Chapter 113: Awards Ceremony

(Read Chapter 113 first; the system doesn't know why it put this chapter ahead.)

September 9th, 2002, early morning, Beijing time; September 8th, evening, Venice, Italy time.

After a "long run" lasting ten days, the 59th Venice Film Festival finally entered its grand climax.

On the shimmering water of the Lido, gondolas swayed gently, and the red carpet stretched from the shore, welcoming one aspiring filmmaker after another.

The closing ceremony red carpet was much shabbier compared to the opening ceremony, because more than half the people had likely already left...

Since August 28th, Venice had screened a total of 144 films, but very few made it to the end.

This year was a bumper harvest for Chinese-language films.

Looking solely at the possibility of winning, *The Missing Gun*, *Springtime in a Small Town*, *Beautiful Time*, and *Whiplash* had all received invitations to tonight's awards ceremony.

Additionally, *Dreaming Tribes* and *Dancing in the Blues* had already won the Critics Week Special Award and the Italian Film Academy Award in advance.

Regardless of whether they were scraps or not! Tonight, filmmakers from both sides of the strait and the three regions were especially united; everyone encouraged and blessed each other on the red carpet as they walked into the auditorium together.

The awards ceremony was about to begin, and the entire St. Mark's Square was adorned to look dreamy and resplendent.

Equally resplendent was the graceful Chinese film star Gong Li, who fully embodied the demeanor of a leading lady.

She was the host of tonight's awards ceremony.

Following the routine opening, Gong Li still chose not to host in Italian; she seemed to have a strong heart and never cared about the eyes of the outside world.

Today, Gong Li wore a qipao rich in national style; from the high collar and cinched waist, one could still capture the oriental charm that Western media was obsessed with.

Stripping away the mottled traces of time, the beauty had not yet faded.

And the large red flowers on the qipao, which once had a rather rustic ethnic flair, had already turned into exquisite embroidery.

Liu Yifei could not suppress her excitement, or rather, the entire crew, including the still-vigorous Tian Zhuangzhuang, was looking forward to tonight's finale.

It seemed only Boss Lu remained calm and composed.

It wasn't that he was putting on an act; it was because Lu Kuan knew that all his previous layouts and all the cards in his hand had been played.

From the public relations work on Gong Li, to the hype and promotion by Takeshi Kitano, Quentin, and others, to openly echoing the Hollywood-leaning festival chairman.

As well as his earlier enhancement of the film's commerciality and weakening of its art-house attributes during script creation and filming.

The cards were all played, the moves were exhausted; tonight, one would simply watch the outcome.

After the awards for some minor categories ended, there were already some who were happy and some who were sad; it was finally time for the more significant "Upstream" section.

Liu Yifei's palms were sweaty; although it wasn't her own crew's film, Master Tian, as the producer of *Whiplash*, was very close to them, and he was a kind and benevolent person.

She felt quite empathetic at this moment and really hoped that this virtuous elder, who had been banned for a golden decade, could receive this honor.

Boss Lu glanced leisurely at Tian Zhuangzhuang on the side of the aisle to see what expression this fifth-generation director, who had specifically shaved his beard to come to Venice, had now.

Unfortunately, that face, crisscrossed with gullies, remained as still as an ancient well.

By comparison, Lu Chuan appeared less composed.

This was also his first film; the box office results were good, and the word-of-mouth was excellent; now, all he lacked was a presentable award.

This St. Mark's Award would become the perfect footnote for the starting point of his career as a sixth-generation director!

The award presenter was Sophia Loren; the Italian actress, over seventy, opened the envelope gracefully without creating much suspense.

"*Springtime in a Small Town*, Zhuangzhuang Tian!"

Lu Kuan was the first to stand up, leading the crew from both sides of the strait in offering warm applause!

Tian Zhuangzhuang smiled nonchalantly, straightened his lapels, stood up, hugged Lu Kuan across the aisle, and walked onto the stage to receive the award.

Boss Lu, with a wicked sense of humor, pulled out his Nokia 7650, aimed it at the devastated Taro, and appreciated his look of utter despair.

Liu Yifei covered her mouth and giggled; truly, don't offend anyone, but definitely don't offend this dog of a man.

"Thank you to the organizing committee for giving this old man some comfort I never had in my youth."

"Thank you to my actors Xin Baiqing, Hu Jingfan, and Wu Jun, thank you to my investors, and I wish for Chinese cinema to get better and better! Thank you!"

Immediately following was the Jury Special Award, won by the Japanese director Shinji Aoyama's *The June Snake*.

The Best New Actor Award was won by Moon So-ri from the Korean film *Oasis*.

"Next, we invite American film star Tom Hanks to present the Best Actor Award!"

The first truly significant award began, and Feng Yuanzheng also clenched his fists tightly.

Originally not holding out hope, he had been restless ever since he knew he was nominated, and not just for himself.

It was also for Ms. Mersin, his mentor and mother figure, who was already in her sixties and far away in Germany.

Tom Hanks was 46 years old this year, the prime age for a Hollywood male actor.

At this age, with some makeup, he could play any role between 30 and 55, especially for a film star with such superb acting skills.

His appearance received enthusiastic cheers from the audience and guests on site; it seemed the winner in a moment might not necessarily receive as much applause.

"The winner of the Best Actor Award at the 59th Venice Film Festival is!"

Boss Lu suddenly felt his arm being grabbed painfully; a glance from the corner of his eye revealed Liu Yifei's nervous expression.

He irritably swatted away the young girl's "An Lushan's claws."

It's not like you're winning the award, why are you joining in the excitement!

"Hold on! Hold on!"

"The makeup artist tied my bow tie too tight; I need to loosen it."

The audience laughed; it had to be someone from Hollywood who knew how to create a show effect; the three major European festivals rarely had such hippie-style award-giving manners.

Feng Yuanzheng became "Feng Yuan-stunned," staring wide-eyed at the Oscar-winning actor on stage.

He held his breath, feeling that in his thirty-plus years of life, there had never been such a suffocating moment.

Whether the heart hanging in the balance was dead or alive, the answer was about to be revealed.

Tom Hanks was very satisfied with his comedic effect, then immediately straightened his face to read the list of winners again.

"The winner of the Best Actor Award at the 59th Venice Film Festival is!"

"*Whiplash*, Yuanzheng Feng!"

"Ah!!!"

While everyone else was still stunned, Liu Yifei could no longer suppress her scream and stood up to applaud.

She was so happy for Feng Yuanzheng, especially after hearing him recount his experience studying in Germany on the square that night.

She knew he desperately wanted to dedicate this award to his mentor far away in a foreign land.

"Little Lu! Thank you!"

Feng Yuanzheng was already teary-eyed, no longer possessing the composure of a powerhouse actor from the Beijing People's Art Theatre, and hugged Lu Kuan tightly.

"Teacher Feng, you deserve it!"

Tian Zhuangzhuang also hugged him in greeting, but as he watched Feng Yuanzheng walk onto the stage, he sighed inwardly.

"Little Lu, it's already very good to be able to win Best Actor the first time; don't think too much."

Lu Kuan felt a bit bitter; he understood what Tian Zhuangzhuang meant.

If a masterpiece like *Happy Together* couldn't take home both Best Director and Best Actor, let alone him.

But at this moment, Boss Lu found it hard to suppress that sliver of hope in his heart.

After all, he had also worked so hard for so long; the efforts, layouts, and schemes surrounding the award were truly painstaking.

Liu Yifei didn't understand so much and still excitedly applauded for Feng Yuanzheng on stage, listening to his emotional speech.

Feng Yuanzheng adjusted his emotions for a long time.

"I don't even know how I walked up here."

The audience laughed and kindly offered applause again.

"Being able to receive this honor today, I want to thank my motherland, my parents, and my unit, the People's Art Theatre."

"And I must thank my director, Lu Kuan."

"Although he is only in his twenties this year, he is the most talented and gifted director I have ever encountered; I am so lucky to have been chosen by you to participate in this excellent film!"

Worthy of being the film festival with the longest tradition in Europe, the on-site executive director perfectly cast a spotlight on Boss Lu's face.

Lu Kuan, who had been joking and celebrating with little Liu beside him, quickly managed his expression, sat up straight, and nodded politely in acknowledgment.

Feng Yuanzheng changed the subject: "But I don't want to give this trophy to Director Lu Kuan, nor do I want to give it to myself."

He took a deep breath and said emotionally: "I want to dedicate this Best Actor honor to my mentor, Ms. Mersin."

"You were the one who took in a poor kid who couldn't even afford to eat in Germany and took care of me like a mother."

"You created every favorable condition without asking for anything in return, allowing me to focus on advancing my acting."

"Without you, there would be no Feng Yuanzheng today and no Best Actor trophy today!"

"Mersin, meine Mutter, ich liebe dich!"

(German: Mersin, my mother, I love you!)

Mersin was a student of Grotowski himself and was a highly prestigious acting professor within Europe.

There was no shortage of audience members moved to tears, and like the highly empathetic Liu Yifei, they offered warm applause to the emotional Chinese actor.

Boss Lu sighed inwardly, thinking that a sincere heart is a place of practice.

Only an acting fanatic like Feng Yuanzheng could dedicate himself to acting so purely.

With the Best Actor crown in the bag, his expectations for the Golden Lion Award were no longer as intense.

Eight or nine out of ten things in life are unsatisfactory, but at least he got a Best Actor award; this trip wasn't in vain.

Next was the Best Actress crown, won by American actress Julianne Moore.

Julianne Moore was the lead actress in *The Lost World: Jurassic Park*; she won her first Oscar in 2015, becoming the first person in history to achieve the "Triple Crown" plus an Oscar for Best Actress.

The Best Director and the Grand Jury Prize were won by filmmakers from Scotland and Russia respectively, and immediately following was the unveiling of the Golden Lion Award.

The grand prize, of course, had to be presented personally by the jury president, Gong Li.

She elegantly came to the front of the stage, opened the envelope, and faced the audience, preparing to read the nominated films and the winning film.

In fact, by the time the ceremony reached this point, some sharp-nosed reporters and filmmakers already felt that the wind was blowing in the wrong direction.

Asian cinema seemed to be in the limelight, and an American actress had also snatched the Best Actress award, yet European cinema had gained very little, mostly just scraps.

Lu Kuan also grumbled in his heart, could it be that this Dehadeng was trying to ally with Cao Cao to resist the Wu?

Asia and Hollywood declaring war on Venice together?

You are trying to turn the world upside down!

He silently exchanged a glance with Tian Zhuangzhuang, and both saw a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes.

"The nominated films are: 'Sisters of the Brothel', 'Whiplash', 'Dolls', 'Frida', and 'Love's Journey'."

"The film that ultimately wins the Golden Lion Award at this film festival is!"

(End of this chapter)