The entertainment empire began with Liu Yifei's premarital pregnancy.

Liu Yifei did not go to the scene with Lin Bufan. She is not the female lead of "Lust, Caution", and she does not need to ride on this popularity.

Inside the hotel, Liu Yifei watched Lin Bufan enter the venue via live television broadcast.

As the various film crews entered the venue, the time slowly approached 6 p.m., which was the time for the official awards ceremony.

The first awards presented were for the short film category.

The short film category has only two awards: the Golden Lion for Best Short Film and the Best European Short Film.

Ultimately, the Best European Short Film award went to Spain's "Alumbramiento," while the Golden Lion for Best Short Film went to the UK's "Dog altogether."

Next up was the Horizons section, where the Best Film award went to Estonia's "Autumn Ball".

The Best Documentary Award was won by Jia Zhangke's "Useless".

Lin Bufan watched calmly as Jia Zhangke, who was speaking fluent English on stage, appeared on the stage.

Lin Bufan neither thought highly of nor disliked these so-called sixth-generation directors; in short, they were not on the same wavelength. Moreover, these people were all obsessed with the so-called awards.

In their films, there is no good side to China, only the bad side.

There was also the movie called "Hidden in the Dust" from later generations. Lin Bufan went to the cinema to watch it and even cried. The male and female leads were just too tragic.

However, the moment he stepped out of the movie theater, he suddenly realized his mistake.

The film was set in rural Gansu in 2011. If it had been set in the 1960s or 70s, Lin Bufan might have believed that it could have been that tragic.

The entire movie is just about being miserable for the sake of being miserable; it's about filming the most miserable scenes possible without considering whether such things actually exist in reality.

Like many so-called directors who came after, they never actually met people from the lower classes. Everything they did was based on their imagination. In their imagination, people from the lower classes were supposed to be that miserable.

There is another group of people who think that delivering dozens of takeout orders a day and living in a big house in the center of Shanghai is very pitiful; there is also another group of people, including many directors, screenwriters and actors, who think that being poor means being "ugly", "greedy", and "unscrupulous", and they will film whatever is ugly.

……

The awards ceremony is still ongoing.

Next up are the awards for the most important section of the Venice International Film Festival: the 'Main Competition'.

First, the Best Technical Contribution Award, also known as Best Cinematography, was originally awarded to "Lust, Caution," but it has now been given to "Grain and Mullet."

Next, the Best Newcomer Award will be presented.

As the host announced the names of the shortlisted newcomers on the big screen, Sun Yiyi, Pan Yueming, and Xue Kaiqi, who were in the audience, were extremely nervous.

They not only have to compete with actors from other films, but also with their own people.

Pan Yueming, Sun Yiyi, and Xue Kaiqi are both companions and competitors.

"Let's congratulate Yizhou Sun on 'Lust, Caution'..."

As the host announced it, Sun Yi jumped up and hugged Lin Bufan, unable to contain her excitement and joy.

Pan Yueming and Xue Kaiqi looked at Sun Yi with envy.

Perhaps this is the closest they've ever come to this award, and they may never have another chance in their lives.

"Alright, go up on stage and accept your honor!"

Lin Bufan patted Sun Yiyi on the shoulder. He hadn't expected Sun Yiyi to win the Best Newcomer Award, but considering his later breakthroughs in the film, he certainly deserved it.

On the contrary, Pan Yueming and Xue Kaiqi simply acted according to the script and did not delve too deeply into the characters' inner world.

"Yes, Director Lin!"

Sun Yi took a deep breath to compose herself, then slowly walked onto the stage, accepted the trophy from the host, and bowed to the audience.

"Thank you to the organizing committee for awarding me the Best Newcomer Award. Before coming here, I had fantasized about it, but I never thought that my dream could actually come true. First of all, please allow me to express my deepest gratitude..."

I want to express my deepest gratitude to my director, Mr. Lin Bufan. It was his unparalleled talent and unconditional trust that enabled me to play this role well…

This Best Newcomer award is a new starting point for me, and even more so, a gateway to limitless possibilities. I will strive to live up to the title of "actor." Thank you everyone!

A round of applause immediately erupted from the audience. Throughout the entire process, Sun Yini spoke in Chinese. For him, although he had won one of the three major European film awards, he was still a Chinese person. When a Chinese person wins an award, it is not necessary to speak both Chinese and English, but it is absolutely not acceptable to speak only Chinese.

After the Best Newcomer Award, the Best Screenplay Award was won by Paul Raffaidi's "The Free World" from the United States.

"Next, please look at the big screen. The nominees for Best Actress are..."

Several movie clips flashed across the large screen on stage, including one featuring Dong Jie.

The Best Newcomer Awards for Xue Kaiqi, Pan Yueming, and Sun Yiyi are over; they can now look back with a calm mind.

On the contrary, Dong Jie, because it concerned her, gripped her deputy's hand tightly, feeling both nervous and expectant.

"Congratulations to Cate Blanchett for 'I'm Not There'..."

Unfortunately, after the results were announced, Dong Jie was plunged into a deep sense of powerlessness. The higher her expectations, the greater her disappointment. She had even prepared an acceptance speech, but in the end, she missed out on the Best Actress award.

Even Lin Bufan felt sorry for Dong Jie.

Dong Jie's portrayal of Wang Jiazhi surpasses the original version by a great deal. Her performance in the film was meticulously tuned by Lin Bufan, and she is qualified to compete for the Best Actress award.

With the Best Actress award presented, only four awards remain: Best Actor, Silver Lion for Best Director (Jury Prize), and Golden Lion for Best Film.

Now, Dong Jie and the others have completely become spectators. When the Best Actor award was announced, Liang Jiahui didn't say anything, but Lin Bufan could still tell from the subtle differences in his expression that he was nervous.

Leung Ka-fai, known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces," has won numerous Best Actor awards at the Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards, but he has never won a single one of the three major European awards, not only now, but also 20 years later.

"Congratulations to Brad Pitt, star of 'The Assassin's Creed'..."

As the host announced the winner of the Best Actor award, Leung Ka-fai let out a long sigh, a bitter look flashing across his face.

"Don't worry, with your acting skills, you'll win the Best Actor award sooner or later."

Lin Bufan turned to look at Liang Jiahui. This wasn't meant to comfort him; he had already planned to make another art film, and he would still choose Liang Jiahui as the male lead, but there wasn't time to film it yet.