Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 402 The First Grand Slam Director

Once the Berlin Film Festival awards ceremony officially begins, the entire awards process is limited in duration, unlike the Oscars which last for more than three hours, it is only one hour.

How can we capture the attention of a global audience within this limited timeframe?
This is not only a problem faced by the Berlin Film Festival, but also by the three major European film festivals.

Therefore, this year's Berlin Film Festival dropped a bombshell right from the start, in order to attract audiences and keep them there.

After the festival president, Dieter, gave a speech and reviewed the festival, the first award presenter to take the stage was jury member Shu Qi.

Generally, if a member of the judging panel serves as an award presenter, they will be presenting prestigious awards.

Shu Qi is no exception.

As a presenter, she was to award the Best Actor prize at this year's Berlin Film Festival.

In other words, the first award to be presented at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival is the Best Actor award.

Cao Yang glanced at the time with some surprise; only six minutes had passed since the awards ceremony officially began.

To attract viewers watching the live broadcast on television, Dieter employed a variety of tactics, starting with the most important award, the Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival, without even using a slightly smaller award to warm up the audience.

Furthermore, the selection of award presenters is also very particular.

On February 7, when the film festival opened, all members of the jury held a press conference.

At that time, the two female judges out of the eight judges had been dismissed, leaving only Shu Qi and Diane Kruger.

Diane Kruger is a German actress who studied ballet from elementary school and is also a former model; her figure and looks are both exceptional.

Furthermore, after her debut in "The Pianist," she won the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Currently, she is developing her career in Hollywood, starring in "National Treasure" with Nicolas Cage, as well as the sequel to "National Treasure" which was released recently.

In terms of fame and pay, he definitely surpasses Shu Qi by a large margin.

Unexpectedly, at the press conference, many Western media outlets questioned Diane Kruger's qualifications as a judge, saying that she was appointed as a judge only because she is German.

Shu Qi, on the other hand, did not face any criticism. Instead, these Western media outlets praised her sexiness, her intellect, and her classical Eastern beauty.

This made Shu Qi a minor sensation in Europe.

This was something that officials, including Dieter, had not anticipated.

Dieter later realized that this was probably the media's way of expressing their dissatisfaction with the Berlin Film Festival's shift towards Hollywood, using the issue of jury selection as a small way to do so.

Dieter has no choice but to accept the Berlin Film Festival's pandering to Hollywood; if it didn't, fewer people would pay attention to the festival.

Given the prevailing trend, it's difficult to find a solution in the short term.

Since Shu Qi has gained some popularity, and also won Best Actor this year...

Dieter simply removed Diane Kruger, who was originally scheduled to present the award, and had Shu Qi present it instead, which added a special significance to the occasion.

As the awards were about to be announced, Cao Yang glanced at Cheng Long beside him.

Cheng Long, who had previously maintained a calm demeanor, now stared wide-eyed at the stage.

Furthermore, his clenched fists and slightly stiff body revealed his nervousness.

Cao Yang pondered for a moment. People who are affected by the experience of being immersed in a role are not immune to other emotions when they are in one emotion. As long as the other emotions are strong enough, they will also have an impact.

For example, right now, Jackie Chan is affected by the outcome of the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award and unconsciously becomes nervous, unlike his previous indifference to the award.

It's clear that Jackie Chan values ​​the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award highly, to the point that he suppressed his emotions influenced by his immersion in the role.

"The winner is..."

Shu Qi opened the envelope, glanced at it, and then said softly into the microphone with a smile, "Jackie Chan, 'Love in the Seaside City'."

Then, very considerately, he said in Chinese, "Jackie Chan, 'Love in the Seaside City,' congratulations."

Cheng Long paused for a moment, pointed to himself, and looked at Cao Yang next to him in disbelief.

It wasn't until he saw Cao Yang nod, smile, and start clapping that he reacted, and in a slightly trembling voice, he first said to Cao Yang, "Thank you, thank you!"

He then took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, stood up, and gave Cao Yang another hug.

At this moment, looking at the smile on his face, it seemed that the effects of being immersed in the role had been suppressed, and his excitement and agitation were very obvious.

When Cheng Long came on stage, Shu Qi gave him a hug and whispered her congratulations.

For a moment, he seemed to regain some of his original personality, especially after receiving the silver bear; the smile on his face made him look like the same cheerful kung fu superstar.

"This award is the most prestigious award I have ever received in my life, and this moment should also be the happiest moment of my life."

I have a special label, and people probably know me through my kung fu. This label has been with me for most of my life...

I was lucky enough to be labeled an action star.

Unfortunately, I've been plagued by this label for a long time, and it's almost impossible for me to change my career path.

Action stars have a short career span; they generally can't perform anymore after forty, and most of them will even suffer from hidden injuries that can never be healed.

I was also incredibly lucky to meet Cao Yang, the best director in the world, just when I was no longer able to act. He didn't care about my labels or whether I had acting skills.

At this point, Jackie Chan looked around among the guests, and when he saw Cao Yang, he raised the silver bear and said with a smile, "Because the whole world knows that Director Cao Yang is the best director at training actors, and this silver bear in my hand is enough to prove everything!"
Thank you, thank you to my fans. From now on, I will not only be an action star, but also a talented actor.

Thank you to the jury, thank you to the Berlin Film Festival, thank you to the best director in the world in my heart—you know who I'm talking about, thank you!

Jackie Chan waved the silver bear in his hand one last time and walked away with cheerful steps.

"I watched this movie five times in the screening room. The more I watched it, the more I felt that Jackie Chan's acting was really good. It was even better than when it was filmed. Director Cao is really amazing."

Da Tiantian secretly glanced at Cao Yang's profile with an admiring expression, then whispered to Yang Mi beside her.

During filming, she and Yang Mi, as "newcomers" and students from the Beijing Film Academy, followed the crew throughout the entire process. They witnessed Jackie Chan's transformation from constantly making mistakes and being unable to portray the character well, to being trained by Director Cao to portray a character who seemed to have stepped out of the movie. It was a truly visible leap in his acting skills.

"Uh-huh."

Yang Mi nodded vigorously, his eyes shining as he stared at Cheng Long... specifically, at the silver bear in Cheng Long's hand, which was the best proof of acting skills, both domestically and even globally.

Most importantly, winning the Silver Bear may not significantly boost Jackie Chan's status, given that he is already one of the world's most famous action stars.

But what if I won the Silver Bear, the award for Best Actress...?

Yang Mi couldn't help but think of Li Xiaoran, Yu Feihong, Gao Yuanyuan, and Dong Xuan, all of whom were considered representatives of those who were directly "deified".

How can I get Director Cao to promote me?
At this moment, Da Mimi thought of what her agent Li Xiaowan had said. However, what does it matter if she's a girlfriend or not? As long as she's promoted, the title of "girlfriend" is unnecessary!
Four, five, or six leading ladies?
Perhaps, if I win the Best Actress awards at the three major European film festivals, there will be seven people in total?
Big boobs couldn't help but start daydreaming.

However, Big Mimi still remembered what Big Sweetie had said earlier, and it took her a while to process what she had said.

"You watched 'Love in the Seaside City' in the screening room?"

Yang Mi blinked, somewhat puzzled.

How come I don't know?

Didn't you go see it?

Da Tiantian blinked in confusion and said, "After the movie was finished, Director Cao, the school leaders, and the actors from the school all went to the small screening room to watch it, right?"

"Oh, right, it seems you were filming outside at the time and weren't at school."

Da Tiantian continued.

Yang Mi opened his mouth, wondering if he was the only one who saw the finished film at the premiere.

The awards that followed were once again unexpected.

After the Best Actor award, the Best Actress award was presented – only the second award. The Berlin Film Festival really didn't hold back when it came to grabbing the audience's attention, giving out the two most important awards right off the bat.

The Best Actress award went to Sally Hawkins, the lead actress in "Carefree," directed by the renowned British director Mike Leigh, who is often referred to as a "master."

Incidentally, Cao Yang is now also referred to as a master of film art by some European media.

When Cao Yang saw that the second award was for Best Actress, he had a premonition. It wasn't until Mike Lee's film *Carefree* won Best Actress that he realized Dieter might be up to another publicity stunt. The Best Actor award went to Cao Yang's *Love in a Seaside City*.

She won the Best Actress award for her role in Mike Leigh's "Carefree".

They don't seem to have much connection.

But Cao Yang knows Mike Lee and is very clear about what Mike Lee wants. Both of them are directors in the top small circle of the European art scene.

Caoyang has won the Venice Golden Lion and the Cannes Palme d'Or.

Coincidentally, Mike Lee also holds the Venice Golden Lion and the Cannes Palme d'Or.

Both players are indeed one Berlin Golden Bear away from a Grand Slam.

The difference is that although Mike Lee also received two Oscar nominations for Best Director and three Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay, he ultimately missed out on the awards.

Cao Yang has won both the Academy Award for Best Director and the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

Most importantly, Mike Lee is a pure art-house film director. His films are not commercially successful, so although he has considerable influence in Hollywood or even the world, he is not comparable to Cao Yang.

But that's not the point, at least not for Berlin Film Festival president Dieter.

The key point is that these two directors, who have won numerous awards in Europe and are known as "masters," are both just one step away from achieving a grand slam of awards, namely the Berlin Golden Bear. Their films have won Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the Berlin Film Festival, respectively.

If the media just mentions the background of this kind of thing, it becomes a big news story that can be sensationalized.

Of course, this was Dieter's initial idea; he did indeed want to use Cao Yang and Mike Lee, two competitors who were "in the same boat," to promote the Berlin Film Festival.

However, Cao Yang's words at the film festival opening ceremony made Dieter, who wanted to create hype, have to carefully consider how to avoid backlash and how to satisfy Cao Yang.

After all, while Mike Lee might have a similar status to Cao Yang in European art circles thanks to his "older white man" image, his influence in Hollywood or even worldwide is far less significant.

To reiterate, Dieter can handle Mike Lee, who's involved in the arts and culture scene, but he can't handle the well-rounded Cao Yang.

The third award was for Best Screenplay.

When the presenter announced "Left Right, Wang Xiaoshuai," Wang Xiaoshuai and several members of the crew all stood up excitedly.

Wang Xiaoshuai is not only the director of "Left Right", but also the screenwriter of the film.

The plot of this movie is not complicated.

A couple divorced, and their daughter stayed with her mother. Later, both of them started new families. Unexpectedly, their daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. In order to save their daughter, the ex-husband and ex-wife decided to have another child.

If artificial insemination fails, they can only resort to traditional methods of conception.

This involves two blended families, and all four of them are facing enormous challenges and are torn between two difficult choices.

There are also quite a few passionate scenes.

It can be considered a film that explores and discusses human nature.

For each of the four people in the two families, there is a choice between morality and immorality.

Saving lives is moral, but the methods one chooses to use in order to save lives are immoral.

In short, it's a bit awkward.

Wang Xiaoshuai's acceptance speech was also quite interesting. He said that due to the current environment, it is somewhat difficult for art films to achieve high box office returns. Then, after thinking for a moment, he added:
"Of course, Director Cao Yang is an exception. His films, even art films, have box office numbers that other directors can't match. I am one of those other directors."

At this point, the guests in the audience burst into laughter, but also seemed thoughtful, their laughter tinged with a sense of helplessness.

I suspect that most of those who are laughing helplessly are directors who can relate to this situation.

Next, the award presenter was judge Diane Kruger, the beautiful German actress who was accused of being unqualified to be a judge.

Cao Yang thought she was going to present some important awards, but unexpectedly she was going to present the Best New Actor and Actress awards.

"The winner of the Best Newcomer Award at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival is Zhu Yilong, for his role in 'Love in a Seaside City'."

Before the guests could even applaud, Diane Kruger continued, "Jing Tian and Yang Mi, 'Love in the Seaside City'."

Jing Tian stared wide-eyed in disbelief, covering his mouth with his hand.

Yang Mi stared wide-eyed in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape.

Even Cao Yang was somewhat surprised.

It's understandable that Zhu Yilong won this non-regular Best New Actor award. He added to his acting experience and performed very naturally, especially the scene where he lost control and exploded when he saw the frozen chicken in the refrigerator, which was a stark contrast to his previous feigned ease.

Let alone winning Best New Actor, if the Berlin Film Festival had an award for Best Supporting Actor, I would absolutely win it without any doubt.

What's the story between Da Tian Tian and Yang Mi?

With such a small role, how could he win Best New Actor?

It can only be said that Dieter did his best to please Cao Yang.

The Berlin Film Festival hadn't originally planned to have a Best Newcomer Award this year, but Cao Yang's words forced Dieter to find another way.

Therefore, they introduced the Best New Actor award, which is not a regular award.

Sometimes, such awards are divided into Best New Actor and Best New Actress.

However, Zhu Yilong will definitely win Best New Actor, but the key issue is that if Yang Mi and Jing Tian win Best New Actress, it will definitely cause huge controversy.

Dieter did have a solution: simply link Zhu Yilong and Yang Mi (Da Tiantian) together, without distinguishing between Best New Actor and Best New Actress, and call it the Best New Actor Award.

This means the three of them won the award together, which is considered a triple win from one award, not two separate awards.

This avoids the perception that Cao Yang received too many awards.

The fact that the three of them won the Best New Actor award was a pleasant surprise.

Next, the Jury Grand Prize was presented, which went to the war documentary "Standard Procedure," another Hollywood film produced by Sony Pictures, with whom Cao Yang has collaborated many times.

The next presenter to take the stage was the chairman of the jury, Costa Gavras. When the chairman of the jury is presenting an award, he usually presents the highest prize, the Golden Bear.

So when Costa-Gavras announced that the Golden Bear would be awarded, the guests and audience members began to whisper among themselves, and the venue became somewhat noisy.

It's not really their fault.

Why are they already awarding the top prize, the Golden Bear, when the Best Director award hasn't even been given out yet?

So much so that when Costa-Gavras announced that the Golden Bear winner was the Brazilian film "Elite Force," there was no immediate applause from the audience.

This movie tells the story of police officers and drug dealers. It is said to be based on true events, so it can be considered a standard anti-drug film.

Well, currently, drug prohibition is considered politically correct in Europe.

It wasn't as magical as it became later.

However, the fact that the Golden Bear was awarded first puzzled many people, so much so that when the film's director and main performer took the stage, they did not receive much attention or applause.

After they all stepped down from the stage, the person who took the stage was none other than Dieter Kosslick, the president of the Berlin Film Festival.

When he announced that he was going to present the last award of the night, Best Director, murmurs rippled through the audience once again.

And the sound was quite loud.

Since when does the Best Director award need to be presented by the film festival president himself?
When did Best Director become ranked after the Golden Bear, the highest honor at the Berlin Film Festival?
Everyone was completely baffled; this was definitely an unusual film festival.

What is the Berlin Film Festival trying to do?
No one was not surprised by this.

Nobody knows what's wrong with Dieter Koslick.

It wasn't until Dieter Kosslick said, "The reason the Best Director award is being presented last tonight is because of a special circumstance: if I win this award, I will become the first director in our history to achieve the grand slam of the three major European Best Director awards!"

Everyone unconsciously looked at Cao Yang.

(End of this chapter)