novelraw Chapter 49: Beijing Film Academy Tradition
Chapter 49: Beijing Film Academy Tradition
The reception following the awards ceremony was held in an old building next to the Palace of Cinema.
Liu Yu stood in the corner of the hall, holding a wine glass, with Zhong Lifang and David beside him.
He had lost count of how many glasses of champagne he had drunk that night. There was half a glass left, and he didn't want to drink anymore, but he felt embarrassed to put it down.
Standing at a cocktail party with an empty glass makes you look like you're there to freeload.
The hall was bustling with people, and various languages mingled together: French, German, English, Spanish, and Japanese, like a pot of eight-treasure porridge that had come to a boil, with all sorts of flavors.
People kept coming over to greet Liu Yu.
A French producer walked over, shook his hand, and said a long string of French words. Liu Yifei translated for him, and the gist of it was, "Your film is very moving. In my twenty years in the industry, I have rarely seen such a sincere expression of emotion."
Liu Yu thanked them, and the other person then asked, "Do you have any plans for your next film?"
"Still in preparation."
The other party immediately handed over a business card, saying, "If you need any cooperation, please feel free to contact me."
Liu Yu took the business card, glanced at it, and saw a French name he couldn't understand and a bunch of titles printed on it.
He put the business card in his pocket, thinking to himself that these people have a keen sense of smell; if you have a trophy, they think you have gold.
A Japanese director walked over and chatted with Liu Yu for a few minutes in broken English.
He said his name is Hirokazu Kore-eda, and that one of his films was nominated for a certain category this year.
Liu Yu paused for a moment when he heard the name. It was Hirokazu Kore-eda, the same Hirokazu Kore-eda who later won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
He looked closely at the other person's face and it matched the image in his memory.
Thin, wears glasses, and speaks with his head slightly lowered.
"Your film is very gentle," Hirokazu Kore-eda said with a smile.
"Thank you, I really enjoyed your movie too."
He was telling the truth. Although he had never seen a Hirokazu Kore-eda film in his life, he had seen them in his past life, including "Shoplifters" and "Our Little Sister," each of which he watched more than once.
Hirokazu Kore-eda smiled, bowed, and left.
Li Xuejian was surrounded by a group of people, mostly elderly European audience members, who expressed their affection for him in broken English.
Song Dandan was at her utmost at the party. She had a basic understanding of English but no knowledge of German, yet her body language was so expressive that she didn't need a translator.
She chatted with a French actress for more than ten minutes, relying entirely on gestures and facial expressions. The two even laughed together and hugged goodbye, like old friends.
Liu Yu watched from the side, thinking to himself that this skill was innate and could not be taught.
Liu Yifei was surrounded by several Asian reporters, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean ones.
She wore a light blue evening gown, her hair was down, and she wore a pair of diamond stud earrings, making her look even more dazzling than on the screen.
......
Han Sanping weaved through the crowd like a fish swimming in water.
He shook hands with this person, chatted with that person for a few words, and always had a smile on his face.
As the party was drawing to a close, Liu Yu stood by the window, gazing at the Berlin night view.
The lights of the distant TV tower twinkled in the night sky, like a giant glow stick.
Zhong Lifang walked over, holding a glass of water in her hand.
"Boss, you drank quite a bit tonight." She handed him some water. "Drink some water, and your head won't hurt so much when you wake up tomorrow morning."
Liu Yu took the water and drank a sip. "Sister Zhong, thank you."
Zhong Lifang was taken aback for a moment. "What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you for managing the company for me. Without you, I wouldn't be able to concentrate on filming."
Zhong Lifang smiled. "When did you become so sentimental?"
The party ended at 1 a.m.
Liu Yu returned to the hotel, lay on the bed, closed his eyes, but his mind was still awake.
He was thinking about tomorrow: seeing Li Xue off to the airport, meeting with film distributors to discuss copyright, and talking to Han Sanping about domestic distribution.
He had a lot to do, so he turned over and his phone lit up.
Yan Danchen sent a text message: "Are you asleep?"
"No. I just got back to the hotel."
"I'm so happy you won the award."
"I'm happy too."
What are you like when you're happy?
Liu Yu thought for a moment, "It's probably like this right now, lying in bed, grinning like an idiot."
......
The next morning, when Liu Yu woke up, his phone was bombarded with messages.
Wang Chaowen sent more than a dozen messages, the last one being: "Bro, you're on CCTV! On the morning news!"
Liu Yu turned on his computer and clicked on the link he had sent, which was a clip from CCTV's morning news.
The host announced: "The 55th Berlin International Film Festival concluded last night. Chinese director Liu Yu won the Silver Bear for Best Director for 'The Hearing Girl,' while director Gu Changwei's 'Peacock' won the Jury Grand Prix. This is another great achievement for Chinese films at the Berlin Film Festival."
The news footage flashed as he went on stage to accept the award. He stood on the stage, holding the Silver Bear trophy, looking a little dazed.
Looking at that scene, he felt like someone visiting the city for the first time—rustic and authentic.
He exited the news and browsed the forums again.
"Berlin Film Festival", "Liu Yu Silver Bear Award", "Gu Changwei Jury Prize" and "Liu Yifei Berlin Red Carpet" – these four topics dominated the top four spots on the trending list.
He clicked in and looked at the comments; most of them were congratulations and praise.
Domestic news media exploded, with headlines getting more sensational than the last.
Liu Yu won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival, becoming one of the three youngest directors to win the award in Europe.
"Mainland Chinese films have achieved double success at Berlin, with Gu Changwei's 'Peacock' winning the Jury Grand Prize."
"Beijing Film Academy student Liu Yu defeats bear in Berlin, 25-year-old makes history."
Liu Yu paused for a moment when he saw the words "youngest".
He hadn't thought about this before, but now that he thinks about it, it seems to be true.
The Best Director award at the three major European film festivals used to be won by directors in their forties or fifties. He is probably the first person to win it.
Two banners were hung up early on the campus of Beijing Film Academy.
One message read, "Warmest congratulations to our student Liu Yu for winning the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival."
Another message read, "Warmest congratulations to our graduate Gu Changwei for winning the Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival."
Two banners hung side by side in front of the school gate, with red backgrounds and white characters, and could be seen from afar.
Wang Chaowen took a picture and sent it to me, saying, "Brother, your banner is hanging in front of Teacher Gu."
The students from the Central Academy of Drama next door saw the news and had mixed feelings.
"The Beijing Film Academy won another award. When will the Central Academy of Drama win one too?"
Some people commented, "The Central Academy of Drama produces actors, while the Beijing Film Academy produces directors; they're on different tracks."
......
He called Zhang Yan.
The phone was answered after only one ring, as if Zhang Yan had been waiting for this call.
"Mom, did you see the news?"
Zhang Yan's voice was filled with barely suppressed joy, "I saw it! Your dad saw it too! He didn't say anything, but he ate an extra half bowl of noodles this morning."
Liu Yu smiled. "Where's Dad?"
"He went to work. He's too busy at the hospital. Before he left, he told me, 'Tell him not to get cocky.'"
Liu Yu laughed even harder, "Mom, tell Dad I'm not getting cocky."
"Whether you're floating or not, I can't see it," Zhang Yan's voice suddenly choked up, "Son, Mom is proud of you."
Liu Yu held his phone, unsure of what to say for a moment.
It wasn't that he didn't want to talk more; it was that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself.
She didn't cry when she won the award in Berlin, but she almost couldn't hold back her tears when she heard Zhang Yan say, "Mom is proud of you."
That's the difference between a mother and a trophy: a trophy is cold, but a mother's words are warm.
He sent Liu Jianhui a text message: "Dad, I won an award."
About ten minutes later, Liu Jianhui replied: "Okay."