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

Soon they met a slightly balding old man, who was Ulrich Gregor, the chairman of the Berlin Film Festival's Youth Forum.

"Hi, are you the producers of the movie 'The Thief'?" the old man greeted them warmly.

"Hello, Mr. Gregor, I am the cinematographer for this film, and this is the director."

Yu Liwei stepped forward to communicate, but Jia Kezhang couldn't understand. However, when he saw Yu Liwei pointing at him, he hurriedly smiled and nodded.

"OK, welcome to Berlin, my friends."

The old man shook hands and hugged the two men, then said with a serious expression, "Listen to me, your film is fully capable of entering the main competition. I don't know why it ended up in my hands, but I suggest you try applying. I can recommend your film to the committee in my name, but then you will no longer be able to participate in my Youth Forum section. So, you can consider whether you want to apply."

Yu Liwei was stunned after listening. Jia Kezhang, seeing that the foreigner had said a lot, anxiously asked, "What did he say? You should translate it. It can't be that he wants us to quit, can it?"

Yu Liwei snapped out of his daze and translated it with great excitement.

Jia Kezhang was stunned after hearing this.

Berlin Film Festival, main competition? Me?

"And I can tell you that if you participate in my forum section, I can guarantee you will win an award, but if it's the main competition section, no one can be sure whether you will get in or win an award."

The old man added that he really liked the movie, as it showed him something different from previous Chinese films, no longer focusing on grand narratives but on the psychological trauma of an ordinary person.

In reality, this film from the original timeline was not qualified to participate in the main competition. However, with Jiang Lai's additional investment, Jia Kezhang was able to refine the story more meticulously and portray the characters more delicately, elevating the film's expressive power and quality to a higher level.

After translating the old man's additional words, Yu Liwei quietly awaited Jia Kezhang's decision.

Jia Kezhang looked conflicted, torn between the readily available honor and a larger stage to showcase his talents—it was like a high-stakes gamble.

The old man also looked at the young man expectantly, wondering if the other person had the ambition and drive to make progress.

A moment later, Jia Kezhang raised his head, his eyes bloodshot.

"Shen! Let's take a gamble!"

As the days passed, Jia Kezhang and Yu Liwei waited anxiously at the hotel.

Jia Kezhang was starting to regret his decision, fearing that after coming all this way, he would end up going back in disgrace because of his own decision.

He flew to Berlin before the two years were even over, and now the opening ceremony is about to begin, but he still hasn't received any news.

"Old Yu, I'm sorry, we...we might..."

Jia Kezhang couldn't continue speaking, and remained silent with his lips pursed.

From initially having no money to make a movie, to getting investment after meeting Yu Liwei, and then finding that the funds were still insufficient, he met Jiang Lai. He felt that he had always been very lucky.

Until the film was rejected, and even now, he seems to have begun to get used to disappointment again.

"It's okay, Mr. Jia, we can still release it in Hong Kong. You're actually great, don't be discouraged."

Yu Liwei tried his best to comfort her, saying that a work is like one's own child, and who wouldn't want their child to be praised by the world?

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The phone rang, and the two of them froze at the same time. Yu Liwei hurriedly answered the phone.

Jia Kezhang was so anxious that he spun around in circles. He could only understand "okay," "yes," and "thank you."

After Yu Liwei hung up the movie, he quickly asked, "How was it?"

Yu Liwei paused for a moment before saying, "It's in!"

"Did it get in?"

"We're in! We've made it into the main competition!"

Two grown men held hands, laughing and crying at the same time.

Unlike the Oscars or other film festivals, the three major film festivals do not have the concept of nominations; being nominated means that the film is eligible to compete for all awards.

When some media outlets report that a certain celebrity has been nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress at the three major film festivals, it's fair to say that the reporting isn't very accurate.

After that, the two of them attended the opening ceremony of the film festival, where there were many stars, including Leslie Cheung, Chingmy Yau, Tsang Chi-wai, and Stanley Kwan from China, and Matt Damon, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Francis Ford Coppola from abroad. They met them all.

Yu Liwei was alright, but Jia Kezhang always felt out of place with those glamorous people.

After the opening ceremony, the two were busy screening movies, contacting film distributors, and attending various discussion meetings, since movies are made to make money.

Being nominated already gave the film leverage to get to the negotiating table. Seeing so many film companies willing to make a deal, Jia Kezhang was eager to sell it. His thinking was simple: as long as the film made money, people would keep investing in him to make more films.

Yu Liwei, however, said to wait and see, just in case.

Jia Kezhang became anxious and uncertain.

2 month 22 day.

This day was a bit silly, but Jia Kezhang was very nervous because it was the closing ceremony of the film festival and also the awards ceremony.

He and Yu Liwei hurriedly walked across the red carpet to find their seats, because they knew that no media cameras would focus on two unknown newcomers.

After everyone was seated, the festival's current president, Ben Kingsley, took the stage to deliver a speech. Berlin is known for its concise and efficient style; he said just a few words before officially announcing the start of the festival.

Then all the lights in the room went out, and a movie started playing on the big screen.

Before the official awards ceremony, a film that is not participating in the awards but has received a lot of attention is usually chosen as the closing film.

The film selected this year is called "The Rainmaker," directed by Francis Ford Coppola. If you don't know him, that's okay. This old man made a film that countless directors have imitated and paid homage to, called "The Godfather."

The two-hour movie ended, and Jia Kezhang hadn't absorbed much of it. The most tense moment, the awards ceremony, was finally about to begin.

It's often said that the Berlin Film Festival is very concise, and the awards ceremony reflects that. The highest honor is the Golden Bear for Best Film, followed by the Silver Bear for Grand Jury Prize. These are the highest honors in film.

Then came the individual honors of the Silver Bear for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress, and then... nothing more.

Yes, gone!

Many film festivals seem to feel they can't be considered successful without offering dozens of awards, but Berlin keeps it simple, perhaps adding a few awards for outstanding achievements, outstanding artistic achievements, and lifetime achievements.

These awards belong to the second tier of Silver Bear awards, but they are not permanent awards.

The so-called FIPRESCI Prize and Caligari Prize reported by other media outlets at the Berlin Film Festival are all unofficial awards. They are similar to awards under the Forum for Young People and cannot be given the titles of Golden Bear or Silver Bear.

If I had to describe it, it's like being affiliated with the film festival; the forum or other sections that award these kinds of prizes have a very close relationship with the film festival's official organizers.

For example, if someone claims to have won an award at the Berlin Film Festival, but doesn't specify whether it's the Golden Bear or the Silver Bear, the public won't know and will just think it's impressive.

The festival organizers won't come out to refute it; they might at most say that it's an award from the Berlin Film Festival's Forum section.

In reality, official and unofficial are two completely different things, but since everyone is in the same boat, they have to embellish each other's work to keep things going; it's an unspoken understanding.

Soon only three awards remained: Best Director, Jury Prize, and Best Film.

"The Best Director award goes to Neil Jordan for *The Butcher Boy*. Congratulations!"

The audience erupted in applause, and everyone congratulated the director from Ireland.

Jia Kezhang felt as if the world had gone silent, and he slumped dejectedly in his chair.

If he's dreaming, he can only dream about this award—the Jury Prize and the Golden Bear? He still has some self-awareness.

So, this is really the end?

Jia Kezhang resignedly closed his eyes.

At that moment, he had a dream in a daze. In the dream, he stood on the highest podium and won the highest honor of the film festival, with the audience cheering like a tidal wave.