Who says Beijing Film Academy has no great directors? (2002)

Chen Yan accepted the trophy from the presenter and smiled politely, "First of all, I would like to thank the Berlin Film Festival for awarding me this prize. It is a recognition of my abilities."

Thank you, Depp, for your wonderful performance; he truly dedicated himself to this film. My story with Berlin goes far beyond this, and I hope to bring even better works to the festival next time. Thank you everyone.

Chen Yan was much more composed when he stood on the stage of the international film festival for the second time to receive the award, and he nodded slightly to the people around him to express his gratitude when he stepped off the stage.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause, everyone curious about what kind of film this young man had made to earn this honor.

Chen Yan returned to his seat and casually handed the trophy to Liu Yifei, who accepted it with remarkable ease.

They completely missed Depp, who was craning his neck to touch the Best Director trophy.

Depp, beaming, said, "Chen, you're amazing! Next time you have a script, please call me! I can give you a discount!"

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow: "Broken bones?"

Depp was speechless. "We can't let this disrupt my market price too much. This is the result of my negotiation with my agent..."

Chen Yan laughed and said, "I understand, I won't take advantage of you for now."

Depp then licked his lips and said to Liu Yifei, "Crystal, Crystal, let me see you too~"

Liu Yifei generously handed it over: "Here, for you."

Chen Yan gently nudged Liu Yifei's arm and asked with a smile, "How was it? Was I great?"

Liu Yifei hummed twice and said, "It's alright~" Then she covered her mouth and laughed.

Chen Yan glanced at Liu Yifei with affection and stopped arguing.

After the awards ceremony, actors and directors from many countries came over to greet Chen Yan and offer their congratulations.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Chen Yan introduced Liu Yifei and Depp to everyone, and exchanged contact information with several people on the spot.

Back in their hotel room, Liu Yifei immediately threw herself into Liu Xiaoli's arms, looking up at her with bright, sparkling eyes, and said, "Mom, Chen Yan won Best Director!"

Liu Xiaoli's eyes also lit up with a bright light. "Wow, I knew Xiao Chen was capable! This kid is really promising!"

As Liu Yifei's mother, she certainly hopes that the company she works for and the director who promotes her will become very powerful, so that they can protect Xixi, promote Xixi to the international stage, and make more people like Xixi.

"I'm so happy, even though this movie has nothing to do with me." Liu Yifei chuckled.

Liu Xiaoli gave Liu Yifei's nose a helpless tap. "You!"

......

The atmosphere on Chen Yan's side was slightly somber.

"I need you to continue following up on Kim Ki-duk's situation. I hope his mess in Berlin can spread across the peninsula. Someone like him shouldn't be active in the film industry anymore; it's an insult to be his colleague."

"Tell me, am I right, James?"

James immediately replied, "Boss, I understand what you mean. Now, I need to ask about the funding restrictions in this matter?"

"There are no limits, go for it." Chen Yan still felt a surge of anger when he recalled the way Kim Ki-duk looked at Liu Yifei. He really didn't want to see him again.

"Okay, boss." James agreed and turned to leave.

Chen Yan walked to the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows, looked at the Berlin night view, and his mind gradually calmed down.

The news reached China the following afternoon.

The news instantly made headlines on major news outlets.

Chen Yanbo wins the film "Buried Alive"! Another success for the film!

Congratulations to director Chen Yan for winning the Silver Bear for Best Director, following his Palme d'Or win at Cannes!

Chen Yan, a leading figure among China's sixth-generation directors! Nominated twice, won twice—a perfect record!

"Chen Yan is too amazing. Who in the country is more amazing than him now? Those older generation members, apart from their seniority and titles, none of them are any real fighters."

"I have to say, being a fan of Chen Yan is so great; he can win an international award with just a casual gesture."

Of course, some people also made sarcastic remarks, with Lady Lu being the first to be targeted.

He published a long article of over a thousand words entitled "A Brief Analysis of Some Unhealthy Trends in the Domestic Film Industry".

The article subtly names certain directors who only know how to make sensational films, abandoning the true core of domestic cinema, and are therefore outliers who should be boycotted.

The second half of the speech was a frantic promotion of his upcoming film, "Kekexili," praising it as full of humanistic concern and absolutely the best film of the first half of 2004, without exception.

The article was instantly interpreted as a veiled criticism of Chen Yan.

The comments were all criticizing him for trying to gain attention and telling him to get lost.

When Chen Yan received the news the next day, he only replied through the media with one sentence: "At least my films are all original."

The internet exploded again instantly.

The headline read: "Chen Yan Allegedly Accuses Director Lu Chuan of Plagiarism in His New Film 'Kekexili'..."

The matter escalated for most of the day before being brought to a halt by relevant departments. Even Han Sanping was invited to call Chen Yan to mediate.

"He bit me first," Chen Yan replied, frowning and annoyed.

"He didn't name names, and his articles mostly focus on promoting his new film. If you do this, how will he promote his new film?" Han Sanping advised earnestly.

Chen Yan understood immediately; they had hired China Film Group for publicity and distribution.

But Chen Yan still felt disgusted. "He's a mad dog, oh no, a toad. He doesn't bite, but he's still disgusting."

"Sigh... Chen Yan..." Han Sanping let out a long sigh.

Chen Yan paused for a moment before slowly saying:

"Alright, Mr. Han, I'll give you face, but! I hope you'll pass on my message: tell him to get as far away from me as possible. I'll let him off this time and not pursue it further, but if I catch him doing anything wrong again, I'll definitely shave his head half-shaved!"

Doesn't he love being a traitor and a Japanese soldier? Chen Yan will let him be one to the fullest extent.

"Okay, okay, that's all settled." Han Sanping was also in a real bind. There was nothing he could do; Chen Yan had scolded the younger one, and now the older one was coming to his door.

Han Sanping really couldn't stand those crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. He was busy to death every day, so how could he have the time to solve cases for them?

Han Sanping hung up the phone and called Hua Yi: "Chen Yan said he wouldn't pursue the matter further, but if anything else happens later, he won't be so lenient."

"Hey, Mr. Wang, don't come to me with this kind of mess next time. If I become a cop, I'll be handling all your cases. I might end up pleasing neither side."

Wang Zhonglei of Huayi was also embroiled in a lot of trouble. He really couldn't understand why one or two people in the company were all going against Chen Yan. First there was Feng Xiaogang, and now there was Lu Chuan.

The problem is that these guys are all troublemakers who can't resolve things, and in the end, you have to clean up their messes yourself.

"Oh, thank you, Mr. Han. We had no choice; we were all trying to make the movie do well."

"Okay, okay, I'm hanging up now. I'll treat you to dinner sometime." Wang Zhonglei's face darkened after hanging up the phone.

"Damn it, is Lu Chuan out of his mind?! If he ruins 'Kekexili,' I'll smash his basket!"