1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 461 The Origin of Sunglasses

The nomination list for the Golden Horse Awards is usually announced more than a month before the awards ceremony.

This process begins with a jury initially screening all submitted works and then announcing the nominees for various awards, such as Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor.

Of the seven Best Drama films nominated that night,
The collaboration between Jiahe and Zhaoshi to film "Seven Little Fortunes" has become the hottest topic in the past month or so.

The remaining two Mandarin films are "The Sea Is Blue" by China Film Group Corporation and "The Strait/Both Sides of the Taiwan Strait" by Longxiang Film Company, both from Taiwan.

The sequel to Police Story, produced by Chen Shilong's Weihe Film Company, is also among them.

With funding from the Hong Kong Film Association, independent Hong Kong director Kam Kwok-leung produced a film called "The Two Wonderful Heroines," which was translated as "Rouge Double Cannon" in Taiwan.

Finally, there are "Days of Being Wild" and "Women at Forty" from 91 Entertainment's subsidiary, DaWa Films.

Compared to later Golden Horse Awards, this edition of the Golden Horse Awards already showed signs of commercialization. The Government Information Office reduced its funding to the Film Foundation, and although the overall organizer used the name of the China Film Development Foundation, the Golden Horse Awards Working Committee actually had to negotiate with various parties for the venue and seek investment and fundraising everywhere.

However, with the reduction in funding, the resulting freedom increased one after another. It was during this period that the Golden Horse Awards gradually began to introduce mainland films, truly achieving a flourishing of diverse films and standing out among the three major awards in the Chinese film industry, surpassing the Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Rooster Awards in terms of professionalism.

"Right now, everyone is pretty much on the same starting line. After the Hong Kong Film Awards are reformed, it would be safer to hold the film festival in Hong Kong in the future."

Zhai Yuan looked around at the venue, which was adorned with banners from the organizers and co-organizers. The audience seats were packed with people, and filmmakers gathered, creating a scene reminiscent of a grand film festival.

The award itself is fine; even the name "Golden Horse" comes from the regions of Kinmen and Matsu. However, there have been too many shady characters since then, and the domestic entertainment industry has been really disappointing. It has been exposed and exploited without any improvement, and there are still plenty of undeserving winners and winners.

So what to do? Boss Zhai had no choice but to personally put in the effort.

"Next, let's enjoy this year's Best Original Music, the theme song from 'Seven Little Fortunes,' won by Lowell Lo!"

The two hosts on stage exchanged jokes for a while, and then another best award was announced.

As Lowell Lo's interlude music ended, more than half an hour had passed since the awards ceremony began.

Sylvia Chang returned to the stage, dressed in a black evening gown, her figure graceful, standing shoulder to shoulder with the male host, Tao Dawei.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now for the main event of the evening. Without further ado, please welcome our presenters for this year's Best Feature Film award: Mr. Ko Chun-hsiung, Chairman of the Formosa Performing Arts Union, and my good friend, Ms. Shih Nan-sheng, Managing Director of Hong Kong 91 Entertainment."

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted.

The spotlight shone on the audience, and Ko Chun-hsiung and Shih Nan-sheng smiled as they stood up and stepped onto the stage amidst the attention of the film industry.

When Zhang Aijia met her old friend Shi Nansheng, she greeted him with a smile and gave him a hug, exchanging a few words on their cheeks.

"Your boss Zhai is really something, pulling strings behind the scenes. Remember to treat me to a meal after work to shut me up."

"Stop talking nonsense. It was clearly your Golden Horse Organizing Committee that volunteered, otherwise we wouldn't have come."

To outsiders, the two parted ways almost immediately, their smiles unchanged. Shi Nansheng took the award envelope from Zhang Aijia and smiled and nodded at another award presenter, Ke Junxiong. The two then walked together onto the stage.

"Hello, Mr. Ke."

"Hello, Sister Nan."

“You all call me Sister Nan, which makes me sound much older.”

"We must call for Sister Nan tonight, because you have a trump card. Let's all give another round of applause so that Sister Nan can reveal her trump card!"

Another round of applause and cheers erupted from the audience.
Shi Nansheng stood on the stage, waved the envelope in his hand, and said with a smile, "Tonight is my first time as an award presenter, Mr. Ke. What's next? Should I just open the envelope and announce the winner?"

Ke Junxiong quickly pretended to be panicked and stopped her: "Of course not, our sponsor, Formosa TV, still needs to earn advertising revenue. If you reveal the answer so quickly, the audience will turn off the TV!"

The two of them, singing in unison, livened up the atmosphere.

Looking at Sister Nan, who was handling things with ease on stage, Zhai Yuan felt even more that such a talented person was rare.

In this situation, who in the company can keep things in check right now?

Looking around, Wang Zuxian, Maggie Cheung, and Carina Lau all looked at Shi Nansheng with the adoring gaze of idols. The young girls were clearly not to be relied upon and lost a lot in terms of presence.

The eldest sister, Mei Yanfang, is quite good. She suffered some torment in the White House last time, and Zhai Yuan told her to rest well. He has prepared a script for "Rouge" and is planning to make her famous. Currently, they are just waiting for Rong Shao to return from Yanjing City to start filming. This time when she goes back, she can continue to train her so that she can be specially prepared to deal with this kind of situation in the future.

On stage, Ko Chun-hsiung continued, "It's a rare treat to have Hong Kong's most outstanding producer here today. Let's ask her to share with us what makes a good film."

"For me, a good movie has three parts: first, blah blah blah, second, blah blah blah..."

Shi Nansheng spoke seriously for a while, then looked around the audience and landed on Boss Zhai: "Third, we need to see if this show is produced by 91 Entertainment and whether my boss's name is listed as the producer."

A burst of laughter erupted, and Zhai Yuan immediately became the focus of attention. The production crew from Taiwan TV promptly switched the camera to him.

Zhai Yuan smiled and waved at the camera, then whispered to Wang Zuxian with a smile, "With my face showing like this, I wonder how many young girls on the island will be sleepless tonight."

Wang Zuxian nodded in agreement, and then said in Fujian dialect, "Please don't laugh!"

Zhai Yuan asked curiously, "What do you mean?"

Wang Zuxian said earnestly, "That means what you said makes a lot of sense."

Zhai Yuan said with satisfaction, "Not bad. Seeing how sensible you are, I'll start a new play for you after the New Year."

Wang Zuxian exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

“Fake!” Zhai Yuan said irritably, then turned to Zhang Manyu and said, “Manyu, come along too. You two finished filming ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ and ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, and now you’re both popular actresses. Don’t take on too many of those shoddy productions. I have a new script that I’m planning to let you try out.”

Zhang Manyu's eyes lit up: "Great, I'll follow Mr. Zhai's arrangements. I'll be working as a lecturer at Spring and Autumn recently, which will give me some free time."

Wang Zuxian counted on her fingers for a moment, then, like a money-grubber, began to discuss her terms: "But I just accepted two film contracts, each worth 300,000 yuan. It would be such a pity to turn them down."

Hearing the two women's respective answers, Zhai Yuan was reminded of that profound saying:

So, a person's fate...

In her film career, Man Yu's talent far surpasses that of Cho Hsien. At the height of her popularity in the 1990s, she gradually retired from acting and went to the mainland to do charity work to reflect on her career. Occasionally, she would take on one or two films that interested her. Although her output was not high, she became one of the world's greatest actresses recognized by the international film industry for her quality.

It's a pity about Wang Zuxian. At the height of her popularity, she accepted all kinds of films, from good ones to bad ones and even Category III films. In addition, she was publicly shamed for interfering in the marriage of a wealthy businessman, which caused her public image to plummet. Subsequently, her condition visibly deteriorated, and she gradually retired from acting in the 1990s, and then gradually disappeared from public view.

"Wow, your salary has increased so quickly?" Zhai Yuan thought to himself with a slight sigh, pinched Wang Zuxian's cheek, and said with a smile, "But the company has rules and regulations, so it's definitely not going to give you 300,000. So, we won't include you in the next movie? So as not to delay your earning money."

Wang Zuxian hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Zhang Manyu's profile before leaning close to Zhai Yuan's ear and asking, "Am I still the female lead?"

"There are two female leads, you and Manyu are both female leads."

"What about the male lead?" "Jet Li, maybe with Leung Ka-fai or Leslie Cheung, but their roles aren't that big."

"...Alright then, but could the company give you a raise after filming this movie? Don't be as stingy as Miss Fang!"

In just a few words, Zhai Yuan finalized a new film for next year – "Green Snake". It is said that the film was originally intended to star Gong Li and Anita Mui. It is possible that Xu Ke will make those two stand out, but right now Maggie Cheung needs this film to establish her powerful acting style, and Joey Wong needs another representative work.

Small meetings are held offstage, while large meetings are held onstage.

On stage, Shih Nan-sheng and Ko Chun-hsiung exchanged jokes for a while, generating anticipation, before finally getting to the main topic.

"A good movie can move many people and influence many people's lives. Good movies have a life of their own."

Ko Chun-hsiung then shifted the focus, smiling at Shih Nan-sheng, "Next, let's ask Sister Nan to reveal the winner of this year's Golden Horse Awards' most prestigious award, Best Feature Film!"

Amidst applause, Shi Nansheng tore open the envelope in his hand, glanced at its contents, and looked up with a smile: "I just said that a good movie needs three highlights, and I didn't expect to be right. The winner of the 25th Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film is..."

Ko Chun-hsiung leaned over to glance at the words in the envelope, gave the audience a mysterious smile, and then said in unison with Shih Nan-sheng, "Days of Being Wild!"

Behind the stage,

Sylvia Chang's clear voice then rang out: "Some films don't rely on dramatic plots to attract you, nor on noisy dialogue to grab you. They are as quiet as a mirror, reflecting the flow of time and the lingering shadows of memory. The 25th Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film goes to 'Days of Being Wild,' also an award for a work that redefines cinematic language, an award for a profound gaze, a whisper in film history..."

The audience fell silent for a moment, then gradually erupted in enthusiastic applause.

However, most film industry insiders had the same question: "Days of Being Wild"? What is that?
At the same time, the Jiahe actors who came to participate in the audition with "Seven Little Fortunes" were first taken aback, and then all turned their attention to Zhai Yuan.

This group of people arrived in Taiwan much earlier and were unaware that the film had just been released in Hong Kong, let alone the fact that the awards had been predetermined.

Nominations weren't enough, but you won a major award right away. Mr. Zhai, you've really gone all out!

Wang Jiawei was equally astonished, turning back to look at Zhai Yuan in shock.

What?! What's going on?!
Zhai Yuan smiled and stood up to hug him, whispering, "Have you memorized the award speech I gave you? Don't forget, I'll deduct a thousand yuan from your director's fee for every wrong word!"

It wasn't until the spotlight shone on him that Wang Jiawei groggily walked onto the stage.

The conversation Zhai Yuan had with himself before coming to Taiwan echoed in his mind.

……

"If you have the opportunity to speak on stage during your trip to Taiwan, remember to memorize this speech."

"What is this? Wow! Such sharp words?"

"Enough with the nonsense, memorize it if I tell you to. One wrong word and I'll deduct a thousand yuan!"

"Okay! But boss, although I also think 'Days of Being Wild' was well-made, it should at least be Best Director to qualify for the stage..."

……

After winning the most prestigious Best Feature Film award at the Golden Horse Awards, Wang Jiawei realized that it wasn't just the Best Director who was qualified to stand on the stage.

Standing on the stage in a daze, Wang Jiawei finally came to his senses when faced with Shi Nansheng's teasing gaze.

"Thank you, thank you everyone."

Wang Jiawei felt his heart race as he looked at the curious gazes from the audience and pursed his lips tightly.

Oh no! Just thinking about what I'm going to say makes me panic.

Immediately afterwards, Wang Jiawei made an unexpected move in front of the entire audience in the awards ceremony venue.

He rummaged in his pocket and took out a pair of sunglasses that he originally used to shield himself from the spotlight, and put them on his nose.

Only after being shielded from the countless gazes of the audience did I feel a little more at ease.

"Oh? Director Wang, as this year's award winner, your film is full of details. Is there some deeper meaning behind wearing sunglasses now?"

Seeing this, Ke Junxiong, who was standing nearby, made a timely joke.

“No… cough!” Wang Jiawei cleared his throat and continued, “Because I often develop film in the darkroom, my eyes are more sensitive to the strong lights on stage.”

Ko Chun-hsiung immediately made a helpless expression, which drew a burst of laughter from the audience.

Wang Jiawei sighed inwardly. Now that he had given this excuse, he knew he would likely be wearing these sunglasses from now on.

Let me recall what Boss Zhai wrote on his manuscript, where every word was worth a thousand pieces of gold?

Sunglasses King took a deep breath, took the microphone from Shih Nan-sheng, and addressed the industry professionals from both Taiwan and mainland China in the audience, as well as the executives from the Executive Yuan's Information Bureau and Publicity Department in the front row, slowly beginning to speak:

“In the movie ‘Days of Being Wild,’ Mr. Zhai wrote a line: ‘I’ve heard that there is a kind of bird that has no feet. It can only keep flying and flying until it gets tired and dies in the wind.’ Actually, I heard a similar story when I was a child, except that the bird’s name was ‘Chinese.’”

The audience fell silent for a moment, and the officials from the Information Bureau in the front row exchanged glances.

Ouai, the taste is off!

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
In the quiet audience, Zhai Yuan led the applause, and soon after, Hong Kong industry professionals followed suit.

Wang Jiawei calmed down a bit, let out a breath, and continued in his broken Mandarin: "Chinese people were once separated, misunderstood, and made into each other's shadows, as if they were far apart."

But I made this film not to prove how different we are, but to tell everyone that in our loneliest moments, whether we are in Taiwan, mainland China, or Hong Kong, we are actually the same.

Ah Fei has no father, he doesn't know where he came from, he lives aimlessly, like a ghost. I feel this is not just his story, but also the situation of some places and some people over the past few decades.

You can disown your ancestors, change your name, or immigrate elsewhere, but the films will remain, the language will remain, and the memories will remain.

Like the old clock in "Days of Being Wild", the time is broken, but you can't deny that it once ticked. If we are talking about the same kind of loneliness, then why can't we all live under the same roof?

Film is a container of memories, not an anesthetic. I don't make films that numb me, nor do I speak in a way that is ambiguous.

You think Ah Fei is just a character? No, he's a metaphor.

Even if he has no identity, no belonging, no name, and no feet, he will eventually land on the ground.

Where to land? Home, of course.

(End of this chapter)