Chinese actor Deng Chao sings at the opening gala. [CFP]

The 18th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival (Jinji Baihua) opened on October 14 with a star-studded gala event attended by some of China's most well-known actors and filmmakers. This year's festival is expected to be grander than ever before, hoping to gain ground on dwindling industry and audience appeal.

The festival is being held in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province and as it is the 60th anniversary of both the People's Republic of China and the China Film Association, which founded the Golden Rooster Film Awards in 1981, this year's four-day festival is expected to be the best yet.

Regarded as China's first and most authoritative film festival, the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival combines two major film awards but has been losing support in recent years. According to a survey by China Youth Daily about last year's Hundred Flowers Awards, decided by popular vote, 97.4 percent of those surveyed had not voted at all, while 77 percent were not interested and 68.3 percent thought that nowadays the awards did not accurately represent the audience.

The Golden Rooster Awards are decided by experts and are often criticized for their neglect of the box office and audience feedback. To rectify the situation and restore the festival's past glory, this week's event includes many of the blockbusters from early this year and 2008, including "The Assembly," "Forever Enthralled" and "Painted Skin." International stars Jackie Chan ("Police Story"), Andy Lau ("Infernal Affairs") and Zhou Xun ("The Equation of Love and Death") are expected to increase the festival's profile and draw attention to a comprehensive lineup of events.

Zhang Hanyu is vying for Best Leading Actor with his role in "The Assembly." [Global Times]

Considered China's most successful commercial director, Feng Xiaogang ("If You Are the One") has benefitted from this year's sway toward blockbusters. Feng's "Cell Phone" was turned down by the organizing committee in 2003 as "pulp" and he has never been nominated for a Golden Roster. This year Feng and "The Assembly" have garnered nine nominations including Best Feature, Best Director and Best Leading Actor.

Busy with his latest work "The Tangshan Earthquake," Feng expressed his gratitude by confirming his participation in the festival, even though he will probably not be able to attend until the last day. "We have to support the film festival of our own country," he said.

Director Chen Kaige and his "Forever Enthralled" will be Feng's largest obstacle on his potential path to glory, as Chen's film has earned eight nominations.

In the category of Best Leading Actor, Zhang Hanyu is vying for his sixth award with his role in "The Assembly." He has been nominated alongside Wu Gang in "Iron Man" and Fan Wei in "Lucky Dog."