Chinese director Wang Bing holds a trophy at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland. [Photo/Artron.net]

Mrs. Fang, Chinese director Wang Bing's documentary scooped the top "Golden Leopard" prize at the Locarno film festival in Switzerland on Saturday.

Wang's film about a family waiting to say goodbye to their elderly Alzheimer's-stricken mother is a sobering portrait of death, which has received favorable reviews from the jury.

The film tells the moving end-of-life story of Fang Xiuying, a farmer who has been struggling with the dementia-type disease for eight years.

After a stay at a nursing home, her family brings her home, and the film focuses on their final days together before her death in 2016.

Wang, who is considered a leader in the current documentary film movement, has previously served on the Locarno jury.

"I've been working on documentaries for over ten years, but this is the first time I am receiving such a great prize. It is a great honor for me to get this award for Mrs. Fang," Wang said in an interview posted on Locarno festival's website, noting that he also saw the award as a fresh start for his future projects.