Chinese director and screenwriter Wang Xiaoshuai has picked up his second Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, winning the best screenplay prize for In Love We Trust.

Wang's film had been competing for the top Golden Bear award at the 58th Berlinale, but that went to Brazilian director Jose Padilha's The Elite Squad, a story of police corruption and gang violence in the Brazilian slums.

In Love We Trust, a story of love, loyalty, and responsibility among China's new middle class, tells how a middle-aged divorced couple, both remarried, try to save their young daughter, who suffers from leukemia, by having another child to act as a bone marrow donor.

After winning the prize, Wang Xiaoshuai said the award would help all of us who try to make independent film in China.

In recent years, Chinese films have won many awards in some leading international film festivals such as ones in Berlin and Venice. I think these awards are some kind of encouragement to the medium and low budget films. I hope these flims can be shown in more Chinese cinemas and provide the audiences with a chance to appreciate them.

It was the only film from the Chinese mainland competing this year in Berlin, where last year's top Golden Bear award was won by the Chinese film, Tuya's Marriage.

Wang XiaoShuai won the Grand Jury Silver Bear Award at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival for his film, Beijing Bicycle.

In Love We Trust is expected to open in Chinese cinemas in the spring, but the exact date has yet to be set.