The Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival raised its curtain on Tuesday night in east China's Jiangsu Province.

The lavish opening ceremony featured a retrospective of the cinematic history of China. Clips of classical movies from different eras were screened while accompanied by familiar theme songs.

The most anticipated awards, including the "Best Picture", "Best Director" and "Best Actor", will be announced at the closing ceremony on October 16th.

This year's awards will be handed out by ordinary audience members instead of celebrities, marking a big break from the festival's long-held practice.