Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

December 29th,

Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

The eight main actors from the film "Parasite" reunited.

At this year's Academy Awards, "Parasite" was nominated for five awards: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay.

It received 11 nominations, second only to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

However, the nominations for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" were mostly for technical awards, so before the awards ceremony, the media was very optimistic about "Parasite".

In the early days of the Academy Awards, MGM Studios dominated, winning awards almost every year.

However, since its long-term decline and bankruptcy in the late 80s, and its multiple acquisitions, MGM Studios has not won an Oscar for nearly 30 years.

The most recent example is the 89 film "Rain Man," which won an Oscar, but this film was produced by United Artists (UA), a subsidiary of MGM, not by MGM Studios.

This time, Kirk, true to his gambling prowess, placed a heavy bet on Chong Wai-on, determined to win several big prizes and once again boost MGM's stock price.

The idea was good, and the result was pretty good too.

At the start of the awards ceremony, "Parasite" won Best Original Screenplay, while Best Supporting Actress and Best Editing were not nominated.

"The winner of the 76th Academy Award for Best Actor is..."

On stage, award presenter George Clooney looked at the "Parasite" cast, which made Paul Giamatti tense up. He stared straight at the stage, silently praying.

George Clooney didn't disappoint him; after a brief pause, he announced loudly, "Parasite's Paul Giamatti, congratulations Paul!"

"Yes!" Paul jumped up and waved his arms vigorously.

Congratulations, Paul!

Zhuang Huai'an turned around and hugged him, patting his back and whispering, "Paul, be elegant, go and collect your trophy."

Paul took a deep breath, and Chong Zhuang Huai'an nodded with a grateful expression. What a benefactor!

With the Oscars broadcast live, his loss of composure could easily be attacked by other actors' fans as a petty act of triumph. For this reason, almost all award ceremonies, even for those who have been nominated for over a decade but never won, will force themselves to maintain their composure.

You're right, aren't you, Leonardo DiCaprio?

"call…"

After receiving the trophy from George Clooney and calming himself down, Paul delivered a lengthy thank-you speech, the core of which was to thank the Academy and Zhuang Huai'an.

Zhuang Huai'an smiled silently from below. Paul, you old bastard, you should be most grateful to MGM, and thank Kirk.

If Kirk's analysis team hadn't thought that winning an Oscar would boost MGM's stock price, why would this old capitalist have bothered with public relations?

"Director, I love you so much!"

As soon as he stepped off the stage, he threw the Paul Trophy aside and went up to kiss Zhuang Huai'an on the cheek.

Zhuang Huai'an quickly dodged, cursing, "Fuck you, Paul! If you dare touch me, I swear I'll kick your ass hard later!"

"Really, Director?" Paul asked shyly. "Is this a reward for me?"

Holy crap, you old gay man!

Zhuang Huai'an felt a chill run down his spine. Although he didn't know if Paul was real or not, he would definitely confirm the sexual orientation before casting the next time!

Your butt should be used properly for excretion, you know!

It's not surprising that Paul was so emotional. Although he is a good actor, he has always been a second or third-tier supporting actor in Hollywood. After years in the business, he certainly understands that winning the Oscar for Best Actor this time is thanks to MGM.

What does a Best Actor award bring to an actor?

Take Paul as an example. Starting tomorrow, his agency is willing to offer him a salary of $1500 million, which is three times his original salary!

On stage,

David Fincher, the director of Fight Club, was making his usual banter when, after being reminded by the host, he opened his cue cards, a hint of agreement flashing in his eyes.

"Oh, I have to say, the academy's selection this time is exactly what I thought. The winner is a director I greatly admire."

David Fincher surveyed the audience, his gaze settling on the Parasite crew.

"The winner of the Best Director award at the 76th Academy Awards is 'Parasite,' congratulations An!"

The applause in the room immediately erupted, and many actors looked at Zhuang Huai'an with burning eyes, especially the male actors, whose eyes were practically glued to him.

After all, the number of Best Actor winners that Zhuang Huai'an has promoted is already on par with his own awards.

Zhuang Huai'an laughed loudly a few times, then calmly got up, buttoned his suit jacket, hugged everyone in the crew except Paul, and walked slowly onto the stage.

Behind him, Paul's gaze held a hint of resentment.

"An, I absolutely love your movie, congratulations!"

"Thank you, David."

David Fincher handed the trophy to Chuang Huai-an, took a step back, and looked at the young director with great emotion. It seemed that he was only 21 years old this year.

The Mississippi River truly is a place where each new wave pushes the previous one higher than the last.

"Well, thank you to the academy and the judges for their recognition, thank you to the entire crew for their hard work, thank you to the production company MGM Studios, and most importantly, thank you to my alma mater, the world's best art school, China Film Academy, and my teacher, Professor Wang Hongwei."

Zhuang Huai'an sighed with emotion, "Just for that one sentence, Old Wang should kowtow to himself."

"Many people don't know that when I first started making Parasite, some people around me objected. They felt that in the 03 film market, Hollywood directors were all studying epic blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean, so why should I make a film with such a sharp style that tells about class and human nature?"

My answer is simple: because the market already has "The Lord of the Rings" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." The reason Hollywood is great is that, in addition to the fireworks at the top, it also has the faint light of the bottom crawling forward.

The gap between rich and poor, the struggle of human nature, and the helplessness of fate are common themes that transcend time and place.

This trophy doesn't belong to me alone; it belongs to all filmmakers who uphold realism in their work, and to every ordinary person who, despite being forced by life's pressures, is still striving to live.

Finally, thank you again to the Academy, and a salute to all the filmmakers present. Respect.

Zhuang Huai'an smiled and raised the trophy high, instantly eliciting thunderous applause from the crowd.

Clint Eastwood, the director of "Mystic River" and a living Hollywood legend, clapped enthusiastically with tears in his eyes. Zhuang Huai'an's words had truly touched his heart.

Of course, not everyone shared the old man's emotional resonance; most were simply flattering him.

The applause lasted for a full five minutes before the host spoke up to continue managing the event.

Zhuang Huai'an stepped off the stage holding the golden statuette, looking relaxed.

Having won Best Actor and Best Director, that's probably all for tonight. These are both major awards, and the Oscars wouldn't give several major awards to a single film.

The awards ceremony continued.

The Best Foreign Language Film award went to Canada's "Savage Invasion," which also participated in last year's Cannes Film Festival and received high ratings, ultimately losing to "Parasite." This time, it's a dream come true at the Oscars.

The Grand Finale Best Picture went to "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King".

So far, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" has been nominated 11 times and won 10 times. The only one it didn't win was the Best Director award, which was already won by Zhuang Huai'an.

The similar blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean" won no awards, and the competition between the two was mainly in technical awards. It's unclear whether Disney felt these awards were not worthwhile, which is why they didn't do any public relations.

Because of the participation of mainland Chinese director Zhuang Huai'an, this year's Academy Awards were broadcast by Princess Six, which was very considerate, even though the nominated films were not Chinese films.

Four hours later, mainland media and netizens were excited again.

[Shocking! The first Chinese director to win an Academy Award!]

With the three major European awards plus the Oscars, what can stop him?

[Did the Oscars favor "Parasite" because it resonated with the experiences of America's working class?]

[With 5 nominations and 3 wins, "Parasite" is the biggest winner at this year's Oscars, taking home Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay!]

[Unprecedented! The title of China's top director has been confirmed, and Zhuang Huai'an has moved up another rank in global directors!]

[The most dazzling star of Beijing Film Academy, Zhuang Huai'an, once again recognizes Beijing Film Academy as the world's best art school on the Oscar stage!]

[Shanghai Theatre Academy? Central Academy of Drama? Beijing Film Academy: They're all inferior!]

[Breaking News! Parasite Becomes Reality: Is There Something fishy About Chong Wai-On's Takeover of MGM? We'll Analyze It from Another Perspective!]

After reading the news report from mainland China sent by Chung Lai-Fang, Chuang Huai-An was speechless.

Damn it, we've been discovered?

(The data is poor, I'll write it down slowly and you can read it slowly.)