Huayu started as a substitute director

Chapter 745 Double Best Actress
The two looked at the stage, where the awards ceremony had already begun, starting with the Best New Actor award.

The award was presented by Angelababy and Chen Xiao. The two chatted awkwardly for a while on stage before announcing that Bai Yu was the winner of the Best Newcomer Award.

That is, the movie "Love Like a Bouquet". The movie was released last year, and because the awards were over then, it was awarded this year.

The avoidance measures for the Jade Rabbit movie have been downplayed now. They've been avoiding it for several years already, and it's unrealistic to keep avoiding it. Things should be as they are.

As Bai Yu took the stage, rousing music began to play.

Bai Yu is only 26 years old and still very young. He held the Golden Lotus Award on the stage with a joyful expression on his face.

"Thank you to the judges for this award, thank you to everyone at 'The Bouquet,' thank you to the director, and especially thank you to Tianxian and the principal; it is thanks to your help that I received this award..."

With a flushed face, he excitedly delivered a series of words of thanks on stage, and after finishing, he bowed deeply to the audience.

They then walked out through a side door, where reporters were waiting, and each winner would be interviewed.

This is a form of exposure, a source of information; at least it lets the outside world know that you've won an award, which is a kind of boost to your social standing.

The same applies to behind-the-scenes awards; applying for such awards puts you at a higher level, and that's the significance of awards.

Increased net worth, improved social status, improved industry standing – it's a comprehensive improvement. Of course, it depends on whether the award has enough influence; a shoddy award should still be rejected.

The Macao Film Festival is building its influence.

There is a separate award for Best New Actor, regardless of gender. Next up is the Best Animated Film.

This award went to "Big Fish & Begonia," released this year, by Enlight Media, and directed by two directors, Liang Xuan and Zhang Chun.

There's less competition for animated films; as long as they have a decent story and good visuals, that's about it. The animated film featuring Jade Rabbit won't be participating this year.

The two people on stage are from the Academy of Arts & Design at Tsinghua University, which doesn't really fit into the film and television industry, but they are still very excited to receive recognition.

"This is our first time creating an animated film. We never imagined that film could be such an imaginative thing, turning the impossible into possible. We are grateful for the recognition from the organizing committee and for our colleagues who worked with us to complete this film."

Next, the Best Documentary Award will be presented to the documentary "Life Gate," which tells the story of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Zhongnan Hospital in Jiangcheng.

It truthfully records the struggles, choices, and human warmth and coldness of many pregnant women and their families who encountered extreme situations at the threshold of life and death.

There are social contradictions and complexities of human nature, such as poverty and the preference for sons over daughters.

The awards presented afterward were all behind-the-scenes awards, including Best Editing, Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Music.

There was also the Best Screenplay award, which went to "Dog Thirteen," written by Jiao Huajing.

She was still the same, with long, jet-black hair and a round face, like a girl next door, and she was still quite young.

This movie was filmed 13 years ago, but it couldn't pass censorship for several years. It was only this year that it was granted permission for nationwide release.

"I'm so happy to receive this award, I don't know what to say for a moment..." Jiao Huajing pursed her lips, looking a little shy.

The scene immediately burst into warm applause.

"I'm grateful. I've been a screenwriter at Yutu for six or seven years. I'm grateful to have such a big family, which allows me to easily realize my own value. I'm grateful to Yutu and thank my good boss and principal." Jiao Huajing raised the trophy.

Liu Tianxian clapped with a smile in the audience; she was very pleased to see her friend win an award.

After all, this person was basically responsible for the scriptwriting of most of the movies she acted in. The two were not only collaborators but also good friends.

Each award presentation was accompanied by enthusiastic applause, rousing music, dazzling lights, and announcements, creating a truly vibrant atmosphere.

Online, news and video clips will appear, saying who won what award.

Viewers in the live stream would also join in the fun, asking questions like, "What kind of award is this?" or "What is it for?"

Many netizens are unfamiliar with the behind-the-scenes awards, and not only are they unfamiliar with them, they also don't know the people involved.

But they knew the presenters, who were mostly well-known celebrities and behind-the-scenes directors who presented the awards.

When I see a celebrity I recognize, I frantically search for that celebrity's name.

During breaks in the awards ceremony, Sa Beining would occasionally go on stage to tease this celebrity or that actor to liven up the atmosphere.

"Alright, next let's present the Best Actress award. Please welcome our presenter, Liu Tianxian, who has won the Macau Best Actress award twice and is the only double Best Actress to have achieved this honor."

As Sa Beining spoke, Liu Yifei appeared in a nude-colored strapless floor-length gown, adorned with sparkling rhinestones that glittered intermittently.

She looks very sophisticated and elegant; you can't tell at all that she's had a child.

Her hairstyle was still the same slicked-back style, and for some reason, she really liked this look.

The moment she appeared, the live stream went wild, with a dense barrage of "Liu Tianxian" scrolling by incredibly fast, practically spamming the screen.

It not only flooded the live stream, but also went viral across the entire internet, and even trended on social media.

#Liu Yifan looks effortlessly beautiful in a strapless maxi dress#
This trending topic appears on Baidu and Weibo's trending search list, and it also has a place on Douyin's trending search list.

Some netizens exclaimed: "This doesn't look like she's 30! She's a fairy!"

Even the articles on social media have been written, with titles like: "True beauty doesn't need to be deliberate; a relaxed and confident attitude is the highest level of fashion secrets."

The accompanying pictures are these few pictures of Liu Yifei.

Even the real Best Actress award was overshadowed, but Liu Yifei is worthy of it, regardless of her box office and commercial success.

Based on winning the Best Actress award in Macau twice in a row, even though those two awards were rather undeserved, her status was infinitely elevated as the influence of the Macau Film Festival grew.

When people talk about her, besides being named "Golden Goblet Best Actress" and "Temple of Heaven Best Actress," they also mention her being a two-time winner of the Macau Double Best Actress award.

"Without realizing it, Liu Tianxian has already won so many awards. You wouldn't even know if I didn't tell you!" one blogger said.

On the softly lit stage, Liu Yifei held a card in her hand, stood in front of a standing microphone, one hand on her hip, facing the many celebrities in the audience, appearing very gentle and generous.

"I am very happy to be recognized by the organizing committee and to present this very important Best Actress award as a presenter. To be honest, I am quite excited."

Liu Tianxian patted her chest to catch her breath and continued, "This is the first time I've presented an award to someone, and such an important one at that, but I still prefer receiving awards!"
Receiving an award is great; you can say who you want to thank and give an acceptance speech. But I don't have that chance this time.

As she spoke, she even let out a small, feigned sigh, as if she were quite regretful.

This drew applause and laughter from the audience.

"Now let's look at the big screen and see who the Best Actress nominees are." Liu Tianxian said, turning around and looking up at the big screen behind her.

The next scene on the big screen was a clip from "I Am Not Madame Bovary" starring Fan Xiaopang.

When Fan Xiaopang saw that he was on the list of nominees, he tried his best to keep a calm face, but he was actually quite nervous inside.

Everyone wants to win an award.

Liu Yifei won two low-quality awards at this film festival, which boosted her public recognition. She must have wanted that too.

The second clip was from "Monster Hunt," starring Bai Baihe. She had a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, showing anticipation, but also nervousness.

The third clip is from the movie "Mr. Six," starring Xu Qing. She is expressionless, seemingly calm and unperturbed.

The fourth one was just to make up the numbers; it was a clip from "Mojin: The Lost Legend" starring Shu Qi, in which she also showed no reaction.

Every time a film title or a female lead nominee was announced on the big screen, enthusiastic applause would erupt in the audience, and people would involuntarily look at the nominees.

Of these four films, two were produced by Huayi Brothers, which just goes to show how impressive Huayi is; they consistently produce high-quality films. After the films finished playing on the big screen, Liu Yifei turned to the audience again, bent down to open the envelope, and immediately showed a surprised expression upon seeing the name on it.

"Wow! He's an excellent actor, and one that deserves everyone's respect."

Liu Tianxian said something, then held up the card, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Who is the winner?"

Her tone was quite loud at the beginning, but when she said "Who is it?" her voice became softer and even a little mischievous.

This drew laughter from the audience, who thought she was about to announce an award, but it turned out she was just being mysterious.

It's quite interesting, though, that I didn't expect Liu Yifei to be so serious.

Viewers in the live stream kept spamming "Fairy is so cute!" and "Little Fatty Fan", hoping he would win an award.

The atmosphere in the live stream was relaxed for everyone else, but the four candidates were made even more nervous by Liu Tianxian. Fan Xiaopang adjusted his posture to ease his tension.

Bai Baihe's palms were sweaty, Xu Qing remained relatively calm, and Shu Qi seemed indifferent, as if she knew she couldn't get it.

"The winner of Best Actress at the 8th Macao International Film Festival is Xu Qing! Teacher Xu!" Liu Tianxian announced loudly, no longer keeping everyone in suspense.

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and rousing music.

A beam of light swept over the heads of the many audience members and shone on Xu Qing's position, where Xu Qing still looked quite plump.

With a smile, she shook hands with the creators of "Mr. Six" to express her gratitude, and then walked towards the stage.

Upon hearing that it wasn't them, Fan Bingbing, Bai Baihe, and Shu Qi all showed varying degrees of disappointment on their faces, disappointed that they didn't win the award.

Many of Fan Xiaopang's fans in the live stream were dissatisfied and asked, "Why isn't it Fan Xiaopang?"

"What's wrong with Fan Xiaopang? He acted very well."

"Garbage awards ceremony, I'm never watching it again."

However, no one answered them. All that can be said is that Xu Qing's performance was not bad, and she deserved the award. Rational people can still see that.

In the eyes of fans, their idol is a mess, and they think their idol is awesome and doesn't need to be bothered with.

That's how award ceremonies are; no matter who gets the award, there will always be controversy.

On stage, Liu Yifei gracefully shook hands with Xu Qing, then handed the lotus trophy to Xu Qing, indicating that she could give her acceptance speech before stepping off the stage.

"Thank you to the judges for their recognition, and thank you to the creative team of 'Mr. Six' for their hard work on this film. This film has gone through a lot. It was originally scheduled to be released during the Lunar New Year holiday last year, but it was delayed for more than half a year and was finally released during this summer holiday season."

It is your persistence that made this film possible. This award doesn't just belong to me; it also belongs to you all. Thank you, Director Guan Hu!

Xu Qing spoke very relaxedly, while Guan Hu, sitting in the audience, clasped his hands together in gratitude towards the person on stage, his bald head shining brightly.

Some people unconsciously looked at the principal. Everyone knew that the reason this movie couldn't be released before was because the principal had interfered.

However, that's all in the past now. We can't pursue it anymore, and we don't have the power to do so.

Fang Hong appeared indifferent. He wouldn't do anything to Xu Qing over such a small matter. He didn't care what people said.

"Thank you, it's an honor to receive this award." Xu Qing raised the trophy.

After she stepped down from the stage, Sa Beining went on stage and said, "Next up is the heavyweight Best Actor. Let's welcome last year's Best Actor winner, Deng Chao."

Deng Chao, dressed in a suit and tie, took to the stage. He was quite humorous and said, "I actually like receiving awards, just like the celestial being. But there's nothing I can do. Professional awards should be given to more professional people."

This is a self-deprecating joke about his own lack of professionalism, while flattering the person who is about to win the award.

Four actors won Best Actor: Feng Xiaogang (Mr. Six), Fan Wei (Mr. No Problem), Tony Leung Ka-fai (Cold War 2), and Feng Shaofeng (Wolf Totem).

This last one is obviously just to make up the numbers.

The other three, being seasoned veterans, appeared quite calm.

"The Best Actor award goes to Fan Wei for 'Mr. No Problem'!" Deng Chao announced the winner.

Amid applause, Fan Wei walked towards the stage. Although he was old, he was still very agile. After accepting the trophy, he showed his signature smile.

After he finished his acceptance speech, it was time for the last major award: Best Film.

They are "I Am Not Madame Bovary", "August", "Monster Hunt" and "Goodbye Mr. Loser".

The last one is just there to fill the quota. There's always one that's just there to make up the numbers. It's for balance. They put in a popular and well-received film to highlight the real award-winning work.

This creates the illusion that the talented actor who didn't win an award, but another actor did, and that the talented actor's performance was better than the award-winning one, thus inspiring people to watch the performance.

The same applies to movies. They might release a filler film, like the one that's making up the numbers. But if you haven't seen the award-winning one, people will be tempted to watch it, giving the impression that it's high-class.

That's it. So the winner of Best Film this time is: "August"!

This is a niche art film with less impressive visuals. It tells the story of individuals in the 1980s and 90s from a child's perspective, amidst the historical upheavals of the era.

With delicate emotions and accurate historical accuracy, it restrainedly expresses a gentle look back at the past.

It's a very good film, directed by a young director and written by the same person, Zhang Dalei!
He excitedly expressed his joy at winning the award.

After he finished his remarks, Macau Governor Choi took the stage and said: "Thank you all for coming to Macau. We are committed to building a place where East meets West and transforming Macau into a performing arts capital."

Commander Cui spoke with great passion, recounting his goals and envisioning the future from the stage.

The Macau Film Festival, which lasted for two or three hours, finally came to an end, though discussions on the internet continued.

Who won the award and who didn't, but the most heated discussion is still about the principal's remarks, which continue to ferment.

The film had already caused a significant loss of credibility and generated considerable public criticism, and now Fang Hong has added fuel to the fire.

As for Liu Tianxian, everyone admires her beauty.

At the Macau Film Festival gala dinner, large round tables were casually arranged, covered with white tablecloths, and the chairs were also white.

The place was lively, with familiar faces at every table. Of course, one banquet hall couldn't be full, but there were other banquet halls available. Basically, everyone who came got a meal; Macau isn't that stingy.

Liu Tianxian and Fang Hong sat together, surrounded by Macao officials and celebrities.

In front of them were wine glasses filled with red wine and exquisite desserts.

"This Macao Film Festival was a great success. Thank you for the principal's great support!" Director Tan raised his glass.

"You're too kind," Fang Hong replied, raising his glass.

Liu Tianxian, however, paid little attention to their conversation. Instead, she took out her phone and took pictures of the exquisite desserts on the table in front of her.

This scene was captured by someone at the table and posted online.

#So even Liu Yifei eats with her phone first#
Such a trending topic quickly became a hot search again, and clicking on it led to a video of Liu Yifei taking pictures of the actual object with her phone.

There are too many trending topics, which annoys netizens. They think she bought the trending topics, but in reality, she's just too popular.

"Miss Liu also enjoys taking photos!" Commander Cui thought, seeing her as just like any other girl.

Liu Tianxian put down her phone, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and smiled, "I like to take pictures when I have nothing to do."

(End of this chapter)