It's reasonable for me, a stuntman, to live a crazy life, right?

Chapter 1357 Best Actor! Palme d'Or! A Double Success!

Although it has been many years since I last attended the Cannes Film Festival, the displays and layout inside have remained unchanged.

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Chen Fei felt a strange sense of emotion.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he will visit Cannes less and less in the future.

After all, he has already won so many Palme d'Or awards here, which doesn't fit the organizing committee's custom of "sharing the cake."

Especially with the influence of political correctness in Europe and America in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for films that tell a good story to win awards abroad.

In contrast, things like "Black Lives Matter" and "LGBT" have gradually encroached on the normal market environment.

This is simply a tragedy for the European film market!

"Director Chen, your seat is in the front." A staff member came forward and led Chen Fei and the rest of the "Parasite" crew to the front row.

Normally, those who can sit in the front row are either local dignitaries in Cannes or top celebrities in the film industry.

Coincidentally, Chen Fei is also considered a member of the elite.

He took Liu Yifei's hand and went straight to sit in the front row.

As for Han Jianu and the others, they sat in the second row.

Chen Kai and his group should sit further back, since they are just spectators tonight and don't need such good seats.

The people sitting in the middle seats in the front row are local Cannes cultural and tourism officials.

Upon seeing Chen Fei sit down beside him, the other party greeted him warmly and asked how he was doing.

"Fei, my son really loves your movies and has always dreamed of getting your autograph. Are you available to sign one now?"

"Of course it's convenient."

It's just signing my name, it's not a big deal.

The two chatted enthusiastically offstage, discussing topics related to culture and tourism.

A new "Ready Player One" theme park has also opened in Cannes, and many smaller topics can be explored around this large theme.

Like Disneyland, Ready Player One theme parks have also been expanding rapidly in recent years.

The main reason is the Great Depression.

Originally expensive land prices have plummeted due to the impact of the pandemic.

In order to stimulate the market, the local government has introduced various investment incentive policies.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the number and speed of the park's expansion have skyrocketed.

At the same time, the awards ceremony on stage also began.

At the host's invitation, the judges took turns to the stage and delivered passionate speeches.

The theme is actually quite simple; it revolves around ensuring fairness and impartiality in the selection of this year's film awards, and that's all.

Then, the awards ceremony officially began!
Honorary Palme d'Or, Un Certain Regard section, Short Film Competition, Cinéfondation...

At first, they were all small, insignificant awards.

But it took more than an hour to distribute these "fly legs" (small, insignificant items).

Chen Fei's butt hurt from sitting so long.

I don't know when it started, but Cannes has become increasingly adept at distributing small cakes.

They dared not mess around with the main competition, but the smaller competition sections were divided into smaller cakes, with the main idea being that everyone who came would get a piece.

Of course, this may also be related to the fact that tickets for the three major European countries have become increasingly expensive and difficult to sell in recent years.

Only by generating buzz will more and more people pay attention to this, and tickets will naturally sell much better.

The awards ceremony was interspersed with some artistic performances.

Europe is an open country, so most of their programs are very exciting.

For example, right now, some female dancers wearing only a black veil, but actually going braless underneath, are dancing gracefully on stage, eliciting cheers from the audience.

Chen Fei was also watching, but his gaze was very proper, because at that moment a small hand had already placed on his waist.

It's obvious without even guessing that Miss Liu was keeping a close eye on him out of the corner of her eye.

The performance ended a little over ten minutes later.

And this also means that the main event of the night has finally arrived!
"The winner of the Best Actress Award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival is Zara Amir Abrahimi, for 'The Sacred Spider'."

The first award is Best Actress.

The winner was an Iranian actress with a distinctive and easily recognizable face.

Liu Yifei watched calmly, because she had already won the Cannes Best Actress award, so the allure of this prize had diminished considerably.

But Zhou Xun, sitting in the back row, couldn't hide his envy.

She has been to the Cannes Film Festival many times and has been nominated for Best Actress no less than five times, but each time she has returned empty-handed, without winning anything.

"Sister Xun, don't be sad, there will be other opportunities in the future," Han Jianu comforted her softly.

"Ugh."

Zhou Xun sighed, a sense of relief appearing on his face.

As it turns out, the Cannes Film Festival award was simply not meant for her; otherwise, she wouldn't have received so many nominations yet still won nothing.

"Perhaps even God is reminding me not to waste my energy and to take a break."

Just as Zhou Xun was feeling sentimental, the award presenters on stage announced the "Best Screenplay" and the "75th Anniversary Award".

The next second, just as everyone on the "Parasite" crew was caught off guard, the next award ceremony suddenly announced:

"The winner of the Best Actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival is Zhang Yi, for *Parasite*!"

Best Actor Award?
"Parasite"?
Zhang Yi!

"boom--"

Chinese filmmakers and media attending the Cannes Film Festival were the first to cheer, with thunderous applause and flashing lights creating a continuous burst of cheers!
"Zhang Yi, you won an award! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go claim your prize!"

It wasn't until Han Jianu's reminder reached his ears that Zhang Yi belatedly came to his senses.

Movie king?

Cannes Best Actor!

I won the Best Actor award at Cannes!

Zhang Yi suddenly stood up from his seat, his eyes instantly turning red.

He hugged Chen Fei tightly as he also stood up, a suppressed sob escaping his throat: "Director Chen, is...is this real?"

Chen Fei patted him on the back and said with a smile, "That's right, it's not a dream. Hurry up and go on stage to receive your trophy!"

He let go, turned around, and hugged Han Jianu, Zhou Xun, and the others again.

"Go now! Bring the trophy back to me!"

Han Jianu was very excited.

She actually helped produce a Cannes Best Actor! That's incredibly impressive! Now she can brag about it to all the second-generation rich kids of her age in Beijing's elite circles when she gets back home.

She wanted to see who would dare to act arrogantly in front of her then.

She's determined to be the boss!
Meanwhile, Zhang Yi was stumbling and staggering toward the stage, each step feeling like he was walking on clouds.

As he stepped onto the stairs, the spotlight was so bright that he could barely open his eyes.

The chants of "Zhang Yi! Zhang Yi!" from the audience propelled him toward the award presenter.

The moment he received the trophy, the coolness of the metal brought him completely back to reality; this really wasn't a dream!
"Thank you Cannes, thank you to the jury, thank you to director Han Jia..." Zhang Yi's voice trembled as he spoke at the podium.

Finally, after fully regaining his senses, he took a deep breath and said frankly, "But what I want to say most right now is, thank you Director Chen for your guidance!"

Thirteen years ago, it was you who personally selected me to play the role in "My Chief and My Regiment." You rescued me from among many ordinary actors. Without your exceptional casting, I wouldn't be where I am today. Thank you so much!

At this point, he suddenly choked up and said, "I used to think that an ordinary actor like me, with average looks, would never be able to get close to Cannes."

But today I stand here to tell all my fellow practitioners who are still persevering: as long as you don't give up, your dreams will eventually become reality!

Applause erupted again, flooding the entire theater like a tidal wave.

Zhang Yi raised the trophy high, making the words "75e Festival de Cannes" reflect a dazzling halo in front of the camera!

At that moment, as he trembled as he held up the trophy, the live stream chat on Youku in China instantly erupted into a frenzy of comments.

Earlier, Chen Fei had reminded Gu Yongqiang to communicate with Cannes and secure the online broadcasting rights for this year.

Although Youku spent a lot of money on this, at this moment, it was all worth it!
A Cannes Best Actor award is enough to guarantee Youku's peak viewership tonight.

Looking around, the red banner with the slogan "Zhang Yi deserves it!" almost completely filled the screen, and the server even started to hum and stutter under the impact of the millions of viewers who flooded in at once.

Netizens frantically took screenshots and forwarded them, and the Weibo trending topics refreshed at lightning speed.

The hashtag #ZhangYiCannesBestActor# was followed by a bright red "Explosive" sign, and within ten minutes the number of views had already exceeded 5 million!
"Help! I'm getting goosebumps! Another Cannes Best Actor award! This is just too awesome!"

"I really didn't expect that Zhang Yi would actually win the Best Actor award at Cannes for 'Parasite'. It seems that the quality of this movie is definitely not bad."

"Hey bro, this is a movie produced by Feiyue Films, starring Chen Fei himself. It's definitely a top-notch film!"

"I wonder if there are any other awards we can win? It would be best if we could bring back the Palme d'Or and show our national pride!"

"Director Chen's decisions are always spot on..."

The online discussion was heated, and on social media platforms, celebrities from the film and television industry forwarded and congratulated the event.

Zhang Yimou made a rare post on Weibo, saying: "Well deserved, the pride of Chinese-language films! This trophy is the best reward for a pure actor."

However, Dong Ping could not hide his regret at this moment.

If he had known earlier that Zhang Yi would win the Cannes Best Actor award, he should have included him in the cast of "Man Jiang Hong".

Unfortunately, it's too late now.

Meanwhile, the awards ceremony is still ongoing.

The Jury Prize was awarded to two films, "Eight Mountains" and "Donkey Bray".

The Best Director award went to Park Chan-wook's "Determination to Leave".

Then came the Jury Prize, which surprisingly resulted in a tie, awarded to both "Intimacy" and "High Noon".

With this, the Cannes International Film Festival has officially come to a close.

At this point, only the highest honor, the Palme d'Or, has yet to be officially announced.

Suddenly, a man walked out from backstage; it was Vincent Linton, the chairman of the jury.

He was holding in his hands the Palme d'Or trophy that all the filmmakers in the room had been dreaming of.

In the back row, Chen Kaige subconsciously clenched his fist.

This is exactly what he wanted!

Unfortunately, it has been 29 years since he won the Palme d'Or in 93 with "Farewell My Concubine", and he still hasn't been able to touch that Palme d'Or again.

This film, "Boyhood," was definitely the closest it ever came to winning the Palme d'Or.

Unfortunately, he still came here empty-handed and could only watch others receive their awards while he felt restless and uneasy.

"I hereby announce that the film that has won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival is..."

At that moment, the entire arena fell silent, and all eyes were fixed on Vincent Linton.

The comment section on Youku, a Chinese video-sharing platform, suddenly went silent; no one posted any more messages, and everyone's attention was focused on the award presenter.

"Han Ga Nyeo! "Parasite"!"

Vincent Linton's shouts suddenly erupted in the silent Palais des Festivals in Cannes.

The next second, the entire venue erupted in cheers once again!

The applause erupted like a tsunami!

Han Jianu, sitting in the second row, sat stiffly in her chair, her fingertips unconsciously tugging at the hem of her dress.

It wasn't until Zhou Xun suddenly grabbed her arm that she staggered to her feet as if waking from a dream!
The crew members around her shoved her forward frantically, and amidst the shouts of "Director Han! Director Han!", she saw the judges in the front row stand up and applaud her.

As Han Jianu walked onto the podium, her high heels made a hurried sound on the steps.

Her hands trembled as she accepted the Palme d'Or trophy. The sharp edges of the metal made her palms go numb, but it also brought back a sense of reality.

Her gaze swept across the audience, and she saw Liu Yifei, Zhou Xun, and Zhang Yi clapping for her continuously. Chen Fei gave her a thumbs up, while not far away, Chen Kaige and his wife Chen Hong had expressions of amazement and envy on their faces.

"Thank you for the jury's recognition..." Han Jianu's voice echoed in the empty hall, "The creation of this film was extremely difficult. In order to show the core of the story, we argued until dawn about countless scenes... But it was precisely these disagreements that made 'Parasite' what it is today..."

As she spoke, she suddenly turned to face the audience and bowed deeply to Chen Fei. "Here, I would like to express my special thanks to my senior brother Chen Fei for his trust. It is his support that has enabled my idea to be realized!"

Meanwhile, just as Han Jianu was weeping with joy, the Youku live stream room in China was completely buzzing with excitement.

The long-dormant comment section suddenly exploded, with the screen filled with "Godlike!" and "The Light of Chinese Cinema!" flooding the screen, pushing the server to the brink of collapse once again.

The top ten trending topics on Weibo were instantly dominated by "Parasite," with the word "Explosive" next to the hashtag "Han Jia wins Palme d'Or" standing out in bright red! It's shining!
Influential figures in the film and television industry have been sharing the post, with the same caption: "Witnessing history!"
It's worth noting that this is the second Palme d'Or to be won by a female director, following Jane Campion's Palme d'Or win last year for her film "The Power of Dogs".

And among Chinese people, this is a unique phenomenon.

There are quite a few Chinese actresses, but none of them have won any of the three major European awards.

Therefore, Han Jianu has made history!
"Hahahahaha!"

Inside the Film Bureau office, Han Sanping's laughter nearly lifted the ceiling.

"Old Han, congratulations! You've raised a wonderful daughter!"

Wang Yong, Ren Zhonglun, and other colleagues all offered their congratulations.

"Come to the victory celebration banquet! Don't leave anyone out..."

Han Sanping was in high spirits and was already preparing to throw a celebration banquet for Han Jianu.

However, at that moment, something completely unexpected happened...

As jury president Vincent Linton walked backstage, Cannes Film Festival president Pierre Lescour emerged carrying a new Palme d'Or trophy...

(End of this chapter)