Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Where should Chapter 518 be scheduled?

On a February night in Berlin, the cold wind, carrying snowflakes, lashed against the glass curtain walls, and people at street corners huddled together in their coats, shivering.

But amidst this biting cold, the Berlin Film Palace seemed to be ablaze with fire.

The lights were blazing, the applause was deafening, and the air was instantly ignited.

"Golden Bear Award-winning film – '1939', China!"

The moment Herzog's voice fell, the hall erupted like a boiling cauldron being lifted, with applause, shouts, and camera shutters clicking almost simultaneously.

Some people in the audience stood up and applauded, and reporters in the media area raised their cameras as if struck by lightning, with flashes going off in quick succession.
Zhang Yi was startled, his eyes widened for a moment, and then he clapped his hands, the force of which was even a little too strong.

He turned to look at Wu Chen, his eyes filled with genuine amazement, and he murmured something to himself.

As a director who once won the bear in Berlin and brought it back to China, he understands what such a moment means.

Meanwhile, Sun Honglei and Yan Ni exclaimed, "Director Wu really won the Golden Bear!"

Wang Quan'an clapped along, while Mo Xiaoqi and screenwriter Jin Na beside him couldn't help but shout it out in a low voice.

In the back row of the stadium, European media members were already discussing the matter in hushed tones.

Some shook their heads, while others beamed with joy.

"Best Director and Golden Bear—how long has it been since we've seen such a combination?"

"The last time this happened was probably back in the early days of the award, which is extremely rare in Berlin."

"This is amazing! Two major awards! The biggest upset of the year!"

"Haha, that's so cold."

Everyone laughed, though they said it was an "unpopular" topic, their expressions clearly showed excitement, their pens scribbling rapidly across the paper, as if afraid of missing this moment.

The domestic journalists' area was in an uproar.

I had no expectations for the Golden Bear Award.

It's already difficult to pair two major awards together. While it's rare to see the Berlin Golden Bear paired with either Best Actress or Best Actor, it's extremely rare to see Best Director with the Golden Bear.

"The pen almost fell."

"What's your pen compared to my camera? I almost lost my balance."

"Golden Bear!"

"Best Director and the Golden Bear—that's absolutely the pinnacle of success in Berlin!"

"Two Best Director awards – this is absolutely a first in decades! Berlin is always a bit stingy with awards than Cannes and Venice. If this gets back to China, it'll be quite a spectacle tomorrow."

"."

Quiet whispers rose and fell.

Beside Wu Chen, Zhang Yi and Li Gan had completely lost control. The two hugged each other, their eyes red, but they were extremely excited.

"Director Wu, the Golden Bear, damn it, I've acted in a Golden Bear film too."

"Director Wu, I won the Golden Bear as a debut winner. Is it possible for me to surpass that in the future?"

The pleasant atmosphere was suddenly disrupted by Li Gan's remark, and everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Your resume will still surpass most people's; it just depends on what kind of movies you like to act in."

Wu Chen smiled and patted Li Gan and Zhang Yi on the shoulder, took a deep breath, turned around and hugged Liu Yifei again, before stepping onto the steps and onto the podium for "1939".

Flashbulbs went off behind them as the media section seemed to be capturing a historic moment.

The ceremonial staff are already waiting on the side of the stage.

Herzog has already taken his place in the center of the stage.

He reached out and lifted the golden bear.

The Golden Bear trophy is not tall; it is entirely gold-plated, with a bear paw raised high on a black base.

The light shone on the surface, refracting a dazzling golden light that seemed even more blinding than the crystal chandeliers on the stage. That golden light shone on Herzog's palm and on Wu Chen's face.

Congratulations!

Herzog chuckled softly, with his distinctive German accent.

"Thank you!" Wu Chen extended both hands and solemnly accepted the gift.

The flashes of the cameras suddenly merged into a white curtain of light, freezing this moment into history.

The brief applause gradually subsided after a moment.

The microphone was right in front of me.

Wu Chen adjusted his breathing.

"First of all, I must admit that this trophy is heavier than I expected. Just before the Golden Bear was awarded, I was wondering if two Silver Bears could be combined into one Golden Bear. Well, now we don't need to!"

The audience was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter and applause, which eased the atmosphere somewhat.

"Thank you to the Berlin organizing committee and the jury. This honor belongs not only to me and the crew of '1939,' but also to those who persevered in the darkness and to countless people who sacrificed for their beliefs."

Why did we use a single take to film this? Besides the fact that the running in war, the transmission of information, and the continuation of life cannot be interrupted, there is another very important point: I hope that the audience can truly feel that desperate situation where there is no breathing room and no way out.

You can't change your perspective, you can't escape, just like that generation—no one could escape.

Wu Chen paused for a moment, then added, "It's an honor to bring such a film here for Berlin's 60th anniversary. May all nations remember their darkest nights and truly move towards their own dawn."

After the words were spoken, the entire venue was silent for a moment, and then a thunderous applause erupted. The audience stood up and the applause continued like a tidal wave.

The Golden Bear Awards were announced, and the judges stood up to take a group photo with all the winners.

The large screen on the stage then played a retrospective of the Golden Bear over the past sixty years: from the stunning "Red Sorghum" to the heartwarming "The Mystery in Their Eyes" and now to the still image of "1939".

The images intertwine, with history and the present serving as commentaries on each other.

The host then took the stage and announced the official end of the closing ceremony in German and English.

Then, the audience members in the hall stood up and walked out one after another, and the corridor was filled with dense, low-pitched discussions.
The subsequent procedures were no longer relevant to many of the guests; they consisted of media interviews with the winners, held behind the Palais des Festivals. The winners, carrying their trophies, would first be interviewed by a group of German media before proceeding to the international press area.

What followed was a small dinner party. Compared to the large-scale, lavish dinners in Cannes, this part in Berlin was more like a celebration and small talk.

When Wu Chen, Liu Yifei, and others arrived, Zhang Yimou, Wang Quan'an, and other members of the production crew were already there. They all came over to offer their congratulations once again.

"Your golden bear is truly special, and you even brought along the silver bear. Congratulations!"

"Thank you, senior brother."

Of course, many major film distributors were also present at this time, and upon seeing this, they all gathered around.

"Wu, we can discuss the copyright issue now."

"Of course!" Wu Chen smiled. "We'll talk again tomorrow. You need to give me some rest, right?"

"Hahaha!"

After talking with the film distributor, Han Sanping and Ming Zhenjiang could no longer contain their excitement.

A Golden Bear film, and one with a war theme at that—for the two of them, it was like a huge windfall.

Reporting for the next two or three years is no longer a problem.

"How about we speed up the domestic release?"

"Chairman Han, let's schedule it for late April. There'll be enough time for promotion, and we also have the May Day holiday slot," Wu Chen thought carefully before making his decision.

“I think Director Wu’s choice is better. The March release date might be too slow and not suitable. We hope that more people will come to watch the movie. May Day is much more suitable and the popularity can be maintained,” Ming Zhenjiang nodded in agreement.

Han Sanping pondered for a moment, "Alright, then I'll have to postpone Iron Man 2 until after May Day."

Wu Chen and Ming Zhenjiang exchanged a glance and both saw the smile in each other's eyes.

This is also Han Sanping's usual practice.
(End of this chapter)