The Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Film Festival, China's annual national film festival, opened in the southern coastal city of Sanya on Wednesday evening.

The awards of the 25th China Golden Rooster, reputed as "China's Oscars," will be given out on Saturday evening. The awarding ceremony is believed to be the most important part of the festival's agenda.

Hong Kong Kung Fu star Jackie Chan is expected to arrive in Sanya on Saturday afternoon. He was for the first time nominated for the Best Actor award for his role in the New Police Story, also a nominee for the Best Feature Film award.

However, some of China's most famous filmmakers and movie stars, including directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige and actresses Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi, are conspicuously missing from the gala due to unclear "personal reasons."

Only some 20 journalists were allowed into the site when the opening ceremony began, causing some chaos at the entrance as more than 400 media persons from all over the country had come to this island province to cover the festival.

They were all let in following their strong protests, but only to be driven out again in the midst of the ceremony for unknown reasons.

"Journalists are given so little time to have conversations with the stars in Sanya. At the Cannes festival, however, journalists have almost an hour with each star," a journalist complained on Wednesday.

According to newly-adopted rules, the Golden Rooster awards and the Full Blossom awards, the country's top two honors for the film industry, will be granted in alternate years, but the festival will continue to be held once every year.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2005)