thefictionvixens Chapter 36 Best Actor and Actress
Chapter 36 Best Actor and Actress
Lin Ruiyang stood at the window of his Hyatt Hotel room and looked out. There were still a few movie fans holding up light boards in the square, with the names of the main actors from various film crews written crookedly on them.
"Old Lin, stop looking, it's time to go." The fat man's voice came from the doorway.
Lin Ruiyang turned around.
The fat man had changed into a crisp, dark suit, but his tie was tied too tightly, causing the flesh on his neck to bulge slightly.
The red carpet outside the Potsdamer Platz Theater has been laid out again.
As the final highlight of this year's Berlin Film Festival, the closing ceremony's red carpet was even more somber than the opening ceremony.
The media on both sides were surrounded by long lenses and cameras, and the frequency of the flashes was almost enough to blind people instantly. I really don't know how those female celebrities trained.
"Let's go, let's get our stuff." Lin Ruiyang patted the fat man on the shoulder, his tone confident.
At both ends of the red carpet, the sound of camera shutters rose and fell.
Leading the way was the crew of "Peacock," with Gu Changwei walking at the very front with a subtle expression, his arm linked with Jiang Wenli, who hadn't appeared for the past two days.
Her appearance caused the shutter clicks in the domestic media area to double in volume. Her absence from the premiere two days prior had already been the subject of countless fabrications by gossip media. Her composed demeanor as she appeared on the red carpet was itself a silent declaration.
Zhang Jingchu, the leading actress, followed behind, forcing a smile, but the curve of her lips looked rather forced, and her steps on the red carpet always seemed a beat slower.
Immediately afterwards, Lin Ruiyang led the cast and crew of "A Separation" onto the red carpet.
Lin Ruiyang and the fat man walked a little faster, while Hao Lei and Yan Bingyan sandwiched Guo Xiaodong in the middle, turning back every few steps.
Fortunately, directors don't have to constantly appear in the public eye for promotional purposes; this is Lin Ruiyang's current honest thought.
A domestic reporter, holding a recording pen, squeezed to the side of the railing and almost screamed, "..."
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"Director Lin! Are you confident tonight?"
Lin Ruiyang glanced at him sideways: "We'll know after the awards are given out."
The reporter was clearly not satisfied with this lukewarm answer and wanted to ask more questions, but Lin Ruiyang had already taken several steps forward.
As we approached the end of the red carpet, a roar suddenly erupted behind us, far exceeding the sound from the front.
Lin Ruiyang stopped and looked back. A tall, thin man was getting out of a limousine.
The gaunt face, illuminated by the flash of the camera, resembled a sculpted sculpture. Lin Ruiyang recognized the face—Daniel Day-Lewis.
He recalled a report he'd read earlier that Lewis had come here with only one purpose—to receive an award. The Berlin Film Festival recognized his contributions to the film industry and had prepared the Camera d'Or for him.
Lewis seemed to notice the young man who had stopped at the end of the red carpet and was looking back at him, and gave him a polite nod.
Domestic portal websites have already started live text updates, with scrolling text revealing the film crew and celebrities present.
Lin Ruiyang withdrew his gaze and led the crew through the archway at the end of the red carpet.
The staff quickly guided them, and the three Chinese-language film crews were seated in adjacent areas. They were seated between the crews of "Peacock" and "The Sky Is a Cloud".
The awards ceremony officially began at 7 p.m. The organizing committee's opening remarks were brief, switching from German to English without much fanfare. Compared to the hectic pace of the opening ceremony, the closing ceremony flowed much more smoothly.
The awards ceremony began with the independent categories. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Spanish director Fernando Fernán Gómez and South Korean director Im Kwon-taek. Gómez spoke first: "A film doesn't grow from a single work; it's honed by generations of people."
Lim Kwon-taek took the microphone, his voice hoarse: "If anyone says that Eastern stories cannot be understood by the world, then this award is the best answer."
Then came the short film section, where British director Peter Mack Burns won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film, "Milk".
Amid applause, a young director sitting in the back row stood up and hugged the producer next to him.
Lin Ruiyang clapped his hands, and seeing this scene made him feel as if he were seeing himself six months ago, with that kind of joy and excitement.
After the awards for the short films were presented, the atmosphere in the hall noticeably changed. This tension was especially noticeable among the film crews in the front row; everyone was on edge, and no one wanted to lose at this crucial stage.
The fat man sitting next to me had completely lost the composure he had on the red carpet.
"Old Lin, do you think these silver and gold bears are really as heavy as they say?"
"It's made of metal, how can it not be heavy?"
The fat man muttered something else beside him, but he didn't hear it.
The awards ceremony proceeded according to schedule, starting with the technical awards. The Best Original Film Score went to the French film *Heart Stops*, followed by *The Wayward Cloud*, which won its second consecutive award.
Tsai Ming-liang went on stage twice to receive the Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award and the Alfred Bauer Award. He concluded by saying, "A film doesn't necessarily have to tell a very clear story; sometimes feeling is more important," which somewhat mitigated the regret of being eliminated early.
Then the award presenter walked onto the stage, and his action of opening the envelope was magnified countless times under the lights.
The Silver Bear for Best Actor goes to Lou Taylor Pucci for *The Thumb Sucker*, and Guo Xiaodong for *A Separation*!
"Wow, a tie for the award!" The reporters inside the cinema were the first to react.
Guo Xiaodong was a full beat slow to react. He was sitting in his seat when Hao Lei next to him pushed him, and he suddenly stood up. He even tripped and staggered forward half a step before regaining his balance.
Lin Ruiyang stood up and hugged Guo Xiaodong tightly. He patted Guo Xiaodong's relaxed back, and neither of them spoke; everything was understood without words.
Guo Xiaodong walked onto the stage with slightly hurried steps. Standing before the microphone, his voice trembled slightly: "Thank you Berlin, thank you to the jury for their recognition, thank you to everyone in the crew, and thank you to the director who gave me this opportunity!"
This character is a man who silently supports his family; this award belongs to everyone who has silently supported their family.
Standing next to him was Lou Taylor Pucci, a young actor. The two politely deferred to each other on stage, allowing the other to take a step forward, which elicited a few good-natured laughs from the audience.
As the newly crowned Best Actor held up the two Silver Bears, the flashbulbs went off continuously.
The next award is the Silver Bear for Best Actress.
Lin Ruiyang glanced to the side a couple of times; Hao Lei's lips moved slightly, as if she were trying to comfort herself. Yan Bingyan, sitting next to Guo Xiaodong, quickly accepted this reality.
"OMG, this is unbelievable! Let's congratulate Hao Lei and Yan Bingyan on winning Best Actress for their roles in 'A Separation'!"
The moment the host announced their names, Hao Lei closed her eyes in surprise, while Yan Bingyan covered his mouth with his hand. After they stood up, Hao Lei turned around and grabbed Yan Bingyan's hand, and together they walked onto the stage to receive the award amidst applause.
Yan Bingyan took half a step back, and Hao Lei took the silver bear, stood in front of the microphone, and remained silent for a while:
"I played a woman who couldn't hold on in her marriage." She paused, then turned to look at Yan Bingyan beside her.
"She played someone who used her body to protect her employer's family. We played completely different roles, but we probably wanted to say the same thing: imperfect lives can be gently embraced by film."
Yan Bingyan's hands were still trembling when he took the microphone. In the end, he only said one sentence: "Thank you, director. Thank you, Sister Hao Lei. Thank you, Teacher Bao Tian. Thank you to everyone in the crew."
She paused, as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end she simply held the trophy upright to her chest and bowed to the audience.