Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 344 Can we take another victory?
Inside the Kodak Theater, the lights subtly shifted.

As the curtain slowly rose, Cameron Diaz, dressed in a silver-white tuxedo, stepped onto the stage, the envelope in her hand shimmering with tiny specks of light under the lamps.

She smiled at the audience and said in a light voice, "Next up is the Best Photography Award."

The audience erupted in applause.

"It's a pity we didn't win." Liu Yifei leaned back in her chair and whispered to Wu Chen beside her, "Otherwise, Song Ri and the others could have come and won awards together."

"Mm." Wu Chen nodded slightly. "It's alright, there will be other opportunities in the future."

He had originally invited several members of Park Song-il's photography team to come along, but the team members decided to give up their spots since they hadn't received any nominations and there weren't many available.

On stage, the Best Cinematography award has been decided, going to "There Will Be Blood".

The ceremony then included several classic retrospectives and performances: a montage of clips from the "Best Picture" awards in Oscar history was shown on the big screen.

From "Gone with the Wind" and "The Godfather" to last year's "Get Out," a chronicle of cinematic history has been laid out.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, in Sina's chat room, the atmosphere had already quietly heated up.

Zhang Yibai, resting his chin on his hand, was engrossed in watching the live stream when he suddenly spoke up: "It seems like the next big award is coming up soon."

"Best Actress, Director Zhang, who do you predict?" Bi Chenggong sat up straight.

"The most likely candidate right now is Julie Christie in 'The Dark Side'."

Zhang Yibai spoke slowly but with a firm tone, saying, "Oscar really likes portraying women suffering from Alzheimer's who, in the final moments of their lives, do not forget to pursue the tranquil and natural beauty of human nature in their twilight years."

Then there's *Juno*, which shouldn't be underestimated. Ellen Page is this year's dark horse, and she has a good chance of winning Best Actress.

"Director Zhang's prediction is similar to many other people's predictions. What about Liu Yifei's 'Black Peony'?"

The group fell silent for a moment.

Zhang Yibai smiled and spoke slowly:
"Actually, the three nominees, Marion Cotillard of 'La Vie en Rose,' Ellen Page of 'Juno,' and Liu Yifei, are all Oscar newcomers, which puts them at a disadvantage."
But compared to Cate Blanchett in "The Golden Era," these women actually have a much higher chance of winning. Frankly, the quality of Blanchett's film is so poor that even a nomination would be a miracle; even her fans don't believe it."

"Teachers, I remember 'La Vie en Rose' was a French film, right? Marion Cotillard was also a French actress. This year's Oscars seem to have been relatively lenient towards non-English language films for Best Actress."

The host, Gu Yu, couldn't help but ask a question, guiding the conversation in a different direction.

“Yes, that’s an advantage for this year.” Liu Fan, chief editor of the entertainment news department of the Beijing News, nodded slightly. “But actually, Hollywood isn’t entirely American, and besides, the biggest boss isn’t American either.”

The chat room paused.

"Teacher Liu, what do you mean?" Gu Yu quickly asked.

Liu Fan explained calmly:

"Geographically, it's in Los Angeles, USA. But many of the film and television companies that dominate it are controlled by multinational capital."

For example, Sony controls Columbia Pictures; Universal's parent company, Comcast, received investment from Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds in its early years; Paramount was formerly owned by the Viacom family.
Of course, it is still essentially a tool of the United States, but the engine that drives it has long been a hybrid.

"That's true, but it's always been quite difficult for non-English films to win awards." After Bi Chenggong finished speaking, the others nodded slightly.

The group discussed the topic with remarkable professionalism, leaving the netizens completely bewildered.

"Goodness, this is even harder than my high school math problems. Tell me, what are everyone's chances of winning?"

"I just realized that there are non-English films among the competitors of 'Black Peony,' so doesn't that mean there's another competitor now?"

"Forget it, I won't waste my brainpower on this. Let's just see what happens next for Best Actress. I hope Liu Yifei has good luck."

Inside the Kodak Theater, the lights slowly dimmed, casting a focal point on the center of the stage that resembled a sliver of light breaking through the sky.

Awards for original music, short documentary, and feature documentary were presented one after another, but the ceremony suddenly quieted down, as if the air itself was holding its breath.

As the presenter for the Best Actress award, last year's Best Actor winner, Forest Whitaker, finally appeared before everyone.

This immediately created a tense atmosphere not only in the Performance Department of the Beijing Film Academy, but also in the Performance Department of the Central Academy of Drama, with many people displaying complex expressions.

"Go, Xixi!" Inside a villa on the outskirts of Beijing, Shu Chang couldn't help but clench her fists and wave her hands. She was watching the live broadcast with Liu Xiaoli.

Liu Xiaoli pursed her lips, her face also showing nervousness.

Offstage, Wu Chen sensed Liu Yifei subtly adjusting her posture. She lowered her head and gathered the hem of her Chanel haute couture gown, one fingertip casually rubbing against her knee, while the palm of her other hand was already slightly sweaty.

Wu Chen clearly sensed it, and then spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying a unique gentleness and firmness:
"It's okay, if it doesn't work the first time, we'll try the second."

"You said the same thing about Best Foreign Language Film," Liu Yifei said with a light smile, looking at Wu Chen. "And then you won the award, so maybe I'll have a chance today too."

They exchanged glances, and Wu Chen gently took her hand, his palm damp. He said nothing, but tightened his grip slightly.

At that moment, Forest Whittaker, dressed in a black tuxedo, stepped onto the stage with a composed demeanor and his voice, as deep and resonant as ever:
"Next, we will announce the winner of the 80th Academy Award for Best Actress."

A round of applause erupted in the audience, and as the background music began, images of the five nominees slowly appeared on the big screen:

“Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth 2: The Golden Age”.

Julie Christie, "The Light at the End of the Road".

"Marion Cotillard, *La Vie en Rose*." "Liu Yifei, *Black Peony*."

"Ellen Page, Juno."

The camera captured each of the five people one by one. Even though they all had smiles, it was still clear that each of them was a little nervous.

The screen began to show footage of each nominated film, and the room fell silent.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, in the Sina Entertainment chat room live broadcast room, Zhang Yibai, Bi Chenggong, Gu Yu, Liu Fan and others were almost holding their breath.

"To be honest, if it were me, I would still vote for Liu Yifei, hoping it might be of some use," Zhang Yibai said, his tone no longer joking.

"It's a pity I'm not an Oscar judge, otherwise I would definitely have cast my vote for my own person."

"Oh dear, now it's time to gamble."

Bi Chenggong and Liu Fan both spoke, their eyes fixed on the screen.

"Haha, it's not just the teachers, but me too. I suddenly feel even more nervous than when we receive our awards," host Gu Yu said with a laugh.

The chat room comment section was also buzzing:
"Here it comes, here it comes, it's starting!!!"

"I don't care, I'll leave five yuan for my Qianqian!"

"According to Director Zhang, Blanchett has almost no chance; in fact, it's about a one in four chance. Let's take a gamble! Go for it!"

On stage, as the images finished playing one by one, Forest Whitaker slowly opened the envelope, his expression slightly serious. He then looked at the entire audience and read aloud in a low voice:
The winner of the 80th Academy Award for Best Actress is—

He paused.

Marion Cotillard, *La Vie en Rose*!

Applause erupted like a sudden downpour.

The camera first focused on Marion Cotillard's face. She paused for two seconds, then covered her face and gasped, standing up while thanking him and nodding repeatedly.

Liu Yifei took a light breath, then lowered her eyelashes, revealing a peaceful and appropriate smile, and gracefully clapped her hands.

"We'll try harder next time. We have plenty of time. They're getting old," Wu Chen said softly to his girlfriend.

Anyone would feel bad in this situation.

Wu Chen's teasing remark made Liu Yifei chuckle softly. "Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear us gossiping about them behind their backs."

"This is a fact!"

The crew of "Black Peony" also sighed with regret.

Cate Blanchett, standing next to her, also looked disappointed for a moment before politely applauding.
Ellen Page opened her mouth slightly, her expression somewhat stunned.

Julie Christie reacted the fastest, and the applause rang out quickly.

The stage erupted in applause, but on the other side of the screen, in the Sina Entertainment chat room, there was an unexpected silence.

“I never expected it to be the ultimate counterattack of French romanticism!” Zhang Yibai sighed and spread his hands. “Goddess’s performance was actually very emotional, and the broken feeling with the French accent was indeed moving.”

But I admit, I thought it was Christie. I didn't expect this year's judges to be so eager to 'hear a song.'

Bi Chenggong laughed and shook his head: "This result is indeed a bit unexpected. I didn't expect it to actually go to a French actress in a French film."

Ellen Page and Liu Yifei probably suffered not only from being first-time nominees, but also from their age.

The chat room comment section instantly exploded with messages:

"Damn it! I bet five yuan on Liu Yifei, and now it's all gone."

"Who said Peggy was the dark horse? It's such a pity, the result is still uncertain. I wonder who it will be?"

"Marion cried so hard, but I still prefer Liu Yifei!"

"Actually, it can't be called an unpopular choice, it's just that I really didn't expect it, it was a bit of a surprise!"

"."

"Ugh, you bastard, why didn't you win an award for my Xixi?" Shu Chang lay on the sofa indignantly. She had just been fantasizing about having an Oscar-winning actress as a best friend, but now that dream was ruined.

Liu Xiaoli sat to the side, a look of regret on her face.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, sighs echoed through the teaching buildings of the Beijing Film Academy, especially from the acting department teachers.

"It's rare that this time they actually gave it to an actor who wasn't in a purely English film, but in the end, they still fell short of this trick."

"Forget it, getting a nomination this time is still better than the school next door. Besides, we still have Wu Chen, what are you worried about with him around?"

"That's right! Add some tea and keep watching; the director's award is next."

Everyone laughed and continued watching the live stream, instantly lightening the atmosphere.

In the video, Marion Cotillard is standing on stage, choking back tears as she delivers her thank-you speech.
(End of this chapter)