Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 136 Winning the Galaxy Award

In September, Beijing is blessed with clear skies and crisp autumn air.

Zhang Jun has been extremely busy lately, as casting for "Run, Dad!" is underway. He receives countless phone calls every day, from people trying to offer actors to those seeking investment.

But today he has to take time to attend an awards ceremony, the Galaxy Awards, which this year is being held at a hotel in Beijing.

To be honest, Zhang Jun wasn't very familiar with this award if "The Martian" hadn't been nominated.

Because the Galaxy Awards have always been a self-congratulatory event within the science fiction community, and outside that small circle, basically no one pays attention to them.

But this year is different, because of him.

"Boss, the car is ready."

Gao Yan pushed the door open and came in, holding a document in her hand: "This is the process that the Galaxy Awards Organizing Committee just sent. Please take a look."

Zhang Jun took the document, glanced at it, and casually put it aside: "Let's go."

Gao Yan hesitated for a moment: "Um—the organizing committee specifically asked that they hope you can arrive early, saying that some media outlets want to interview you."

"media?"

Zhang Jun laughed: "Do they want to interview me, or do they want to interview the Galaxy Awards?"

Gao Yan didn't speak, but her expression said it all.

Of course, I interviewed him.

The Galaxy Awards have been held for so many years, when have they ever enjoyed the treatment of entertainment media? In the past, it was considered a big event if a reporter from a local newspaper was present.

This year is different; because Zhang Jun is going to attend, reporters from several entertainment media outlets have applied for press passes.

The organizing committee members were overjoyed.

As the car drove towards the awards ceremony, Zhang Jun leaned back in his seat, still thinking about casting.

The project "Run, Dad!" has a large investment, and Jackie Chan has been confirmed as the lead actor, but the roles for the daughters have not yet been finalized.

He's looking for a talented young actor who can endure hardship, preferably with some athletic background.

But these days, it's not easy to find child actors who meet the requirements.

"Boss."

Gao Yan's voice interrupted his thoughts: "We've arrived."

Zhang Jun looked up and saw that the car was parked in front of a hotel. The Galaxy Awards ceremony wasn't held in any fancy place; it was just a hotel conference room.

A few people were standing sparsely at the entrance, and they immediately surrounded Zhang Jun's car when they saw it.

"Director Zhang! Director Zhang, look this way!"

"Director Zhang, what are your thoughts on receiving the Galaxy Award?"

"Director Zhang, will 'The Martian' be adapted into a movie?"

As soon as Zhang Jun got out of the car, a barrage of camera flashes went off. The Galaxy Awards staff responsible for receiving him were completely stunned; they had never seen anything like it before.

Zhang Jun waved his hand, signaling the reporters to calm down: "Today's focus is the Galaxy Awards, not me. We can talk after the awards ceremony."

After saying that, he entered the hotel under the guidance of the staff.

The meeting room was small, with a little over a hundred chairs. In front of it was a simple stage with the words "16th Galaxy Awards Ceremony" written on the backdrop.

Quite a few people had already arrived, mostly authors, editors, and seasoned readers from the science fiction community. They were chatting in small groups, and when they saw Zhang Jun enter, their eyes all turned to him.

Zhang Jun found a seat on the side and sat down. Soon a middle-aged man came over.

"Director Zhang, hello! I'm Jia, an editor at Science Fiction World. We've met before!"

Zhang Jun remembered that the man's name was Jia Si, and he had previously contacted him about serializing the novel.

"Hello, Editor Jia."

Jia Si smiled broadly: "Director Zhang, let me tell you, when 'The Martian' was serialized in our magazine, its sales doubled!"

The reader letters were all praising it, saying they hadn't seen such hardcore and entertaining science fiction in a long time!

Zhang Jun smiled and said, "I'm glad the readers like it."

"Like? It's more than just like!"

Jia Si lowered her voice: "I'll give you a heads-up, you're going to win at least two Galaxy Awards this year!"

Zhang Jun thought to himself, "Isn't that obvious? With my sales volume and influence, it would be strange if I didn't get an award."

However, he still said, "Participation is the most important thing; it doesn't matter whether I win an award or not."

Just as Jia Si was about to say something, a cough suddenly came from the stage in front, and a middle-aged woman in a business suit went up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's almost time. Our awards ceremony is about to begin. I'm your host for today, and also the editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World. My name is Qin Li."

A round of applause erupted from the audience.

After the applause subsided, Qin Li continued, "This year's Galaxy Awards are a little different from previous years. We have many new friends and many media friends here."

I know that many people came specifically for one person.

As she spoke, she looked in Zhang Jun's direction: "Director Zhang Jun, please stand up so everyone can see you, so that the reporters can find you."

The audience burst into laughter.

Zhang Jun stood up helplessly, nodded to his surroundings, and then sat down again.

Qin Li continued, "To be honest, in all my years as an editor, this is the first time I've seen our science fiction circle so lively."

In the past, when we had meetings, everyone who came was an acquaintance. We could tell who it was just by farting.

This year is even worse; so many unfamiliar faces have shown up that I'm starting to wonder if I've come to the wrong place.

Another burst of laughter followed; Qin Li was quite good at livening up the atmosphere.

Qin Li continued, "But as much as it's lively, we still have to do what we need to do. The Galaxy Awards have been held for sixteen years and have always been an award for science fiction fans. They judge the works, not the authors' fame."

This year is no different. Although a big-name director is here, whether or not the film wins an award depends on the work itself.

This is a very skillful way of putting it. It welcomes Zhang Jun while also stating our position: we don't fawn over you, we only care about your work.

But in reality, everyone knows the truth.

The first award was for Best New Author. The host read out the names of the nominees and then invited the presenters to the stage.

The award presenter was a middle-aged female writer whom Zhang Jun did not recognize.

She opened the envelope and read aloud: "Zhang Jun, winner of the 16th Galaxy Award for Best New Author, *The Martian*!"

applause.

Zhang Jun stood up and walked onto the stage, accepting the trophy from the female writer. It was a crystal sculpture, shaped like an abstract planet, and quite heavy in his hand.

"Thank you." Zhang Junchong nodded to the audience and prepared to leave.

"Hey, Director Zhang, don't be in such a hurry to leave."

The host, Qin Li, stopped him and said, "Say a few words, please. The Newcomer Award is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Someone in the audience started to clamor: "Say a few words!"

Zhang Jun had no choice but to stand back in front of the microphone: "Then I'll say a few words. First, thank you to the judges, thank you to *Science Fiction World*, and thank you to my readers for their support."

This award means a lot to me; it proves that I'm not only good at making movies, but I can also write novels.

The audience laughed.

Zhang Jun continued, "Actually, when I was writing 'The Martian,' I didn't think too much. I just thought the story was quite fun, and it would be a pity not to write it down."

After I finished writing it, I published it in a magazine. I thought it would only be read by science fiction fans, but it became a hit.

What does this show? It shows that our domestic readers don't dislike science fiction; they just haven't seen any good science fiction.

That makes sense, and many people in the audience nodded in agreement.

Zhang Jun concluded, "I hope more people will write science fiction in the future. That's all I wanted to say."

He took the trophy and went downstairs.

Next came the awards presentations, including Best Short Story, Best Novella, Best Translation, and so on. Watching from the audience, Zhang Jun realized that although the science fiction community was niche, the quality of the works was surprisingly high.

Several of the short stories were very interesting, with ingenious ideas and imaginative concepts.

Finally, the grand prize arrived.

Qin Li returned to the stage: "Next up is the most important award of the evening—the Galaxy Masterpiece Award. This award is given to the most outstanding science fiction work of the past year."

Three works were shortlisted: "The Martian" by Professor Zhang Jun, "The Eternal Wave" by Professor Lala, and "Route 674" by Chang Jia.

The award presenter was a leader from the China Association for Science and Technology Writers.

He opened the envelope, glanced at it, and laughed, "This result is actually not much of a surprise."

The audience smiled knowingly.

"Zhang Jun, winner of the 16th Galaxy Award for Best Film, *The Martian*!"

There was thunderous applause.

Zhang Jun went on stage again, and this time the audience looked at him differently. If the Best Newcomer award was somewhat encouraging, then this Masterpiece Award was genuine recognition.

After accepting the trophy, Zhang Jun stood in front of the microphone and remained silent for two seconds.

"To be honest, this award feels heavier than the one I just received."

The audience laughed.

Zhang Jun continued, "When I first entered the industry, someone told me that science fiction was a niche field and there was no future in doing it."

I said, it doesn't matter if it's niche or not, as long as it's interesting.

"The Martian" tells the story of an astronaut who is stranded on Mars and survives by relying on his knowledge.

As I was writing this, I was thinking, "How wonderful it would be if our country could one day send people to Mars!"

He paused for a moment: "Some people might think I'm dreaming. It's 2007, and we haven't even been to the moon yet. What are you thinking about Mars?"

But I don't think it's shameful to dream.

What is science fiction? Science fiction is using your imagination to sketch a rough outline of the future. What seems like a dream today might be reality tomorrow.

The audience was silent.

"Finally, thank you to the jury for this award. I will continue writing and making films in the future. Perhaps one day, we will be able to see a domestically produced, hardcore, and entertaining science fiction film in theaters."

I hope everyone will support me then.

He raised the trophy and walked off the stage, where the applause lasted for a long time.

After the awards ceremony, Zhang Jun was surrounded by reporters. There were entertainment reporters, as well as several reporters from technology media outlets.

"Director Zhang, are you serious about the domestic sci-fi film you just mentioned? Will 'The Martian' be adapted into a movie?"

Zhang Jun thought for a moment and said, "I won't rush into filming. With the current technology and market environment, making a science fiction film is still too risky."

Let's wait and see, until the time is right.

"So, what are your writing plans for the future?"

Zhang Jun laughed: "Yes, but I can't reveal it yet. I can only say that it's a story even crazier than 'The Martian'."

Before the reporters could press for more questions, Gao Yan squeezed in, saying, "Excuse me, everyone, Director Zhang has other matters to attend to. Let's talk another time."

She protected Zhang Jun as they walked out, and it took them a lot of effort to squeeze through the crowd.

After getting in the car, Gao Yan handed her a bottle of water: "Boss, you spoke so well today. Especially the last part about dreams, I was really moved."

Zhang Jun took the water, took a sip, and said calmly, "That's the truth."

"The Martian" is just the beginning. What he really wants to do is to ignite the spark of Chinese science fiction in this era.

After returning home, Zhang Jun received a call from Fan Bingbing: "Hey, congratulations Director Zhang, you won another award?"

Zhang Jun laughed: "You're quite well-informed."

"Of course, I'm keeping a close eye on your every move."

Fan Bingbing's voice was tinged with laughter: "How does it feel to hold two trophies in your hands?"

Zhang Jun thought for a moment: "It's quite heavy."

Fan Bingbing paused for a moment, then burst out laughing: "How can you be so boring! Shouldn't you be saying something grand and inspiring at a time like this?"

"After making grand pronouncements on stage, let's hear the truth from the audience." Zhang Jun was very honest.

Fan Bingbing's languid voice came through: "Are you home now? I came to find you—"

It seems another major battle is about to begin.

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