Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 459 Award Ceremony
On the day of the Berlin Film Festival's closing ceremony and awards ceremony, according to the schedule, the guests will walk the red carpet starting at 17:30 local time and continuing until 19:15.

Then, allow 15 minutes for preparation, and the awards ceremony will officially begin at 19:30.

Prior to this, to avoid crowds, ordinary viewers need to wait outside the restricted area 2 hours in advance, while media accredited individuals can enter the filming area starting at 16:00.

China attaches great importance to this year's Berlin Film Festival, as it is quite rare for top directors like Cao Yang and Lao Chen to be selected for the main competition at the same time.

Not only did major online media outlets like Tencent, Sina, and Sohu send reporters, but even CCTV set up a special team to prepare a program about the Berlin Film Festival.

These media outlets only learned today that Lao Chen had not received any notification to stay.

This left these media professionals with a sense of regret. If Cao Yang and Lao Chen could have stayed to "battle it out" at the Berlin awards ceremony, it would have been a huge spectacle for the country.

What a pity. What a pity.

"If Director Chen could stay this time, it would be great. The domestic news would be in an uproar... Brother Bo, what do you think happened to Director Chen?"

When we watched "Forever Enthralled," we could all feel that the second half of the film was somewhat disconnected from the first half, and the style was inconsistent. How could Director Chen, a director of such caliber, not have noticed this?

After arriving at the designated area, with plenty of time before the red carpet event began, CCTV cameraman Zhao Letao chatted with reporter Huang Qibo.

The Berlin Film Festival organizers also know how to cater to different audiences.

Don't say that all reporters have equal interviewing rights. Just look at the positions assigned to CCTV reporters, and compare them with the positions of other domestic media outlets. You'll see that there's special treatment everywhere.

Some media outlets need to arrive early to "grab" a spot, while others have specially designated spots that others cannot "grab".

"Perhaps Director Chen has his own ideas? We can't really guess what a big director like Director Chen is thinking."

Huang Qibo adjusted the ID hanging around his neck and said casually.

Zhao Letao had only been a cameraman at CCTV for a short time, and he was much younger than Huang Qibo. This was his first time traveling abroad with a crew, and he still maintained a strong curiosity about everything.

He glanced around; they were all foreign media, maintaining a certain distance from each other. He then whispered, "Brother Bo, I heard that when Director Chen was filming 'Farewell My Concubine,' his father was the art director. Do you think it's possible..."

"What are you thinking? Don't follow the rumors spread by outsiders."

Huang Qibo glared at Zhao Letao, intending to reprimand him, since as a CCTV media professional, he could eat whatever he wanted, but he couldn't say whatever he wanted, or it would cause serious problems.

However, after thinking about it, I realized that this was abroad and the occasion was inappropriate, so I said, "Le Tao, you haven't been out of school for long. Your teachers should have taught you that you can't just say things without any basis."

After a moment's thought, Huang Qibo continued, "Although his father was nominally the artistic director of 'Farewell My Concubine,' he had already been diagnosed with lung cancer at that time and had many health problems. How could he possibly stay on set the whole time?"

Besides, his father was good at theatrical films, and he only won the Best Drama Film award at the Hundred Flowers Awards twice in his life. He wasn't so good at feature films.

Think about it, if his father had that ability, how could he have lived to be over seventy years old without ever winning one of the top three European awards? He didn't even get a nomination. Even domestically, there's a lack of prestigious awards.

What you've heard is utter nonsense. Watch your mouth from now on, and don't say anything carelessly, or you'll cause trouble and lose your job.

"Okay, Brother Bo, you're right, I'll remember that."

Zhao Letao said with a smile.

Huang Qibo glanced at Zhao Letao and sighed inwardly. It was obvious that the young man hadn't taken it to heart. Sigh, some people are just like that; they can't be taught by others, but they can remember something for a lifetime after being taught it once.

However, until the young man learns from the experience, it's best to find a different partner for the next mission.

"It's starting, it's starting, Brother Bo, it's starting."

Zhao Letao pointed to the somewhat chaotic scene at the end of the red carpet and said excitedly.

Celebrities have arrived over there; the disturbance is caused by fans on both sides of the police cordon.

Huang Qibo checked the time; it was 17:25 PM. He then instructed Zhao Letao again, "Remember, focus on filming Director Cao and Li Xiaoran later. The secondary focus should be on the judging panel and well-known celebrities. Don't forget."

In the past, the focus of filming in such settings was on domestic directors and actors, followed by East Asian directors and actors.

However, this year's Berlin Film Festival is a bit strange. Apart from Cao Yang and Lao Chen entering the main competition, no films from East Asia were selected for the main competition.

On the contrary, American films accounted for 7 out of the 20 or so films in the main competition this year.

This also shows that the Berlin Film Festival has inevitably compromised with Hollywood in order to gain influence and attention.

Li Xiaoran looked particularly stunning today in a gold tassel embroidery outfit. The orchid pattern bloomed on the gold tassels, which, combined with her unique temperament and curvaceous figure, exuded the gentle grace unique to Eastern women.

Sister Hong's attire was somewhat unexpected by Cao Yang.

She wore a pure white halter-neck fishtail dress, her shoulder blades were faintly visible, her figure was slender but not thin, her waist was so small that you could wrap your hand around it and her hips were almost shoulder-length, she was mature yet lively.

Neither Wu Qihua nor Huang Bo dressed out of line; suits and ties were practically standard attire for this kind of occasion.

Once everyone had arrived, Li Xiaoran secretly glanced at Sister Hong, and only two words came to her mind: Pretending to be young!
How old are you? Why are you dressed like this? Who are you trying to impress?

Especially since this fishtail skirt had a cinched waist, it made Sister Hong's waist look even slimmer, which made Li Xiaoran glance at her a few more times.

To be honest, Li Xiaoran was somewhat envious of Sister Hong's slender waist, which made her hips appear fuller.

But as the saying goes, small branches cannot bear abundant fruit.

Unless this fruit has been specially trimmed, it means that the filaments have been maintained long ago.

Clearly, Li Xiaoran has reaped abundant rewards.

But she didn't make any special adjustments.

So overall, although her waist is also very thin, it's different from the thinness of Sister Hong's.

Although Li Xiaoran had long since overcome her hostility towards Sister Hong, Sister Hong's attire today made her wary again.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Cao Yang.

It's not that she doesn't trust men.

A woman with a mature and stunningly beautiful face, yet with a figure that looks like she's eighteen... such a woman is almost irresistible to men.

Li Xiaoran decided that from this moment on, she would never let Cao Yang out of her sight.

The cast and crew of "Like Father, Like Son" included Cao Yang and four others. According to the movie's plot and common sense, it would be more normal for Cao Yang to lead the way, with Li Xiaoran arm in arm with Wu Qihua, and Sister Hong arm in arm with Huang Bo as they walked the red carpet.

However, the reality is a bit complicated, and we definitely can't go down that path.

Li Xiaoran walked up to Cao Yang first, took his arm, smiled, and didn't say anything.

After thinking for a moment, Sister Hong stepped forward, took Cao Yang's other arm, smiled at Li Xiaoran, and said, "Xiaoran, would you mind if I borrowed your Cao Yang?"

She didn't hold back her words; Wu Qihua and Huang Bo could both hear them.

Li Xiaoran's anger flared up the moment she saw Sister Hong link arms with Cao Yang, but when she heard Sister Hong say, "Can I borrow your Cao Yang for a moment..."

Instantly, her mind was filled with the phrase, "Your Cao Yang, your Cao Yang, your Cao Yang..."

That initial, nameless anger had long since vanished, leaving only joy in my heart.

"It's alright, Sister Hong, I don't mind. I don't think Director Cao would mind either, right?"

Li Xiaoran's stance immediately changed, and she sided with Sister Hong.

What could Cao Yang say?
Should I swing my arms?
A staff member reminded him, and Cao Yang could only say helplessly, "Let's go, it's our turn."

"Director Cao, Director Cao, look here."

Cao Yang looked toward the source of the voice and saw it was a CCTV reporter. He moved his hands slightly.

Li Xiaoran and Sister Hong also saw the CCTV reporter and tactfully let go of Cao Yang's arm.

Cao Yang stepped forward and greeted them with a smile, "Hello."

"Director Cao, what are your expectations for tonight's awards?"

Knowing that the interviews on the red carpet wouldn't last long, Huang Qibo quickly selected the key questions and asked them purposefully.

"I hope it will have a good outcome," Cao Yang said with a smile.

To others, these words sounded like mere humility and politeness, but Huang Qibo subtly discerned another layer of meaning.

"Then I wish Director Cao all the best and that he gets the result he wants."

Huang Qibo said very sincerely.

"Thank you."

Huang Qibo then asked each of the four women—Li Xiaoran, Li Xiaoran, and Huang Qibo—one question before quickly ending the brief interview.

After Cao Yang and the others left, Zhao Letao watched their retreating figures and said softly, "Brother Bo, do you think Director Cao can produce another Best Actor or Best Actress this time?"

“I do hope for another possibility,” Huang Qibo said.

"Another possibility?"

Zhao Letao was stunned for a moment, then realized what Huang Qibo meant by the other possibility.

Berlin's highest prize bear!

You should know that Director Cao is just one Golden Bear away from achieving the perfect trio of Golden Awards.

As a young man, Zhao Letao had read countless analyses online and discussed them with others. In summary, it was difficult, extremely difficult.

In fact, the online discussion is not only about Cao Yang, but also about Zhang Yimou.

Cao Yang is just one Golden Bear away from achieving his goal, and Zhang Yimou is just one Palme d'Or away from achieving his goal.

However, over the years, Zhang Yimou has almost never been to Cannes. Why? Because it's impossible.

All the discussions ultimately boiled down to one point: white people in Europe and America will not allow people of other races to achieve the Three Golden Perfections.

"Impossible, right? Director Cao came to Berlin last year, and such a good film as 'Love in the Seaside City' was awarded Best Director and Jackie Chan Best Actor. It's obvious that they deliberately didn't give it the Golden Bear."

I read some online analyses that said maybe when Director Cao is close to retirement, Berlin might give him a Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement, barely making up a 'fake' triple gold medal.

However, the prerequisite is that Director Cao must maintain a harmonious relationship with Berlin… I suspect that Director Cao brought his film to Berlin this time, instead of Venice, with which he has a better relationship, precisely because he wants to cultivate a good relationship with Berlin.”

Huang Qibo glanced at Zhao Letao, who was giving a very logical analysis, but remained silent.

As a CCTV reporter, he was quite knowledgeable and understood the mentality of Europeans and Americans as well as the political environment, which could be seen from the fact that their reports on China were rarely positive.

He also understood that Zhao Letao's analysis made a lot of sense.

However, the logic is that of Europeans and Americans, not a logic based on fairness and justice!
This line of reasoning is problematic in itself; it distorts the facts.

Kennedy also said that as long as he was alive, China would never have been able to build an atomic bomb...

Uh, Huang Qibo suddenly realized that the analogy was wrong, because Kennedy did indeed achieve it.

"Director Cao, keep it up!"

Huang Qibo is usually a very calm person, which is a basic quality of a qualified journalist.

But today, at this moment, he didn't know why, he suddenly acted impulsively and shouted loudly at Cao Yang, who was almost at the end of the red carpet.

Huang Qibo knew he shouldn't do this, and that he might be criticized or punished when he got back, but he felt a bit repressed and just couldn't help it.

After he shouted, he felt a little regretful, but not really regretful; he was conflicted.

He didn't expect Cao Yang to hear him, nor did he expect Cao Yang to respond.

To his surprise, Cao Yang seemed to have heard his shout. He not only stopped but also turned around and gave him a thumbs up.

Huang Qibo paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

Screw it! If you regret it, I'll yell it out!
Who the hell hasn't been passionate at some point!
Huang Qibo's series of actions stunned Zhao Letao.

In Zhao Letao's memory, Huang Qibo was a steady person. How did he suddenly become so passionate? Even more passionate than himself.

He gave Huang Qibo a big thumbs up, "Brother Bo, you're amazing!"

"Do you know that CCTV reporter?"

At the end of the red carpet, Li Xiaoran took Cao Yang's arm and asked softly.

"do not know."

Cao Yang shook his head slightly, "But we'll know each other from now on."

“CCTV places great emphasis on discipline. If he had just shouted ‘Go! Go ...

Sister Hong said from the side.

Cao Yang hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "It's alright, as long as I'm here, he won't be punished."

The awards ceremony was supposed to start at 7:30 PM, but actually, some guests still hadn't found their seats by then.

It wasn't until 19:34 PM, after all the guests were seated, that the main lights and ambient lights came on, and the curtain rose.

The broadcast announced that everyone was welcome to the awards ceremony, marking the final moment of the film festival.

The host, Catherine, first thanked the guests for coming, thanked the reporters for coming, and thanked the jury for their hard work. Finally, she welcomed the festival president, Dieter, to the stage to speak.

This is a standard procedure.

After Dieter finished speaking, the awards ceremony officially began.

The first award presented is the Best First Film Award. This is not a permanent award; it is given out in some years and not in others.

However, this award has been established for the past few years.

Since Dieter took office, the Berlin Film Festival has championed the goal of nurturing young directors, and thus, for many years, it has established an award for best debut film.

The second award presented was the Alfred Award.

This award was established in honor of the founders of the Berlin Film Festival and primarily recognizes innovative films.

However, in recent years, the Alfred Award has gradually become an award for distributing prizes. It is slightly better than non-permanent awards, and has the nature of a consolation prize, but it is not a consolation prize.

Two films won this award this year.

It's worth mentioning that "Secret Love," which just won the Best First Feature Award, also won the Alfred Award.

The third award presented was for Best Screenplay, which carries more weight than the previous two.

Last year, Wang Xiaoshuai's "Left Right" won the Best Screenplay Award.

This year's award goes to the American film "The Messenger".

The fourth award presented is the Outstanding Artistic Contribution Award. This is a technical award and a permanent award in Berlin. Generally, it is not difficult for any film that has performed well in cinematography, music, costumes, or props to win this award.

The Berlin Film Festival doesn't award many prizes. After these four, there are five left, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, the Jury Grand Prix, and the Golden Bear for Best Film.

Relatively speaking, these five are all important awards.

This was evident from the somber atmosphere that followed the host's announcement that the Best Actor award would be presented next.

Cao Yang also sensed that Wu Qihua, separated from Li Xiaoran, had become serious, and his previously casual posture had become somewhat stiff.

Cao Yang slightly modified the plot of "Like Father, Like Son," giving the male lead, Wu Qihua, more room to develop and adding more character arc.

Although he didn't quite deliver a performance as monologue as Jackie Chan in "Love in the Seaside City," Wu Qihua's acting was almost impeccable as the plot progressed and he immersed himself in the role more deeply.

He is also the most popular candidate for Best Actor this time.

(End of this chapter)