Venice, Italy ? The Chinese movie “Still Life,” a surprise entry set against the backdrop of China’s gigantic Three Gorges Dam project, on Saturday won this year’s Golden Lion – the top award at the Venice Film Festival.

Helen Mirren and Ben Affleck took the top acting awards.

Mirren was named best actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frear’s “The Queen.” Affleck won best actor for his role in Allen Coulter’s “Hollywoodland,” which dramatizes an investigation into the death of George Reeves, star of the 1950s TV show “Adventures of Superman.”

“The Queen” also took the prize for best script.

Chinese director Jia Zhang-ke’s “Still Life” or “Sanxia Haoren” was a surprise entry late in the festival, and trumped candidates like Emilio Estevez’s “Bobby,” about the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and “The Queen,” about the week that followed Princess Diana’s death.

“Still Life” was shot in the old village of Fengjie, which has been destroyed by the building of the Three Gorges Dam, and tells of people who go back there.

“We were told there would be a surprise film at the end of this festival, and we didn’t have a lot of discussion,” French actress Catherine Deneuve, who led the jury that awarded the top prize, told reporters after the ceremony.