"These non-governmental awards could become influential counterparts of mainstream prizes, only if they retain their credibility and independence," Tan says. "Otherwise they will become meaningless hype."

When senior film reporter Liu Jiaqi and her friends started the Iron Elephant Awards in 2007, there were two criteria uppermost in their minds.

It was during that year's Golden Globe that the pair thought, "Why not make our own Golden Globe?" during a casual chat on a bus. Already two sessions of the awards have been held, attended by superstars such as Zhang Ziyi.

From the very beginning Liu has seen the awards as a serious appraisal.

"We work in the industry but keep a distance," she says. "We are not friends with stars or directors, so we can afford to offend them. Iron Elephant is a platform where we can express our true opinions."

More than 100 film journalists vote in the awards, one of which goes to "the most disappointing film of the year".

"Film reporters see many films every year, among which some are worthwhile but people may not know about them because of poor promotion or their less-than-stellar cast. We try to recommend them," she says. "On the other hand, we do not tolerate bad films."

"Many people are likely to think that the non-governmental film awards are just stunts or games," she adds. "The only way to prove we are serious is to keep doing it until we have established a reputation for objectivity and independence."