The poster of The Golden Era displays the art-house film's all-star cast.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"But their expressiveness has lured people into cinemas. So 2014 has been a hallmark for a new generation of filmmakers."

But there are downsides to the upsurge of Chinese cinema.

"One problem is cinema now tends to cater excessively to audience's preference for entertainment and special effects," says Zhao, who's also a member of the government's film-screening body.

"But cinema is a cultural industry, rather than one of shallow entertainment and flashy effects. Yet some serious and realistic films aren't popular. Filmmakers need to become better storytellers. Censorship is loosening. We're unable to stop people's demand for entertaining relaxation. But it's unclear which direction is good or bad."

Beijing Normal University film professor Zhou Xing applauds the increasing diversity of Chinese films.

"The problem is so many blindly mimic Hollywood," he says.

"It's wrong to transplant Hollywood genres into China merely to win transient commercial success. We must establish a local culture. Creativity is film's lifeblood."

Art-house films haven't won audiences but have earned critical acclaim. And while the biopic of writer Xiao Hong, The Golden Era, didn't bring in big bucks, its all-star cast won filmgoers' attention.

"This encourages us to open art-house cinemas," Beijing Novo United Films Co Ltd's president Zhou Tiedong says.

"Chinese film will become more diverse in 2015. But we're still exploring to find a more mature business model."