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Gong Li Awarded Special Prize in Montreal Film Festival
Chinese film star Gong Li was awarded a special prize for her body of work Monday night at the close of the 11-day Montreal World Film Festival.
The famous Chinese actress also shared honor for best actress with France's Isabelle Huppert.
The jury split the vote for Gong Li's performance in Breaking the Silence and Huppert's in Merci Pour le Chocolat.
Presenting Gong Li with her best actress trophy, Festival President Serge Losique was all smiles answering warm applause by saying the Chinese word "Xie Xie", meaning "Thank You!"
Gong Li, who was in her usual beauty of sweet smile, expressed her heart-felt thanks to Montreal, to Chinese director Sun Zhou and to the jury.
"I'm so happy to enjoy so much honor the first time I've been here in Canada. I wish to have more opportunities to come again," she told a friendly audience.
Losique praised Breaking the Silence as "a great movie" to express mother-child relationship and true emotion shared by all human beings.
"There's no border" for movie and "so many people were glad when they saw the movie (Breaking the Silence)," he said.
He believes "she's great in the movie and proves she's the best actress of all best."
Breaking the Silence starring Gong Li is directed by Sun Zhou. The film tells a story of single mother Sun Liying, who is obliged to work hard to bring up her deaf son Zheng Da. To enable her son to attend a normal school, she quits her well-paid job and delivers newspapers so that she can have more time to practice speaking to the son.
Also at the closing ceremony, the jury decided the Grand Prize of the Americas for best picture was shared by Dutch-born veteran Paul Cox's Innocence and Agnes Haoui's French comedy Le Gout des Autres.
Maelstrom by Montrealer Denis Villeneuve, Michel Jette's Hochelaga and Claude Demers' L'Invention de L'Amour were voted the most popular Canadian films during the festival.
The 24th Montreal World Film Festival opened on August 25 to begin a showing spree of more than 400 films from around 50 countries.
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