Fu Ruoqing, chairman of the China Film Group Corp, the major producer of the war epic, said that Chen and other key creators have dedicated four years to the filming and production of the movie. He revealed that the sequel will be released in October, with the third installment scheduled for release next year.

Chang’an, the animated blockbuster hit of last summer, won the Excellent Film Award. Named after the capital of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the movie chronicles the lifelong friendship between two legendary poets, Li Bai and Gao Shi, while also depicting renowned figures of the era such as Du Fu and Wang Wei.

Xie Junwei, who co-directed the film with Zou Jing, said that the award will encourage him and his fellow animators from Light Chaser Animation to create more high-quality works that showcase the charm of Chinese culture and history.

Zhu Yilong won Best Actor for Lighting Up the Stars, a feel-good tale depicting the father-daughter-like relationship between an orphaned girl and a funeral director. Yang Enyou, the 10-year-old actress who portrays the young girl, accepted the trophy on behalf of Zhu and called the actor, who didn’t attend the ceremony as he was engaged in shooting a new movie. Zhu, speaking on the phone, expressed his surprise at the news of winning and shared that he felt a strong connection to the role.

Li Xuejian, 70, won Best Supporting Actor for his masterful portrayal of a noble lord in the fantasy epic Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms. It marks the veteran actor winning again more than 30 years after his biographical film Jiao Yulu won the Best Film category at the Hundred Flowers Awards in 1991.