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Ma Guyuan, a young director from Shaoxing, speaks at the 13th Beijing International Film Festival. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

Ma Guyuan, a young director from Shaoxing, has won the Best Director award in the "Samsung Mobile Short Film" category of the 13th Beijing International Film Festival for her work Jingzhe, local media reported on May 8.

The award-winning film was shot in Ma's hometown, Zhuji, and tells the story of a love affair in a small town, combining artistic and science fiction elements.

According to reviews, the story unfolds in a southern town with tales of love displayed through a unique, chaotic and interesting visual style. The director's narrative abilities and the lead actor's performance are both outstanding, and it ends on the perfect note.

Ma studied at Fudan University and Peking University, and later studied film production at the London Film School with a full scholarship. Prior to the pandemic, she had already participated in several international film festivals and received two international awards for her short films Ink and Asian Bronze.

This year's Beijing International Film Festival, the first full onsite film festival in China since the pandemic, received 1,488 submissions from 93 countries and regions, with foreign films accounting for more than 80 percent of entries.