The best supporting actress award went to Xu Lu for her work in Our Shining Days, a film about a group of students learning both traditional Chinese folk songs and Western music.

"I was glad to have a chance to star in Our Shining Days. It promotes the friendship of our two nations. I think that is happier and even more meaningful than winning," Xu says.

The first prize for an outstanding short film went to Beijing Film Academy and Loyola Marymount film student Gao "Sophie" Qianzi for Cue Jane, her film on a day in the life of an actress struggling to balance her career with taking care of a father with Alzheimer's. The film also won for "best narrative short" at the Santa Cruz Film Festival earlier this year.

"This festival (Golden Angel) is internationally recognized, and I feel very proud to win this award for doing what I love. My parents gave me this opportunity and it feels wonderful to win for them."

The awards list included more veterans and young talent, such as 66-year-old Chinese playwright Jingzhi Zou, who won the outstanding achievement of the year award, while 63-year-old Hong Kong movie star Chow Yun-fat took home the best actor prize for his role in Project Gutenberg.

Chinese writer and director Angie Su won the silver prize in the "outstanding short film" category for her first production, Cello, which is about a US cellist who considers killing himself when he loses his ability to play. The film doesn't contain Chinese elements, except for the universally shared human fear for death.

The Chinese American Film and Television Festival, founded by James Su, chairman of Los Angeles-based EDI Media, has been hosting the Golden Angel Awards over the past 14 year to foster cross-cultural collaboration and celebrate the achievements of film and television in China and the US.

With coproductions facing an uncertain future in an industry feeling the effects of the tensions across the Pacific, business insiders agreed about the importance of collaborations.

"James Su does an amazing job to pull this together and keep it a true celebration of art and talent. James has kept this true to its purpose," says the producer Namer.

More than 500 films and TV shows from both countries were presented at this year's festival and some will be screened in mainstream theaters in Los Angeles and San Francisco this month.

The collaboration between the Chinese and US film industries has not only brought prosperity to each other's development but also has brought the two peoples closer together, Zhang Ping, consul general of China in Los Angeles, said at the opening ceremony.

Vivian Wang, chief marketing officer of China's leading streaming company, iQiyi, said during the festival that her company would like to do more to promote the cooperative spirit and the company is planning to further collaborate with its US partners in licensing content for video streaming.

The Chinese company, which debuted on Nasdaq this spring, will also cooperate with New York-based THC Films to jointly produce movies next year, Wang added.