A representative of the sci-fi epic The Wandering Earth, the best picture winner of Golden Rooster Awards [Photo by Hu Meidong/China Daily]

Hong Kong director Dante Lam, known for his action-studded scenes on location, won the award for best director for the box-office hit Operation Red Sea.

In a bit of a surprise, Lam said that the action sequences — which take place at sea, on land and in the sky — were not his top challenge.

Instead, the director had struggled to seek "the soul of the film" before starting to roll the cameras. His solution was to carry a tone that reflects the greatness of humanity.