Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 262 Awards
2006年5月28日晚上8点，第59届戛纳电影节闭幕式红毯现场。

The organizers unusually cleared the area for two minutes just to welcome Hu Xiaobei and An Xiaoqian.

Uh... and then there's Shu Chang, who came to crash the red carpet, but her impact is negligible.

Thanks to the huge success of "Become Yourself" and "Sissi's Battle Hymn", coupled with the honor of winning one gold and two silver medals at the Berlin Film Festival, they enjoyed a cleared audience and unlimited time in Cannes.

It should be noted that this level of access has always been reserved for only a very small number of film industry giants.

Take international film queen Gong Li as an example. She only received this honor twice, in 2019 and 2023, thanks to her decades of accumulated industry status and influence.

An Xiaoqian is only eighteen years old this year, and Hu Xiaobei is only two years older than her.

It can only be said that the explosive popularity of "Be Yourself" and "Sissi's Battle Song" brought a great deal of attention to Cannes.

At the closing ceremony of the last Berlin Film Festival, Xibeifeng Entertainment Company even spent some money to make the event more impressive.

This year's Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony was different; a considerable number of foreign film and music fans had spontaneously gathered.

An Xiaoqian waved her hand gently, smiling as she greeted her foreign fans.

While responding to the requests of the media reporters, she would stop from time to time, subconsciously making a peace sign for photos.

Even so, with Hu Xiaobei present, they quickly finished walking the red carpet.

An Xiaoqian didn't care and was used to Hu Xiaobei's pace on the red carpet.

Shu Chang couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, as she had finally managed to step onto the Cannes red carpet wearing a traditional Hanfu designed by Hu Xiaobei himself.

It was a classic moment that drew everyone's attention and saw a flurry of camera flashes.

She hadn't even struck a third of her planned pose before the red carpet event was over...

To be honest, if she had come alone, she definitely wouldn't have been satisfied until she finished posing for the last time.

The 59th Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony officially began at 8:30 p.m.

After a string of uninteresting minor awards, Sissi's Battle Hymn won the Best Original Film Score award.

Hu Xiaobei was not surprised at all to receive this award.

After all, this song is incredibly popular.

After twelve days of viral spread, it quickly climbed one authoritative European and American music chart after another, it would be strange if it didn't win awards.

An Xiaoqian sang the song, and she also went up to accept the award.

Actually, Hu Xiaobei should have gone on stage with her to accept the award, but he just doesn't like to be in the spotlight.

Just like when he filmed "Sissi's Dog," he wouldn't have bothered acting if it weren't for the special nature of the role!
As the awards were presented one by one, it was soon time for the Best Actress award.

As the host read out the names of one actress after another...

An Xiaoqian unconsciously clenched Hu Xiaobei's sleeve beside her, and her breathing became rapid.

Soon, she slowly held her breath, her eyes filled with tension and anticipation.

There were six nominees for Best Actress in the film "Volver" alone.

Moreover, there are several other formidable opponents who should not be underestimated.

An Xiaoxi only won the Best Actress award at the Berlin Film Festival a few months ago, so logically she should be the one with the lowest probability of winning.

However, the quality of this year's Cannes Film Festival is worrying; none of the nominated male and female actors are any real contenders.

Otherwise, how could a film festival produce such an exaggerated result as 5 Best Actor and 6 Best Actress awards?

Finally, the host raised his voice and excitedly announced: "The winner of the Best Actress Award at the 59th Cannes Film Festival is—An Xiaoxi, for 'Becoming Yourself'!"

Upon hearing her name, An Xiaoqian was stunned for a moment, her eyes widened instantly, and an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.

Immediately afterward, she excitedly hugged Hu Xiaobei tightly, her voice trembling as she asked, "Xiaobei, am I dreaming? How did I win an award?" Hu Xiaobei smiled, gently patted her back, and said softly, "Actually, you performed the best, so your chances of winning were naturally high. This award is well-deserved. Of course, it's also possible that you're dreaming."

An Xiaoqian magnanimously ignored the last sentence, then turned around and hugged her mother tightly, her eyes slightly red but still playfully saying, "Mom, congratulations, your daughter has won another Best Actress award."

As Liu Xiaoli recalled all the moments she had spent with her daughter, tears welled up in her eyes. She gently patted her daughter's shoulder, and all her unspoken words were summed up in one sentence: "Yes...you are the best!"

Then, An Xiaoqian hugged Shu Chang triumphantly before composing herself and slowly walking onto the stage to receive the award.

She accepted the trophy, her hands trembling slightly, and said into the microphone, "I really didn't expect to win my second Best Actress award in such a short time."

I want to thank director Hu Xiaobei for his trust in me, and thank all the crew members for their hard work.

Thank you to my family and friends for their continued support, thank you to the audience for their love, and thank you to the Cannes Film Festival jury.

This award doesn't just belong to me, it belongs to everyone who contributed to this film.

After she finished speaking, she bowed deeply, and enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

An Xiaoqian stepped down from the stage, where the Best Actor award was being presented.

An Xiaoqian and the others were focused on the Best Actress award trophy, and didn't pay much attention to this.

Unexpectedly, the Best Actor award was given to five actors from "Glorious Years" in one go.

Soon, it was time for the Best Director award.

An Xiaoqian leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on the stage, silently praying, "Xiao Bei, I hope you win an award."

However, when the host read out a very long list of the award-winning directors, she already knew it wasn't Hu Xiaobei.

Although she had expected it, An Xiaoqian still showed a hint of disappointment on her face. She gently held Hu Xiaobei's hand and comforted him, "Xiaobei, it's okay. You will always be the best director in my heart."

Hu Xiaobei seemed indifferent, and smiled as he squeezed her hand: "It's okay, the award is just a formality. What's important is that we made a good film. Besides, I'm too lazy to go on stage to accept the award."

Time flies, and it's time to present the Palme d'Or again.

An Xiaoqian and Hu Xiaobei had no particular interest in the award; they simply sat quietly in their seats and waited for the results.

After all, they had just won one gold and two silver medals in Berlin, and only a few months later, they won the Best Actress award in Cannes.

The two were already content and didn't have high hopes for the award.

However, the host announced to the public: "The winner of the Palme d'Or at the 59th Cannes Film Festival is—Become Yourself!"

An Xiaoqian and Hu Xiaobei were both stunned, staring at each other in disbelief.

They had anticipated winning the Palme d'Or or the Best Actress award.

However, winning both of these major awards at the same time was something they had not anticipated.

Because in everyone's eyes, no matter how excellent the film "Become Yourself" was, after winning the award for Best Original Score and Best Actress, they should have missed out on the Palme d'Or.

But when they won one gold and two silver awards, comparable to the Berlin Film Festival, the audience was still somewhat incredulous.

After Hu Xiaobei realized what was happening, he pulled An Xiaoqian along, and also took the pendant Shu Chang with him, and walked towards the stage.

Standing on the podium, Hu Xiaobei held the trophy and said in a steady voice, "I am very excited. I really didn't expect that we could win the Palme d'Or this time."

I want to thank everyone who supported this film, the actors for their wonderful performances, and our team for their hard work.

This award is an affirmation of the film and an encouragement to us.

We will continue to work hard to create more and better works.

After he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted once again from the audience.

Although most people find this incredible, considering the quality of the film "Become Yourself," it somehow seems quite reasonable.

(End of this chapter)