Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 258 No Way Out

Inside the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, the lights are like a sea, and the dome is as dazzling as an inverted galaxy.

The palatial space was enveloped in a calming dark red and gold hue. The audience slowly rose to their feet, and applause surged like waves, one after another, sweeping across each row of seats.

In the center of the stage, a silver beam of light quietly fell, precisely projecting onto Liu Yifei as she slowly walked towards the stage.

Liu Yifei stood in the center of the stage, her black dress gleaming softly under the lights.

"congratulations!"

"Thank you."

Liu Yifei accepted the heavy trophy, the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, and was momentarily stunned, as if she hadn't expected to actually stand at this point.

The next second, as if only belatedly realizing it, Liu Yifei slightly opened her mouth, looked down at the audience who were still clapping, and then quickly locked her gaze on Wu Chen in the third row, her cheeks quickly turning red.

"I...I've never really been good at talking." She timidly raised her eyes, but her clear voice was amplified by the microphone, carrying a slight tremor of hesitation, like a girl earnestly picking up stars in the dark.

Many people say that "Black Peony" is a story about being consumed by a character, having a confused identity, and ultimately being destroyed between dreams and reality, which is closely related to the fate of women.

But I was lucky; I played Xu Wei, yet I wasn't Xu Wei.

When Xu Wei fell off the stage, no one could catch her; she was weighed down by six hundred years. But I know that when I fall, there will be someone below to catch me.
"Yeah, because I'm quite light, not heavy at all!"

Liu Yifei's witty acceptance speech drew chuckles from the audience.

Then a series of flashes went off.

"Wow, there's so much information behind that acceptance speech!"

"Wow, I sense the tipping point!"

"."

The domestic media reporters standing nearby were laughing, their emotions completely stirred. The award citation was packed with information, and its meaning seemed quite obvious.

Before the laughter from the audience had even subsided, applause erupted.

Just after that light remark, "I'm quite light, not heavy," the spotlight returned, but Liu Yifei, standing in the center of the stage, suddenly stopped smiling, her eyes shifting slightly as she looked back at the third row.

Wu Chen's face came into clear view of her. At that moment, it was as if the noise of the whole world was irrelevant to her, and only he remained. Then, he slowly said:
"Thank you 'Black Peony,' thank you to the jury, thank you to my friends, my family, and my mother."

Her tone was gentle and steady, as if every word had been carefully considered. Finally, she paused slightly, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Thank you, Director Wu Chen."

So if I truly deserve this award, then half of it belongs to you!

The entire room fell silent for a full two seconds.

Immediately, applause swept from the audience like a tidal wave, and the foreign media present all looked up, with reporters frantically pressing their shutters.

The sound of camera shutters in the media area was almost deafening, with every photographer frantically adjusting focus and snapping photos.

“So romantic!”

"What a brave girl."

"What a brave girl. Although I don't understand Chinese, I can feel the love in her heart."

At that moment, all eyes followed her gaze and landed precisely on the third row.

A beam of white light suddenly shifted and struck Wu Chen.

He instinctively raised his head, but his face did not flinch. There was only a faint smile on his lips, as if he already knew, yet was gently struck by those words, and remained motionless for a long time.

"That silly girl"

Sitting at the table, Liu Xiaoli looked at her daughter on the stage, whose cheeks were flushed and whose eyes were glistening, and couldn't help but choke up softly.

She didn't wipe away the moisture in the corner of her eye, but just shook her head gently, as if blaming herself, or as if letting go.

This shows a lack of intention to leave oneself a way out, because once these words are spoken, someone will remember this moment no matter when in the future. At this moment, it's like a flower that has already bloomed finally acknowledging that its fragrance is not for others, but for one person.

"Hey, I knew they were something special. Goodness, will 'Black Peony' win any more awards later? I want to see what Wu Chen has to say."

"Oh my god, I'm suddenly a little touched. Old Li, aren't you touched?"

"You're a single dog and you're getting all emotional? You haven't had enough of this dog food yet? But I'm a little excited too. What if Wu Chen doesn't win a prize later?"

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, because theoretically, the probability was there, and not insignificant.

Zhang Manyu sat on the judges' panel, clapping her hands lightly, but her expression was somewhat complicated.

Since winning the Best Actress award at Cannes in 2004 for her role in the French film "Clean," she became the first Asian actress and the only Chinese actress to receive the award. However, from today onwards, she is no longer the only one.

But it doesn't matter, since she has gradually faded out of the film industry.

Gong Li, sitting in the back row, was also applauding enthusiastically. She was happy for Liu Yifei, but a sense of worry also arose in her heart.

She knows the rules of Cannes all too well.

It's important to understand that Cannes is a non-commercial award that blends aesthetics, culture, and directing, and "Black Peony" is a natural fit for Cannes.

Female repression, the sacrifice of beauty, cultural discipline, and the performance devouring the individual are all themes that the Cannes jury highly favors.
With its innovative form and distinctly Eastern characteristics, Kunqu Opera combined with psychological thriller and mirror structure makes it a unique experiment in cinematic language.

Moreover, the film's style is not commercial, not pandering, and not linear, but rather full of literary sensibility and philosophical depth, perfectly matching the tone of the "Cannes main competition".

However, the problem now is that Cannes awarded the Best Actress award to "Black Peony" first.

This is where the details need to be examined.

The awarding of the Best Actress award means that the Palme d'Or is likely to be out of reach.

In 93, she came to Cannes with Chen Kaige and Leslie Cheung and witnessed the birth of China's Palme d'Or, but she also missed the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.

While it's not impossible to win both the Palme d'Or and the Best Actress award, such a "miraculous double award" is extremely rare in Cannes' 60-year history.

After the award was standardized, it only appeared four times, and all of them occurred in the last decade of the 20th century.

The films include The Piano (1993), Secrets and Lies (1996), Rosetta (1999), and Dancer in the Dark (2000).

The soft light fell behind Liu Yifei, and she almost jumped for joy as she returned to her seat.

Her skirt swayed gently, and her eyes sparkled. Before she could even sit down properly, she handed the trophy to Wu Chen: "Here, take this."

Her voice was sweet and soft, still warm and excited from just stepping off the stage.

"It's a deal, you have half."

Wu Chen accepted the heavy gold trophy, glanced down at it, and teased in a low voice, "What? Afraid I won't win?"

He was certainly aware of Liu Yifei's concerns.

After all, Cannes tends to distribute awards more evenly. Once this Best Actress award is given out, there may be no more. Not to mention the Palme d'Or and Best Actress, it's rare for any other award to be combined with the Best Actress award.

"Anyway, half of it is yours." Liu Yifei leaned even closer. "I said it myself, so many people in the audience heard it, you can't deny it."

"Don't worry, it's not like I haven't won awards at Cannes before. Show it to Auntie and Li Qin." Wu Chen handed over the trophy.

Meanwhile, a new round of awards ceremonies has begun.

After a brief pause, the next major award, Best Actor, will be announced.

The air below the stage froze once again.

However, the grand prize was ultimately won by Konstantin Larroniko, who starred in the Russian film "The Expulsion".

Next up was the Best Director award.
(End of this chapter)