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

"Whoosh—"

"Clap clap clap clap clap clap!"

"Yay! Yay! @#￥%……&*"

The scene erupted in a deafening roar, a truly thunderous cacophony.

Yu Liwei stood up and started waving his arms and legs wildly, shouting something incoherently.

"What's going on? Have the Allied forces attacked?"

Jia Kezhang was awakened by the noise. He looked around blankly, only to find that everyone was looking at him with curiosity.

"We won! We won!" Yu Liwei excitedly grabbed Jia Kezhang by the collar and shook him vigorously.

Jia Kezhang felt like his brain was about to pop out, and he barely managed to figure out what was going on.

My own movie won an award!

His mind was still foggy, and without thinking too much, he hurriedly got up and walked towards the stage. He had only taken two steps when he suddenly realized something, turned around, and asked:

"What award did we win?"

......

It's a little past 7 a.m. in Shanghai.

Lou Ye yawned as he directed the staff to set up the venue. Once everything was almost done, he grabbed a stagehand and asked:

"Where is our General Manager Jiang?"

"Oh, Mr. Jiang is making a phone call at the door."

Lou Ye nodded and swayed towards the door.

Recently, while filming, he has been organizing the footage that has already been shot, because he has to filter out which ones can be used and which ones need to be completely deleted and reshot, which is too tiring.

"Okay, okay, you guys be careful over there. I still have to film. Bye, um, hey, hey."

Lou Ye had just reached the door when Jiang Lai finished his phone call. Lou Ye asked, "Who was it?"

"Oh, Lao Jia." Jiang Lai put his phone in his pocket, tightened his coat, and asked, "Hey, do you know what the Alfred Bauer Award is?"

Lou Ye raised his eyelids slightly, thought for a moment, and replied, "I think it's a type of Silver Bear award from the Berlin Film Festival, an award established to commemorate the festival's founder."

"Oh, it's not Best Picture anyway," Jiang Lai said casually.

"That's definitely not the case. The best film in Berlin is the Golden Bear. This Alfred Bauer Award is for films that are bold, innovative and courageous. Of course, that's the official statement. In reality, it depends on the taste of the jury that year."

"Isn't that just like a consolation prize?"

Lou Ye smiled, preparing to patiently explain to Jiang Lai, "It's not a consolation prize. How should I put it, this prize is..."

As he was talking, he suddenly realized something.

Old Jia? Berlin?

"Jia Kezhang won the Alfred Bauer Award?!" Lou Ye exclaimed in a trembling voice.

Jiang Lai frowned and covered his ears. "Why are you so upset about him getting a consolation prize?"

"This... ah?" Lou Ye suddenly felt a little confused.

"How can this be a consolation prize?! That's the Silver Bear! It's a whole level below the Golden Bear! Do you know how many times the Berlin Film Festival has given out this award in its 48-year history? Only eight times! Just eight times!!"

"Alright then." Jiang Lai nodded indifferently. "Let's go, we should go film." He then walked directly into the film set.

Lou Ye was petrified on the spot, unable to shed a tear.

If this counts as a consolation prize, then I'd like to be consoled too!

As the saying goes, one fears that one's brother is suffering, but also fears that one's brother is driving a Land Rover. Lou Ye is currently in this delicate state of mind.

Those are the three highest honors in the film industry! Even winning a forum award is something to brag about, let alone the main competition award.

He could easily picture Jia Kezhang being flocked to by various film producers and investors, enjoying immense success.

In fact, there was an element of luck in Jia Kezhang winning the award. First of all, although the Alfred Bauer Award has only been awarded 8 times in total, and Jia Kezhang is the 9th time, it is actually a fixed award.

However, it was only fixed in 1997, and because of this, there is still no consensus on the judging criteria, so it is more dependent on the tastes of the judging panel.

Let's take a look at the winning entries from this year's competition.

The Golden Bear winner for Best Picture, "Central Station," tells the story of an old man and a young boy struggling to find their family and achieving self-redemption in the process. It is a typical realist road movie.

The Grand Jury Prize winner, "Wag the Dog," is a political satire comedy that sharply depicts the political lies and social realities of the United States.

The Best Director award goes to "Butcher Boy," which tells the story of an Irish boy who is gradually driven to the brink of collapse and ultimately turns to the dark side by his unfortunate family and the malice of society.

The award results show that this year's jury favored films that explore the depths of human nature through simple narratives, and that boldly satirize society and criticize the times.

The highest honor was given to "Central Station" because the film also possesses universal warmth and redemption, while praising and affirming sharp and bold films such as "Wag the Dog" and "Butcher Boy".

In Jia Kezhang's "Xiao Wu," there is no direct criticism or the most straightforward expression of human nature. Instead, through the identity of a thief, which is hated by everyone, he explores friendship, love, and family.

This subtle yet thought-provoking approach resonated with the jury, but it didn't quite meet the criteria for a major award, making the Alfred Bauer Award the best choice.

In the original timeline, the Alfred Bauer Award was given to Stanley Kwan for "Happier, More Degenerate," but the jury felt that they had seen too many LGBTQ+ films in recent years, and Kwan had already won a Panorama category award specifically for LGBTQ+ films, called the Teddy Award.

Then films like "Xiao Wu," which reflect on the times from the perspective of ordinary people, emerged and deserved even more encouragement. Ultimately, the award went to Jia Kezhang.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Berlin, Jia Kezhang was indeed enjoying great success, just as Lou Ye had guessed. He was attending a reception after the awards ceremony.

On the terrace of a villa, Jia Kezhang had just finished reporting the news of winning the award to Jiang Lai. He put down his phone, turned around, and looked at the brightly lit banquet hall with its clinking glasses and lively atmosphere. A soaring ambition rose in his heart.

He walked in with a smile, the night behind him deep, the moon hidden and the stars faded.

What about Lou Ye?

He was squatting blankly at the entrance of the dusty film set, taking small puffs of his cigarette.

"Snapped!"

"What are you doing squatting here? Let's go, we're filming."

When Jiang returned to the film set, he saw that Lou Ye hadn't come back yet. He went out to take a look and found that the guy was pretending to be depressed. He immediately slapped him on the head.

The slap was delivered with just the right amount of force, instantly bringing Lou Ye back to his senses.

He looked up at Jiang Lai's expression, which was focused solely on filming, and suddenly felt a pang of emotion.

"Let's go, filming!" He stood up with a laugh, then grabbed Jiang Lai by the throat. "That slap felt good, didn't it? Today's a crucial scene, you're not getting any sleep if you don't perform well!"

The two walked back to the film set, playfully bickering.

Behind them, the sun rises.