During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 754 The Actress and the Director

The Berlin Film Festival, which has lasted for more than ten days, has finally reached its climax, and tonight, all the major awards will be announced.

Compared to the opening ceremony, the red carpet at the closing ceremony is more important, attracting the attention of filmmakers and the media alike.

However, the red carpet at the closing ceremony of this film festival will not be visible in China, because it will be around midnight when the red carpet begins.

But when I woke up, I could see the award results right away!

The film crews staying at the Victory Palace Hotel included not only those working on "Gone Girl," but also other film crews when Wei Jin and his group arrived at the hotel lobby.

The two sides signaled to each other and then boarded the vehicles prepared by the authorities.

This same scene also occurred at the Hilton Hotel, a few kilometers away.

In addition, many celebrities who were specially invited to attend the closing ceremony also departed from various hotels in Berlin.

From the air, one can see traffic converging on the cinema from all directions of Berlin.

At the heart of the throng, in front of the Palace of Cinema, the red carpet stretching for dozens of meters was already packed with security personnel and countless media reporters.

But looking around, the huge crowds of tourists, fans, and moviegoers from all over the world are the main force behind the cheers tonight!

The cheers and shouts were deafening; support signs and celebrity posters stretched as far as the eye could see.

Moreover, the number of people is constantly increasing, which puts considerable pressure on Berlin's traffic, with congestion becoming more severe the closer one gets to the Cinematheque.

As a result, it took Wei Jin and his entourage more than an hour to walk the short distance of just a few kilometers, and they arrived at the red carpet at a little after six o'clock.

By this time, the sky had darkened, but outside the red carpet, it was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

Film crews, filmmakers, actors, and stars walked the red carpet amidst a cacophony of cheers.

Wei Jin and his entourage, who had just gotten off the car, were invited by staff to the red carpet waiting area.

Looking around, there are quite a few familiar faces and figures here.

The heads of leading domestic companies, including Ren Zhonglun, Vice Chairman Meng, Wang Zhonglei, Zhang Zhao, and Yu Pangzi, are all on the list.

The directors and top stars of each production team, such as Cheng Long, Jiang Wen, Fan Bingbing, Ge You, Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbing, Xu Cairen, Chen Kun, and others, have also fallen from grace.

"Wei and Jin Dynasties".

"Director Wei, Yuanyuan."

"Director Wei, Miss Gao."

"."

Greetings rang out, but no one came forward because it wasn't convenient; the Wei-Jin group was acting like a film crew.

"I heard from Sister Zhou Yun that Director Jiang and the others?"

After responding with a smile, Da Meiyuan whispered to Wei Jin.

"Well, you could say he was invited to observe. Jiang Wen still has manners; he's much more self-respecting than that poet Chen back then."

Upon hearing this, Da Meiyuan recalled an incident six years ago when she attended the Berlin Film Festival and happened to run into the crew of "Mei Lanfang" who had returned to Beijing early.

That time, Chen was ridiculed a lot in the country and lost face big time!
Time passed second by second, and the number of people in the waiting area gradually decreased as they walked onto the red carpet.

While waiting, Da Meiyuan didn't sit idle. She would occasionally pick up the candy pieces that Wei Jin had prepared and eat a few.

As for chocolate, she dared not eat it right now; what if it ruined her makeup?
Around 8 o'clock, a staff member came over to remind us that it was finally time for "Gone Girl".

Holding Wei Jin's hand, Da Meiyuan maintained her ladylike smile as she walked the red carpet at the Berlin Film Festival with him for the third time!

"Director Wei, Yuanyuan, keep it up! It's all up to you!"

"Da Meiyuan, so beautiful!"

"Director Wei, keep it up!"

Familiar and pleasant Chinese always uplifts the spirits. Wei Jin and Gao Yuanyuan kept smiling and waving to both sides of the red carpet.

As films nominated for the main competition, Wei Jin and others are bound to be interviewed on the red carpet.

At this moment, the host at the end of the red carpet smiled and asked, "Wei, welcome back to Berlin. This is your third time being nominated for the main competition in 11 years. What are your expectations for tonight?"

"Expectation? My expectation is tonight, under the beautiful night sky of Berlin, on Valentine's Day, to crown my lucky goddess!"

As Wei Jin spoke, he raised his hand and intertwined it with Da Meiyuan's. Da Meiyuan's face immediately lit up with a radiant smile, her beauty beyond compare.

But these words surprised the host slightly. So, after winning the European Grand Slam, he really doesn't care about the Golden Bear anymore? And he's starting to patronize women?!

Sigh, why do I feel a little jealous? I'm so envious of this Asian woman in front of me.
However, as a host, she was absolutely professional. After a moment of stunned silence, a smile returned to her face.

"Yes, very sincere and romantic. Well then, I wish you success, my old friend from Berlin."

"Thank you."

After giving a polite reply, Wei Jin took Da Meiyuan's little hand and walked into the cinema palace step by step.

Honestly, Wei Jin never expected the organizing committee to be so thoughtful, arranging for the two shortlisted Chinese film crews to be together.

But wouldn't watching his competitors win awards up close be a headache for Director Jiang?
But there was nothing they could do at the moment; the crew was almost the last to arrive, and there were no other seats available.

Fortunately, Jiang Wen has always had a strong heart, and Wei Jin estimates that he should be able to withstand it, right?
After greeting Ren Zhonglun, Cheng Long and others from afar, Wei Jin led Gao Yuanyuan and others to sit in the middle of the venue, with Jiang Wen, Zhou Yun, Hong Huang (the poet Chen's first wife) and others on his right.

It was clear that Jiang Wen was in a bad mood; he simply nodded at Wei Jin and didn't want to say anything.

Zhou Yun, ever the poised and generous one, greeted Wei Jin and the others with a smile, saying, "President Wei, Yuanyuan, tonight's the year is up to you two."

"Thank you."

After a few pleasantries, the chairman of the jury, along with six other members, took to the stage at the host's invitation, signaling the official start of tonight's awards ceremony.

At this moment, everyone on the field was focused, including Jiang Wen.

Wei Jin still held Da Meiyuan's hand, hoping for good luck tonight.

Wei Jin never expected that the first award presented tonight would have some connection to him.

"Congratulations to the recipients of the Distinguished Achievement in the Arts Award: Stulla Brandon Gjörfelen, *Victoria*, and Yevgeny Privan and Sergei Mihalichuk, *Under the Electronic Clouds*!"

Despite it being a double award, Wei Jin still joined everyone in applauding as the presenter finished speaking.

“Sister Yuanyuan, do you remember? The first time we attended the Berlin Film Festival, we won the award for ‘Buried’.”

Wei Jin whispered into Da Meiyuan's ear, "It was the copyright of this movie that gave me the start-up capital, which led to the foundation of our current business in North America."

"Yes, I remember. And that year's 'Caught in the Web,' Professor Tian also won this award, it's a pity I just missed it that time."

Sensing the regret and slight nervousness in Da Meiyuan's voice, Wei Jin gently squeezed her hand and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Sister Yuanyuan, I believe there will be a good result tonight."

"Ah."

"Congratulations to Jero Bustamant, winner of the Alfred Bauer Silver Bear for *Life Under the Volcano*!" "Congratulations to Gabriel Lipstein, winner of the Best First Feature Film Award for *600 Miles*!"

"."

After winning several smaller prizes, it was nearly 9:30 when the grand prize finally arrived, and the atmosphere at the scene became visibly tense.

Silver Bear winner for Best Actress

As the award presenter opened the envelope, Wei Jin's hand under the chair was gripped tightly by Da Meiyuan. He tried to signal her to relax with his eyes, but to no avail.

On the big screen, the camera continuously panned across actresses such as Da Meiyuan, Charlotte Rampling, and Natalie Portman.

These actresses were all considered frontrunners for the Best Actress award by the media and film critics during the film festival.

Congratulations on Gao Yuanyuan's "The Vanished Lover"!

The announcement of the Best Actress award came through the loudspeaker, and the cameras on set finally focused on Da Meiyuan's surprised and beautiful face.

"Xiao Jin, me? I won an award?"

Even as she heard the applause erupting all around her, Da Meiyuan still couldn't quite believe it.

From "Beijing Bicycle" in 01, to "Caught in the Web" in 08, and now this year's "Gone Girl".

This is the third time in fourteen years that she has been nominated for the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

Although she had always hoped to win this award, she still felt a sense of unreality when the moment her dream came true.
But even more unreal than the American version of the film are the female celebrities from China: Fan Bingbing, Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbing, and Xu Cairen.
Every single one of them felt a mix of emotions at that moment.

This is the third Chinese actress to win the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress award in 20 years, following Maggie Cheung and Xiao Fangfang, making it an extremely prestigious honor!
Unfortunately, such good fortune did not befall them. And it's unlikely they'll have such an opportunity again in the future!
"She's so lucky!"

Wei Jin was naturally unaware of the female celebrity's thoughts. At this moment, he stood up and hugged the excited and somewhat bewildered Da Meiyuan.

"Yuanyuan, you heard right, you won an award! Congratulations, Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival! Go accept everyone's congratulations, and then go up and enjoy your moment of glory!"

"Mmmmm~"

Da Meiyuan hugged Wei Jin tightly, her voice choked with emotion, "Xiao Jin, thank you, I love you!"

A moment later, Da Meiyuan left Wei Jin's embrace and hugged everyone in the equally excited crew, accepting their congratulations before stepping onto the stage.

At that moment, she felt her steps become lighter, and a tremendous sense of accomplishment and happiness filled her heart!

Amidst deafening applause and the attention of the entire audience, she walked step by step onto the stage.

At this moment, as Wei Jin looked at Da Meiyuan's graceful back, he unconsciously thought of the scene when Sister Li received the award at Cannes.

Compared to the previous failure, this result is undoubtedly more satisfactory. As for whether he can win an award, Wei Jin no longer cares.

Similarly, as Da Meiyuan stood on the stage and received the teddy bear from the award presenter, countless images flashed through her mind.

My first meeting with Wei Jin, my first hug, my first deep kiss, my first quarrel, and my first time making a movie.
Memories from over a decade ago swirled in her mind like a kaleidoscope, finally settling on the image of her holding her son Wei Xu, nestled happily in Wei Jin's arms—a photo taken at home during their 100-day celebration.

At this moment, looking in the direction of Wei Jin, Da Meiyuan felt an unprecedented peace in her heart. Her life would never be separated from this man again!
Taking a deep breath, Da Meiyuan began her speech for the day.

"Thank you, thank you to the judges for recognizing my talent. This is my fourth time in Berlin, and my third time competing for the Best Actress award. I am very happy to receive this teddy bear today."

As Wei Jin had said before, Da Meiyuan, holding a trophy in one hand and a certificate in the other, standing gracefully in the center of the stage, was definitely the most dazzling presence in the entire event!
Everyone present, regardless of their feelings, applauded, and the applause lasted for a long time.

"Thank you, thank you everyone. We put in a lot of effort while making this film, and I want to thank all the members of the crew. This award belongs to each and every one of you."

I also want to thank my parents and family for their support of my acting career, as well as my fans who have supported me all along. Finally, I want to thank the director and screenwriter of this film—Wei Jin!

At this point, Da Meiyuan's beautiful eyes were fixed on the direction of the film crew. "Thank you, Xiao Jin. This silver teddy bear is the best Valentine's Day gift I've ever received. I will cherish it for the rest of my life!"

Even though they were more than ten meters apart, Wei Jin could feel the deep affection between them and immediately responded with a smile and applause.

There were also many whistles and good-natured laughter in the venue, clearly indicating that everyone was aware of the relationship between Da Meiyuan and Wei Jin.

"Thank you again, Berlin, thank you everyone!" After saying this, Da Meiyuan gracefully stepped off the stage.

Da Meiyuan quickly returned to her seat, her beautiful face still flushed with excitement. She accepted everyone's congratulations once again before taking her seat.

At this moment, it was Lei Jiayin's turn to be nervous, because the next award was the Best Actor award.

As for Zhang Luyi, he had absolutely no interest in him; his role was far too small, so he was definitely out of the running.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck did not smile upon the cast and crew of "Gone Girl" again, and Lei Jiayin missed out on the Best Actor award.

Wei Jin and others were about to offer him some words of comfort, since they had high expectations for him. However, he remained quite optimistic, stating that being nominated was already better than 99% of the actors in China.

It must be said that such an open-minded attitude is truly rare.

"Congratulations to Patrick Guzmán for winning the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for 'The Pearl Button'!"

With the unveiling of yet another major award, the atmosphere on the set of "Gone Girl" became somber.

"Xiao Jin, don't worry, we still have a chance. You're a direct descendant of Berlin, after all."

Da Meiyuan gripped Wei Jin's hand slightly tighter. Although she had already won an award, it would be somewhat unsatisfactory if Wei Jin, as the director and screenwriter, received nothing.

I have to say, the older sister is quite good at comforting people; she even used the term "direct descendant."

"But Sister Yuanyuan, I'm in a hurry."

"Ok?"

Wei Jin nibbled on the beauty's earlobe and whispered, "I can't wait to celebrate with you in this outfit."

“Disgusting~~”

Da Meiyuan playfully punched Wei Jin, already imagining the scene tonight. This dress probably wouldn't withstand this man's "ravaging".

"Ahem, now it's time for Best Director!"

Jiang Wen, who was standing to the side, abruptly interrupted Wei Jin and the other man, saying, "Why are these young people so inconsiderate of the occasion?"
Wei Jin and Da Meiyuan subconsciously looked up at the stage and saw that the award presenter had already opened the envelope, revealing the suspense.

"Congratulations to Wei Jin, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director: 'Gone Girl'!"

"Haha, I knew it! You'd definitely win a prize. Congratulations, Xiao Jin!"

Although it wasn't the grand prize, Da Meiyuan was still very excited, and the rest of the crew also seemed proud of it.

Jiang Wen, on the other hand, seemed relieved, perhaps because he felt he hadn't lost too badly.

Amidst applause from the audience, Wei Jin stepped onto the stage of the Berlin Film Festival awards ceremony for the third time.

"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've won the Best Director award in Berlin in 11 years. It seems everyone knows how hard it was for me as the director to make this film, hahaha."

As Wei Jin teased her, a blush crept onto Da Meiyuan's face in the audience. She glared at him from afar, and the whole audience burst into laughter.

"Honestly, I really wanted another golden bear, but then I thought, two silver bears would make a perfect pair for Valentine's Day. So, thank you Berlin, and thank you to all the judges for making my trip to Berlin a complete success. Thank you!"

After his concise speech, Wei Jin promptly returned to his seat, no longer caring about the awards that followed.
(End of this chapter)