Chapter 17: Award Ceremony

Festival Program: She possesses both the charm of an Eastern woman and the allure of a Western woman, not only displaying the gentleness and elegance of Eastern women but also integrating the confidence and independence of Western women, forming a unique kind of beauty.

Her temperament is as gentle as jade, like a beauty who has stepped out of a classical painting; every frown and smile reveals her grace.

In the film, through subtle expressions and movements, she displays the character's inner world to the fullest, making people empathize and feel unable to help but be captivated.

She is the lead actress of "On the Beach at Night Alone" — Li Xiaoran.

The festival program gave a high score of 3.2, ranking second.

Good news followed in succession; Cao Yang received an official notice from the organizing committee, asking him and the film crew to stay for tomorrow's closing ceremony.

Cao Yang told everyone the news, and suddenly there was a burst of jubilation; this meant at least one award was secure.

Although he had expected it, Old Tian couldn't help but grin widely and punch Cao Yang on the shoulder, "Good lad, you really did it, it actually happened!"

After the initial excitement, Li Xiaoran's manager, Sister Zhang, couldn't help but start pondering what brand of clothing she should choose for Li Xiaoran tomorrow.

Ever since the program ratings came out, various women's clothing brands that had previously been indifferent were now calling one after another, all very enthusiastic.

Li Chang, a reporter for Xinjulang Entertainment, slammed his hand on the table after taking a call, startling the colleagues working overtime around him.

Ignoring his colleagues' surprise, Li Chang stood up excitedly, strode toward the editor-in-chief's office, knocked haphazardly, and went in, shouting, "Boss, I just got news from Berlin, three—there are three Chinese films that received invitations to the closing ceremony this year."

Editor-in-Chief Hu raised his head in surprise, "So many? Are they all in the main competition section?"

Li Chang nodded, "That's right, I even specifically asked; they are all in the main competition section."

Editor-in-Chief Hu was truly shocked this time; how many awards are there in total in the Berlin Film Festival's main competition section? And there are no technical awards; they are almost all major awards.

Is this still Berlin, one of the three major European film festivals?

Those who know it's the Berlin Film Festival would think it's fine, but those who don't might think it's some Chinese film festival; how is this possible?

Thinking of the information he had learned earlier, Editor-in-Chief Hu couldn't help but ask, "It wouldn't be the films by Wang Xiaoshuai and Tian Zhuangzhuang, would it?"

Li Chang was also stunned, quickly took out the information he had written on a memo, and read: "Cao Yang's 'On the Beach at Night Alone', Wang Xiaoshuai's 'Beijing Bicycle', and the Taiwan film 'Love Me, Love My Money'."

Editor-in-Chief Hu slapped his forehead with a "pop" and sighed, "How do we report this? Wang Xiaoshuai's film didn't pass censorship and went to compete privately, and Tian Zhuangzhuang is still in his ban period."

Li Chang couldn't help but remind him, "Boss, the director of 'On the Beach at Night Alone' is named Cao Yang, not Tian Zhuangzhuang. If this film hadn't won an award, we could just avoid the trouble and not report it, but now it's clearly going to win—that's the Berlin Film Festival."

Editor-in-Chief Hu thought for a moment, picked up the phone, and made a call.

After hanging up, he started dialing again.

He made four calls in a row before stopping.

Seeing Li Chang's curious gaze, Editor-in-Chief Hu said, "I called a friend at the Bureau; they only know this film passed censorship and went out through the official channels of the Youth Film Studio, but because Tian Zhuangzhuang is involved, they still advised me to be cautious when reporting and it's best to wait for the Beijing Film Academy's reaction before deciding."

"Beijing Film Academy?"

Li Chang's expression shifted, "Boss, didn't you think about calling the Beijing Film Academy to ask what the situation is?"

Editor-in-Chief Hu glared at Li Chang, "Why the hell didn't you say so earlier!"

He picked up the phone and called a friend in the Directing Department of the Beijing Film Academy.

After hanging up, Li Chang saw him tapping his fingers on the table in silence and asked, "Boss?"

Editor-in-Chief Hu made up his mind and instructed Li Chang, "It's confirmed, there's absolutely no problem. Don't report it yet; hurry up and prepare the press releases. There are two main directions: first, the press release for the Best Actress—hurry and find the actress's background information; second, the press release for Cao Yang—I don't need to teach you how to praise him, right? It's best to get detailed information on Cao Yang."

Then he stood up and slammed the table hard, "As soon as the awards in Berlin are confirmed, release everything immediately." Since everyone is waiting and watching, if I take the lead in reporting now, it gives other media time to prepare; it's better to hold off, prepare thoroughly, and release it all at once tomorrow to completely seize the initiative.

February 18th was the closing ceremony of the Berlin Film Festival.

There were far fewer film crews attending the closing ceremony this time, so there was much more time to linger on the red carpet, and there were dedicated photo and interview areas.

Cao Yang walked the red carpet with Li Xiaoran.

Li Xiaoran wore a sapphire blue deep-V velvet gown; the pleated design at the waist made the overall silhouette upright and three-dimensional, making her look even taller and more graceful.

Holding Li Xiaoran's cold hand, Cao Yang thought, being a female star isn't easy; attending major events, no matter how cold the weather is, they have to wear revealing gowns that highlight their figures—it's truly suffering.

Passing the photo area, quite a few photographers were actually shouting "Li"; Li Xiaoran posed a bit unnaturally, as she wasn't used to such occasions yet.

It seems that through the program and the film, Li Xiaoran had already gained some popularity.

After walking the red carpet somewhat stiffly, Cao Yang couldn't help but ask, "Are you cold?"

Li Xiaoran's lips trembled, and she gripped Cao Yang's hand tighter, "Cold."

Entering the theater and finding the crew's seats, Old Tian and Zhao Tiantian had walked faster and were already sitting there.

!

Before long, the festival chairman gave the opening remarks, the jury members appeared collectively, and the jury president acted as the host.

The film festival had many procedures; besides the main competition section, there were various focus sections and short film awards to be presented. Once these were all finished, the atmosphere at the venue suddenly changed—it had finally entered the main competition awards ceremony.

"The winner of the Best Newcomer Actress is, Angelica Lee, 'Love Me, Love My Money'."

Amidst the applause, Cao Yang saw an actress from the Taiwan crew stand up; not bad, a good start.

"The winner of the Best Newcomer Actor is, Chang Chen, 'Love Me, Love My Money'."

Everyone on the Taiwan side was stunned; Best Newcomer Actor? Chang Chen? Was there a mistake?

Chang Chen had debuted at fifteen, had participated in Wong Kar-wai's "Happy Together" and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", and had been to Cannes and the Oscars; how did he become a newcomer?

When Chang Chen went on stage to receive the award, the expressions of Chiao Hsiung-ping and director Lin Cheng-sheng were not good; having given away both the Best Newcomer Actor and Actress at once, the other awards were now in jeopardy.

What are the Best Newcomer Actor and Actress awards?

They aren't permanent awards; they are consolation prizes involving human sentiment—if you have extensive connections, you have to be given some face, but the awards are limited; if you've already eaten the meat, you won't get more—here, have a sip of soup.

Who says Germans don't know how to be flexible?

Next, the first major heavyweight award arrived.

The host and the presenter chatted on stage, and the presenter announced that the next award to be presented was Best Actress.

Cao Yang saw Li Xiaoran's hands trembling with nervousness, muttering to herself, staring intently at the stage.

He nudged Li Xiaoran's arm and reminded her, "Don't be afraid; if you can't remember the English, just give your speech in Chinese."

"What?"

"……Li Xiaoran, 'On the Beach at Night Alone'."

"Clap, clap, clap..."

The applause rose like a tide.

Thank you to the friends who voted with monthly tickets and recommendations, thank you.

(End of chapter)