A China Central Television (CCTV) program won top prize at the 43rd Houston International Film Festival which concluded here Sunday.

CCTV's Mid-Autumn Festival Evening Gala 2009 won the grand jury award as the best show, and CCTV female director Guo Jihong claimed a jury award as the chief director of the show.

Hunter Todd, president of the film festival, said the Chinese production is "very beautiful," demonstrating a high artistic level and the Chinese producers' outstanding TV program-making techniques.

It's the third time for CCTV's mid-autumn festival TV gala to claim prizes at the Houston International Film Festival.

In 2006, CCTV's bilingual mid-autumn TV gala entered the Houston film festival for the first time and won a prize as the best show, and in 2007, it snatched another prize in Houston.

The Houston International Film Festival, founded in 1961, is one of three competitive international film festivals in North America, together with San Francisco and New York. It is also the oldest independent film and video festival in the world.

This year's festival, which began on April 9, received a total of 4,500 entries from 37 countries and regions.