Wolf Warrior 2, an action film that stirred worldwide interest in the market potential of Chinese cinema, has also been nominated. [Photo/Mtime]

Also starring Chang, Love Education is a warm yet funny look at the different attitudes of three generations toward love.

Set in Ordos in the Inner Mongolian autonomous region, Old Beast looks into the complexity of humanity through a dark story about a ruthless father who would rather squander money on his mistress than save his ailing wife. The low-budget movie emerged as a dark horse at the 54th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, winning two awards for best actor and best original screenplay.

For foreigners interested in learning more about Chinese cinema, the Guild's best picture award may provide a useful guide.

Shortlisted from 27 first-round candidates selected from nearly 800 Chinese movies produced in 2017, the nominations have gone to Wolf Warrior 2, Legend of the Demon Cat, Soul of a String, Youth and Angels Wear White.

A milestone hit that raked in an unprecedented box office total of nearly 5.7 billion yuan ($902 million), Wolf Warrior 2 has stirred worldwide interest in the future market potential of Chinese cinema. The action-packed story follows a former Chinese Special Forces operative's evacuation of Chinese citizens from a war-torn African country.

Widely recognized as one of director Chen Kaige's best films, Legend of the Demon Cat is a fantasy epic that recreates the spectacle of Tang Dynasty (618-907) in its heyday. It interweaves storylines about royal romance and an uprising to create a supernatural mystery.

Inspired by Tibetan author Tashi Dawa's novels Tibet, A Soul Knotted on a Leather Thong and On the Road to Lhasa, Zhang Yang's new directorial work Soul on a String is about a hunter's adventurous journey to redemption.

For Li Shaohong, president of the China Film Directors' Guild, the diversity of nominations exemplifies the growing momentum of China's film industry.