Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 342 Reaching the Peak Again, The Ancient Stage: Kunqu Opera.

Inside the Kodak Theater, the stage lights shone like a golden ocean.

The enormous crystal chandelier hanging high in the dome shone brightly, its light and shadow cascading down like stars.

When Penelope Cruz parted her lips and clearly read the words "Black Peony, China," the entire theater seemed to be gently ignited, and in an instant, a tidal wave of applause engulfed the scene.

At that moment, the air seemed to tremble slightly as the camera zoomed in rapidly, landing on the row where the Chinese film crew was located.

The guests and judges in the front row stood up and applauded, casting admiring and congratulatory glances toward the area where the winning films were located.

The camera precisely captured Liu Yifei's expression of mixed surprise and joy. Her mouth was slightly open, she was stunned for half a second, and then she reacted and excitedly hugged Wu Chen.

Wu Chen almost stumbled from her embrace, and chuckled softly as he steadied her shoulders.

The entire crew stood up, and applause, laughter, and hugs blended into a sea of ​​sound.

"Chairman Han and Chairman Wang have lived up to expectations."

"Haha, Mr. Wang and I never expected this at first, it's truly a pleasant surprise."

"Indeed, Director Wu's filming was excellent; we benefited from his success!"

Han Sanping and Wang Changtian were overjoyed, their smiles widening.

Congratulations to Producer Xiang!

"No, congratulations to you too, right, Brother Qiang, Sister Xiaoping?" Xiang Zhuo and the others were also very happy.

With this award, their names will be repeatedly mentioned in the film's producer credits. Even decades later, when new viewers look up information about "Black Peony" again, their names will still be scanned and remembered by them.

The applause continued unabated.

At this moment, in the Sina Entertainment chat room thousands of miles away, Gu Yu stared wide-eyed at the screen in disbelief, his tone changing instantly:

"Wait a minute, gentlemen, did I hear that right? Is this for real? It really was awarded to 'Black Peony'?!"

Zhang Yibai clapped and laughed so hard he almost fell over:
"Whether you heard me correctly or not doesn't matter, I heard it, and the audience heard it too. Didn't you see how excited the audience was in the comments section?"

"Okay, okay, it was worth getting up so early today."

"Indeed, I was thinking this morning that if we were here giving our comments so early in the morning and didn't win the last award, how would we, the guests, explain ourselves? Now we don't have to worry about that anymore."

Bi Chenggong also joined in the joke.

Seeing the guests chatting happily, the comment section immediately became even more lively:
"Haha, I definitely didn't waste this early start today. Damn, I was in front of the computer at 6 a.m."

"I have to say, Wu Chen is awesome! This is a historic moment, guys!"

"Hearing the name of China pronounced makes me feel incredibly excited!"

"Although I'm a little excited about winning the award, I'm a bit annoyed seeing Liu Yifei hugging Wu Chen."

Meanwhile, in the live broadcast studio of the movie channel, host Yao Miao sat upright in the brightly lit studio, her documents already laid down, her face revealing barely suppressed excitement:
"Dear viewers, this is a historic moment. We have just witnessed the glory of Chinese mainland filmmakers winning the Best Foreign Language Film award at the Oscars for the first time!"

This marks the first time Chinese cinema has reached this pinnacle in seven years, since "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in 2001!

Her tone was calm yet passionate, and her words seemed to contain the heartbeats of countless Chinese movie fans at that moment:
"This is not only a victory for director Wu Chen, but also the culmination of the hard work of all the main creators of the crew, and proof of the continuous accumulation and breakthroughs of the Chinese film industry."

We should remember this moment, for together we have written a new chapter in Chinese-language cinema.

The golden image on the screen had not yet faded, but applause had already erupted like a tide throughout the Beijing Film Academy, accompanied by various excited discussions.

"Our school won the first foreign language award in mainland China!" "Senior Wu Chen is amazing! I'm so envious of Senior Yi Fei. I feel like her embrace must have been incredibly warm!"

"Sister, you're overthinking it. Don't overthink it."

"So, are you thinking about it too?"

"Don't say anymore, I really have been thinking about it."

The entire school was thrown into turmoil, but everyone's attention was still focused on the Dolby Theatre.

Inside the theater, the camera quickly focused on Wu Chen, who was heading to the stage.

This award is usually given to only one person.

Because when the Best Foreign Language Film award is presented, only the "official representative of the submitting country" is eligible to go on stage to accept the award. This award is given to the country's film industry, not to an individual or production company.

Therefore, the awards are usually given to the director, because the director is regarded as the most core creator in foreign language film awards, and this is already clear when the film is submitted.

This is slightly different from the gradual increase in producer involvement when it was renamed Best International Feature Film in 2020, and also somewhat different from the Best Picture award ceremony.

Penelope Cruz walked towards us, presenting the gilded golden statuette with both hands, and said softly:
"Congratulations, Wu."

"Thank you!"

Wu Chen nodded in acknowledgment and solemnly accepted the trophy, its weighty texture slightly warming his palm.

He took a deep breath, looked at the gleaming trophy before him, and a wave of emotion washed over him.

This is an award that the mainland film industry has pursued for decades, and that countless senior filmmakers have looked up to and longed for, and now it has fallen into his hands.

He raised his head, a smile on his face, stood steadily in front of the microphone, glanced around at the full audience of guests, gently raised the trophy, and slowly began to speak:
"Good evening, everyone. I think I should express my feelings at this moment in my mother tongue."

The beauty of film lies in bringing a life, an emotion, and a color to the depths of the audience's heart.

For many filmmakers, this is a door.

Behind the door lies the unknown, challenges, loneliness, and a long night, but tonight we still pushed it open, and you heard a sound, as melodious as the wind, that has never ceased for centuries.

This sound, heard on the ancient Chinese opera stage, is what we call Kunqu Opera.

At this point, Wu Chen slightly clenched his left fist, as if suppressing all the excitement in his heart:
"Black Peony" tells the story of how a woman finds herself in the mirror, and how a group of people rebuild their beliefs between tradition and modernity.

We use our own language, our own culture, and our own methods to respond to the most important question in the world: Who are we?

Time and again we look back to the source of our millennia-old culture, using every stitch, every flowing sleeve, every theatrical dream to tell the world: the beauty of the East, the images of China, can also reach the deepest recesses of the human heart.

He paused, his eyes becoming even more sincere:
"Today, I must first thank my country and the Chinese language for winning this award. This film was made in my mother tongue, and now it is making its voice heard in the world."

Thank you to every member of the crew, thank you to all the audience members who love and support this film, thank you to my family and friends who have silently supported me, and thank you to the thousands of Oscar judges.

Of course, there's also Ms. Liu Yifei, who accompanied me here tonight. Without her wonderful performance, this 'black peony' wouldn't have bloomed so beautifully.

The camera quickly cut to Liu Yifei in the audience. Her eyes were slightly red, her hands gently covering her lips, and her gaze met Wu Chen's, filled with emotion and joy.

Wu Chen held up the golden statuette, his voice clear and resounding:

"Finally, a toast to this era, and to all those still pursuing their dreams. This trophy belongs to Chinese cinema, and to all of you who love film. Thank you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause once again.
(End of this chapter)