Huayu02 started by making films.

The two words, spoken softly, landed in the crowd, and applause erupted instantly.

Han Yi was stunned for a moment. Emma, ​​who was beside him, jumped up happily, hugged his head and shook it. The fragrance of grapefruit wafted to Han Yi's nose.

Han Yi then came to his senses and thought: Damn it, being reborn isn't my cheat code, giving speeches is!

He stood up, gave Emma a quick kiss on the cheek, and nodded to Section Chief Jia and his wife beside him. Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, he straightened his suit and strode onto the stage.

At this moment, the big screen began playing clips from Han Yi's trip to Cannes: his awkwardness being sandwiched between two large foreign women, his almost-crying expression at the premiere...

Han Yi walked onto the stage, accepted the trophy from Christine Hakim, exchanged a cheek kiss with the middle-aged woman, and then pointed at the microphone:

"Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for recognizing my film, thank you to my parents for raising me, thank you to my childhood friend Old Ox, thank you to my senior classmates Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu for their cameo appearances, thank you to Professor Dai from the Department of Literature for his selfless help, thank you to the Beijing Film Academy for their support of the filming, thank you..."

Teacher Dai, sitting in the audience, was beaming and clapping his hands nonstop; Section Chief Jia was clapping while whispering to Zhao Tao, and judging from his lip movements, he probably said: "Our Literature Department is the true orthodox department of Beijing Film Academy."

Han Shanping sat with a group of film distributors, clapping as he became increasingly certain: this boy was his Zhang Emo—a younger version of him.

After giving his acceptance speech, Han Yi stepped down from the stage.

The awards ceremony continued: the Catholic Ethical Prize, the Un Certain Regard Award, the Un Certain Regard Grand Prize, the Camera d'Or... Then, the Short Film Jury Prize was awarded to "After the Rain" and "Crazy Stone," a tie.

Han Yi felt reassured: the short film Palme d'Or winner in his previous life was "After the Rain," and this time "After the Rain" shared the Jury Prize with "Crazy Stone," meaning he had a chance to win the Palme d'Or for his short film.

The host introduced the award presenter, Michelle Yeoh, to the stage. Yeoh took the envelope, feigned surprise with a "Wow!", and then announced loudly:

The winner of the Palme d'Or for Short Film is Han Yi, for "I'm Glad You're Dead Now!"

The name "Han Yi" resounded throughout the awards ceremony for the second time. Many people turned their heads and looked in his direction.

Han Yi stood up, bowed slightly to the filmmakers around him, and then hugged Emma, ​​Director Jia, Zhao Tao, and Teacher Dai to celebrate before striding onto the stage.

He thought to himself, "Sister Yang must have put in a lot of effort when the judges were tearing up the awards last night, right?"

Han Yi first gave Michelle Yeoh a polite big hug before accepting the trophy. She then whispered:

"Han Yi, you're awesome! You didn't let us Chinese down!"

"Thank you, Sister Ziqiong. You are also a source of pride for the Chinese people!"

Han Yi stepped forward, holding the microphone, and said excitedly:

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect to receive two awards. Obviously, one acceptance speech isn't enough."

A few good-natured laughs came from the audience, and applause erupted again like a tidal wave.

"...Finally, thank you again to the Cannes Film Festival. If I have the opportunity, I will bring my talent to Cannes again next year!"

"Splash splash splash..."

Applause erupted once again. Han Yi, trophy in hand, returned to his seat.

As soon as I sat down, Section Chief Jia came over, snatched the Palme d'Or trophy for the short film, and examined it closely in his hands.

As he stroked the trophy, he remarked, "The short film Palme d'Or is just a little smaller than the feature film, but otherwise, I can't see any difference."

After saying that, she glanced at Han Yi's Best New Director trophy—which Emma was currently playing with in her hands—and said enviously:

"Junior brother, I suspect you're Cannes' illegitimate son. Otherwise, why would I hand you two awards as soon as you arrived?"

Han Yi thought to himself, "Section Chief, your path isn't in Cannes. Go and fight tooth and nail in Venice; that's your home turf."

He replied politely, "How can I compare to you, senior brother, who was directly nominated for the Palme d'Or in the main competition? Who knows, I might even have something to gain tonight!"

The awards ceremony proceeded smoothly as the two talked.

The Jury Prize was awarded to "Divine Intervention"; the Best Actor award went to Olivier Gourmet (Belgian) for his role in "The Son of Others"; and the Best Actress award went to Katie Ottinen for her role in "A Man Without a Past".

The Best Director award was a tie: South Korean director Im Kwon-taek ("Painted Fire") and American director Paul Thomas Anderson ("Wild Love").

The Best Screenplay award went to "Sweet Sixteen," while the Jury Prize was won by "The Man Without a Past."

The highlight of the evening—the Palme d'Or—is about to be announced.

Han Yi noticed that Section Chief Jia beside him had straightened his back and was looking on expectantly.

At this stage, "Unknown Pleasures" can't beat "The Pianist." Perhaps 10 years from now, with films like "Mountains May Depart" or "A Touch of Sin," it might have a chance.

Jury president David Lynch then went on stage to present the award. The Palme d'Or was indeed won by "The Pianist."

Section Chief Jia's expression immediately fell. Han Yi comforted him, "Senior, I'm just being blunt, don't take it to heart. 'Unknown Pleasures' isn't suitable for Cannes. Why not try it in Venice this September?"

Section Chief Jia waved his hand: "How could I not know? I just wanted to try my luck. It's alright, as long as the film sells. I'll go back and make a new film."

Every film festival has its own core members; the right approach is to find the right niche and attack relentlessly.

After the Palme d'Or was awarded, Han Yi, with a trophy in each hand, strode confidently toward the Cannes banquet.

"I've been busy for almost three months, can't I even enjoy myself a bit?"

At the dinner, Han Yi was having a pleasant conversation with Section Chief Jia, Zhao Tao, and Teacher Dai when Han Shanping led a group of film distributors over. Before long, Han Yi's hands were already stuffed full of business cards.

If Robert were there, he'd probably jump up and yell at people.

Han Yi also made a point of subtly inquiring about the judging details of the short film Palme d'Or from Michelle Yeoh and Kristen Hakim.

Christine smiled, neither confirming nor denying; Michelle Yeoh left her phone number with Han Yi, saying:

"My movie, 'The Legend of the Sacred Stone,' is about to premiere in Singapore. If it gets released in mainland China, you absolutely must come and support it!"

"Definitely! Whenever the beautiful Michelle Yeoh returns to the mainland, I'll make sure you're treated to the best of my ability!"

"Hehehe..."

Han Yi then chatted briefly with David Lynch, the chairman of this year's jury. Lynch's words implied that Han Yi should take his talent to Hollywood, given the vast market there, which is suitable for young people to make their mark.

Han Yi nodded repeatedly in agreement.

After all, all Chinese entertainment novels describe Hollywood as a place where people are foolish and rich, and they can easily make a low-budget movie that becomes a huge hit, then count their money until their hands cramp.

They weren't worried at all about the producers and distributors double-checking the accounts, only to find out they had actually lost money when the film was off the air.

Just like the Harry Potter series, Warner Bros. loses money with every film they make, yet they keep making films year after year, seemingly enjoying it immensely.

......

Beijing time, 4:5 AM on May 27th.

In Sina Entertainment's office, Editor Wang sat in a chair, puffing on a cigarette; it was unclear whether he had left late or arrived early.

He asked Xiao Zhang, a staff member sitting in front of the computer, "How's it going? Any news from Cannes? Did Section Chief Jia win the award?"

Xiao Zhang, who was engrossed in refreshing the webpage, replied, "The internet is a bit slow, lots of people are refreshing for the latest Cannes news... I've got it!"

Upon hearing "Got it!", Editor Wang quickly moved closer to the screen. The page displayed:

"Warmest congratulations to Han Yi, a freshman at our school, for winning the Best New Director Award and the Palme d'Or for Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival!"