A poster of the 33rd Golden Rooster Awards. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Two films from Guangzhou, Like the Dyer's Hand (《掬水月在手》) and Starry Road (《点点星光》), won awards at the 33rd Golden Rooster, China's top film award, unveiled in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province on November 28.

This is the first time that Guangdong snatched up two trophies since 2011, when an actor surnamed Sun from the film Qiuxi (《秋喜》) won the Best Actor award at the 28th Golden Rooster event.

Like the Dyer's Hand, a 120-minute documentary about traditional Chinese literature scholar Florence Chia-ying Yeh, got the Golden Rooster Award for best documentary this year. As the first biographical film authorized by Yeh, who turned 96 in July, the movie looks back at her legendary life through interweaving interviews of her and scholars and literature enthusiasts.

A scene in the documentary Like the Dyer's Hand. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Starry Road, produced by Guangzhou Broadcasting Network, is crowned with the Best Children Film award at the grand occasion in the Chinese film circles. Based on a true story grounded in the remote Qixing Primary School (七星小学) in Huadu district, the film tells the story of a group of pupils from countryside pursuing dreams amid struggles and finally breaking over 10 world records in rope jumping.

A Wedding on the Execution Ground (《刑场上的婚礼》), a 4K Cantonese Opera film and a Guangzhou production, was also nominated for the Best Opera Film award.

Jointly initiated by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association in 1981, the Golden Rooster Awards is one of the most professional and authoritative for film awards on the Chinese mainland. This year, a total of 155 films were shortlisted to contend for 19 awards at the ceremony.