Huayu: Reborn in 97, transferring to the Central Academy of Drama's star-studded class

"The Alfred Bauer Award goes to *The Children's Choir*, congratulations!"

"Splash splash splash splash splash".

The audience erupted in applause. The award went to a short film about two teenagers who formed a friendship through singing together. Well, all I can say is that it was full of bromance.

A rough-looking middle-aged man with a large beard stood up, punched hard, and enthusiastically hugged his friends around him, looking rather childish.

He was the director of this film, and then he ran up to the stage to accept the award.

The Alfred Bauer Prize is the one that Lao Jia won back then. It was originally considered an award one level below the Grand Jury Prize. Now that Berlin has established a Special Jury Prize, the Bauer Prize has become a consolation prize. But at least it is still a Silver Bear.

So now Berlin's highest honor is the Golden Bear for Best Film, followed by the Grand Jury Prize, and then the Special Jury Prize. You see, Berlin is starting to think about getting a bigger slice of the pie.

Next up is the award for Best Actress. The presenter is an elderly French actor, Jean Lefebvre, who is eighty years old and also a member of the jury.

When Yingjie saw that it was this person presenting the award, she immediately felt at ease.

This highly respected veteran actor had a fatal addiction: gambling! And he was extremely fanatical about it.

"The winner of Best Actress is..."

Yingjie felt Zhang Ziyi tense up beside her. She wanted to remind him, but then thought better of it and decided to just treat it as a surprise.

"Congratulations to Zhang Ziyi on 'The Road Home'!"

"The Road Home" is the English title of "My Father and Mother," which translates to "The Road Home." Zhang Yimou certainly knows how to come up with a good name.

The audience erupted in applause. After all, it was the first significant award, and everyone was very respectful. Besides, the young girl's performance was undeniable.

Her simple yet expressive eyes, coupled with her innocent smile, perfectly capture the shyness and stubbornness of a country girl.

Zhang Ziyi was completely stunned. Although she really wanted to win the award, it still felt very unreal when it actually came her way.

"What are you standing there for? Go up and claim your prize!"

Yingjie chuckled and nudged her, and Zhang Ziyi finally stood up.

"Congratulations." Zhang Yi smiled and hugged Zhang Ziyi.

A floor-length gown looks great on the red carpet, but it proved inconvenient at this moment. Zhang Ziyi clutched the hem of her dress and ran up the stage in small steps, took the silver teddy bear, and looked at the huge crowd below the stage. She was so nervous that she couldn't speak for a moment.

Jean Lefebvre, who was presenting the award, noticed her nervousness and gestured for everyone to encourage the girl. The people in the room applauded in response.

Sister Ying smiled from below the stage; this old guy really knows how to get things done.

Having eased her tension, Zhang Ziyi took a deep breath and haltingly recited the English script she had prepared in advance.

"This is my first film, and it means a lot to me! It records the best years of my life when I was eighteen."

"I believe nothing is more important than taking the first step, so I am very grateful to director Zhang Yimou for giving me this opportunity, to cinematographer Hou Yong for capturing my beauty so well, and to..."

After thanking everyone profusely, she stopped, her eyes unfocused, as if she had spotted someone.

"Finally, Jiang Lai, the whole world has seen me!"

She switched to Chinese, held out the trophy, and smiled brightly. Although the foreigners didn't know what she was saying, they could tell it was over and applauded.

She ran back, clutching her skirt, and Zhang Ziyi's upturned lips never left her face.

"Let me see it quickly."

Yingjie took the trophy from her hand and examined it closely, exclaiming, "Oh my, my Ziyi is really great!"

Zhang Ziyi happily leaned against Yingjie's shoulder and rubbed against her.

"Best Actor! Gianluigi Gianluigi!"

There was a slight commotion at the scene.

Zhang Ziyi was the first to react, and stood up, unable to contain his cheers.

Yingjie was stunned. She frowned and turned her head, just in time to meet Zhang Yimou's questioning gaze. She shook her head slightly, indicating that she really didn't know.

"Director Zhang! Let me go and collect this." Zhang Ziyi said excitedly.

"Oh...okay! Go ahead." Zhang Yi came to her senses and immediately frowned.

With the Best Actor and Best Actress awards already secured, he likely wouldn't win any other awards. It wasn't that he was disappointed, but rather that he was afraid of rumors and gossip, especially since Gong Li was the chairman of the jury this year.

Zhang Ziyi did not prepare a second speech. Holding her Best Actress award trophy, she pulled Sister Ying onto the stage.

Upon receiving the silver teddy bear from the Best Actor, Zhang Ziyi suddenly burst into tears. She felt a little resentful that Jiang Lai hadn't come along, but her joy quickly overwhelmed her feelings.

"Now, the whole world can see the two of us!"

She picked up the two silver bears and slammed them together, making a crisp "ding" sound.

Yingjie stepped forward to translate: "The male lead of this movie, Gianlai, unfortunately couldn't come because of other commitments, but the male and female leads are also a couple in real life. She just said that the eyes of the whole world are now focused on the two of them."

"Wow! Cool!"

"Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!"

The on-screen golden couple actually fell in love during filming, which really tickled everyone's funny bone. They love this kind of gossip, and the audience erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.

Zhang Ziyi was completely stunned.

The two stepped off the stage, and the team members passed the trophy around, playing with it as the awards ceremony continued.

The Best Director award was given to a film from the United States.

The Jury Special Prize was awarded to a film from the United States. When Wim Wenders accepted the award, he made a special trip to Gong Li to present her with a bouquet of flowers.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yi's face darkened, and he cursed the old man inwardly: "Pah! You old bastard!"

Next up is the penultimate award, the Jury Grand Prize.

Gong Li stood up from her seat and glanced at Zhang Yimou from a distance. Zhang Yimou, who had been watching the scene closely, received this look and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Sure enough, Gong Li gracefully walked onto the stage and slowly announced in Chinese: "The winner of the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear is 'My Father and Mother'."

After the translator finished speaking, a loud uproar erupted in the room.

Zhang Yi sighed, walked up with a heavy heart, and took the trophy from Gong Li's hand. There was an indescribable emotion in their eyes as they exchanged glances.

Facing the audience, he said with emotion: "Today, Gong Li announced my award, which I think is the most dramatic. Twelve years ago, our first film, 'Red Sorghum,' won an award here. I was here then, but she wasn't. Today, however, we are gathered here together. Berlin is indeed a city that I will never forget."

After Zhang Yi returned, Zhang Ziyi cautiously asked, "Director Zhang, aren't you happy to have won the award?"

Zhang Yi shook her head, "No, I'm quite happy."

Yingjie tugged at Zhang Ziyi and switched seats with her to sit next to Zhang Yimou. She whispered, "I only worked on Ziyi's Best Actress award. I didn't approach Gong Li, and I only managed to win over two people. I wasn't very confident at all. You know how difficult it is to do public relations for the three major awards. I was also very surprised by the other two awards."

Zhang Yi lowered her head and said, "It's okay, winning an award is a good thing. What I'm afraid of is something else."

In fact, there have been many instances in the history of the three major film festivals where a single film has won multiple awards, such as the Berlin Film Festival.

The 2011 Iranian film "A Separation" won Best Film, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

"Black Coal, Thin Ice" (2014) won Best Picture and Best Actor.

There are many other examples, but the jury usually assumes one award per film, like dividing the pie.

The Golden Bear for Best Picture was awarded to the film "Magnolia," not Mulan. This film is an American film.

After the awards ceremony, all the winners and members of the judging panel attended an official press conference.

To Zhang Yimou's surprise, no media outlets made things difficult for Gong Li or the jury members; instead, they unanimously launched an attack on the film festival's chairman.

"Mr. Hadern! Three awards in the main competition were given to China, and three to the United States. What are your thoughts on this?"

"Does this mean you are pandering to this rising Eastern power, and to the United States? Mr. Hadern, please answer my question directly!"

"Was this award ceremony unfair, Mr. Hadern?"

The people asking these questions were all local journalists. None of their country's films won any awards, except for one, which won a special award and presented flowers to Gong Li. It was a co-production, and the main actors were all American citizens.

The festival's president, Moritz de Hadern, was extremely anxious, repeatedly explaining that the awards ceremony was absolutely fair and impartial.

Gong Li also spoke up for her, after all, it was the person who personally selected her to be the chairperson of this year's jury.

"Dear media friends, I can guarantee that the results of this selection are absolutely fair and impartial! Our judges went through multiple rounds of voting for each award! In many cases, the difference was only one vote."

The gambler Jean Lefebvre stood by, feeling particularly guilty, afraid that Gong Li would say something else.

The old man felt guilty for no other reason than that he hadn't really done anything, but he couldn't let the money he had already earned slip away.