Lv Qiming “Love in Lushan”; Gao Tian “Evening Rain”
Best Editing: Absent
Nominee: Zhou Dingwen “Legend of Tianyun Mountain”
Best Special Technique: Absent
Nominees: Jiang Yisu, Dong Lei, Dai Shengchao, Qin Xiaocheng, Pu Weizhong, drama film “Legend of White Snake”
Best Costume: Absent
Nominee: Absent
Best Makeup: Absent
Nominee: Absent
Best Prop: Absent
Nominee: Absent
Special Award: Children’s Feature Film “Miaomiao”; dubbed film: actress Xiang Juanshu