Leon Lai attends the opening ceremony of the 17th Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Film Festival in Dalian on September 10, 2008. [Photo: ent.sina.com.cn]

Chinese film veterans Zhang Yimou, Gong Li and Jackie Chan failed to make the shortlist for film awards given by the audience at an annual domestic film festival which opened in China's northeast seaport of Dalian on Wednesday.

Directors Feng Xiaogang, Yin Li, Stephen Chow, Ning Hao and Gao Qunshu will contend for the Best Director of the 29th Full Blossom awards, with their "The Assembly," "Yun Shui Yao," "Crazy Stone," "A Hope," and "Tokyo Trial", respectively.

They were selected and then nominated during a general election campaign organized by China Film Association (CFA) from April 16 to July 31.

Zhang Yimou, director of "Curse of the Golden Flower," has missed the shortlist, together with Peter Chan and Benny Chan, other two candidates announced by the CFA earlier.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" received heated and mixed reaction after its release in China in December 2006.

Zhang is also the general director of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies.

Gong Li was on the longlist for her leading role in "Curse of the Golden Flower" together with Xu Jinglei and Lin Hsilei, but lost out on a shortlist spot to Li Bingbing, Tang Yan, Gao Yuanyuan, Hsu Vivian, Leung Wing Kei, who were nominated for the Best Leading Actress award.

Kung fu star Jet Li will contend for the Best Leading Actor after beating off strong opponents including Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Chow Yun-fat, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Louis Koo.

He was nominated with Zhang Hanyu for Feng Xiaogang's "The Assembly", Guo Tao for 2006's black horse "Crazy Stone," Chen Kun for love story "Yun Shui Yao," and Liu Songren for "Tokyo Trial."

Li was acclaimed by audience for "The Warlords", depicting a struggle of three blood brothers and their love entanglements with a woman during a time of war and political upheaval in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

He won the Best Leading Actor at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards on April 13, also for the movie, which was directed by Hong Kong director Peter Chan.

"Yun Shui Yao," "The Assembly," "Crazy Stone," "Tokyo Trial," "Invisible Wings" will vie for the Best Feature Film award.

All the awards will be given out at the closing ceremony of the 17th Golden Rooster and Full Blossom Film Festival on Saturday evening.

Programs of the festival include promotion of dozens of films, projection of more than 80 domestic and foreign movies, a film forum and several press conferences.