Underground Fragrance is a feature film presenting ordinary people striving to move up in today's China. [Photo/Agencies]

Emerging Chinese director Song Pengfei could hardly believe that his first try at film directing would turn out to be an immediate success.

At Friday night, amid applause and enthusiasm, Song, director of a movie entitled Underground Fragrance, came to the stage at the Peninsula Hotel, Chicago, a city in the U.S. state of Illinois, to claim Gold Hugo for New Directors at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival. Underground Fragrance is a feature film presenting ordinary people striving to move up in today's China.

Song was joined by Song Zhantao, director of the documentary In the Underground, which tells about the lives of miners in north China's Hebei Province, who won the Silver Hugo Award for the documentary, and Jia Shaowei, producer of In the Underground. The two Songs are not related.

"I'm mesmerized by the film," said Claudia Landsberger, jury of New Directors Competition, referring Song Pengfei's feature film Underground Fragrance."

"When you watch the movie, you can actually feel it, smell it. It's your life there," she said. "When the film ends, you want to know what happened to the people afterwards."

Landsberger said the film tells so much about modern China and it's amazing that such a film is from a new director.

"This is my first film," said Song Pengfei, the director of the feature film. "The recognition will certainly encourage me to continue pursuing my style and themes of interest."

Song Zhantao, director of the documentary In the Underground, said in an interview with Xinhua that he had worked on the film for two years, befriending miners by going down the mine with them and gaining their trust to present their hard but resilient life.

"Seventy percent of energy in China still come from coal, and I want to show the lives and work of miners," said Song Zhantao. "Like everyone else, they want to live a better life."

"These miners may not be well educated and versed, but once underground, they would risk their own lives to save their fellow brothers," Song Zhantao added.

Zhang Ling, a student who is working for her PhD diploma in film studies at the University of Chicago, said she was very touched by the film after attending a screening of the documentary at the Festival.

Zhang mentioned a particular scene in which the miners were eating food delivered underground. The low space barely gave them enough room to sit, and the closeup of their darkened faces, though not showing any emotion, was extremely powerful.

"The camaraderie among the miners is so well presented," said Zhang. "I cried watching the film at the theater." "I was not the only person being moved into tears at the theater," Zhang stressed.

This year's Chicago International Film Festival received more than 4,500 applications but only fewer than 200 films from more than 15 countries were selected for international competitions, including four Chinese films, said Mimi Plauche, Programming Director at the Festival.

The four Chinese films were Hou Hsiao-Hsien's The Assassin and Jia Zhangke's Mountains May Depart, Underground Fragrance by Song Pengfei and In the Underground by Song Zhantao.

Awards at Chicago International Film Festival this year are divided into categories such as: International Feature Film Competition, New Directors Competition, Documentary Competition, Roger Ebert Award, Chicago Award, Q-Hugo Award, and Short Films.

"The 16 films competing for the Gold Hugo are strong and diverse," said Founder & Artistic Director Michael Kutza.

"A Childhood" by French director Philippe Claudel won the Gold Hugo for Best Film in the International Film Competition. "Paulina" from Argentina and Brazil, with Santiago Mitre as director, won the Silver Hugo, Special Jury Prize, and "The Club" from Chile by director Pablo Larrain won the Silver Hugo, Best Director award.

The film festival will run on Oct 15-29 at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago.