Yang Mingming's directorial debut Girls Always Happy recently took home the top honor at Third New Era, an awards event recognizing young talents.

Earlier this year, Girls Always Happy was selected as the only entry from the Chinese mainland to be screened at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival's Panorama Section, known for queer, feminist and political films.

It won the Jury Award for Best Feature Film in the New Era, jointly chosen by the Chaoyang Cultural Center and online community Xinpianchang, which has gathered one million film industry insiders.

With Yang also serving as star, Girls Always Happy explores contemporary city life from the perspective of a mother and daughter in a Beijing hutong bungalow.

Winners also included Farewell, Summer Night as best short film, Chinese American writer-director Feng-I Fiona Roan's Jiejie for best director, Isabella for best photography for cinematographer Jason Chau and The Family in Sinkhole for best documentary short.