Screenshot of the third instalment of Guo Jingming's drama "Tiny Times." [Photo/cntv.cn]

Tiny Times 3.0, which knocked Transformers 4 off the top of the box office earlier this month, is directed by Guo Jingming, already one of China's richest writers at 31 years old. The film, the third after its two commercially successful predecessors, was adapted from Guo's own novel.

Han Han, who wrote and directed The Continent, is also a high-profile blogger, novelist and professional racer who has published many books.

Rao sees no reason for over-optimism.

"Writers-turned-directors Han Han and Guo Jingming are very good at building successful products, but movies are not just products and I can't see storytelling in their movies," he says.

Rao called upon domestic filmmakers to boost their own professional skills and present films in more varied genres and subject matter.

"Filmmaking is teamwork. We need to foster a large group of talent for every aspect of our film industry," Rao says.

"This might be a turning point for Chinese films," he adds.