Chapter 699: I won an award! I actually won an award! (7600 words updated)
At the subsequent media conference, Lu Yanhe, Huang Feng, Huang Tianlin, producer Yuan Hai, Qin Shulan who plays the mother, and Han Yujiang who plays the female neighbor who has a romantic relationship with the brother in the film all attended together.
Lu Yanhe was the only well-known actor in the crew, so he naturally received the most questions from the media.
This movie was very popular with the media.
Because it is simple enough, yet rich enough in detail for everyone to savor.
Often, people judge whether a movie is good or not by whether they feel an indescribable emotion at the moment the movie ends.
Whether it's the feeling that the world has become a better place, the sharp sense of having the truth revealed, or the feeling of returning to a certain stage in one's life and having one's heart peeled open.
When that moment arrives, what others say doesn't really matter.
Of course, this rule applies to not every film. But it certainly applies to *Tropical Rain*.
In the film, Lu Yanhe's role suddenly became that of a true lead. Of course, it's still not as much as Huang Feng's, but he's definitely no longer just a stereotypical character.
Some media outlets raised questions about this.
Huang Tianlin replied, "It wasn't like this in the original script. However, during the editing process, I gradually realized that I wanted the film to be as simple as possible, to reduce the elements and information as much as possible. So, in fact, we originally filmed a lot of scenes after the older brother left home, but I didn't include them in the film."
"Is this because they want to highlight Lu Yanhe as much as possible?"
“No.” Huang Tianlin shook his head. “Until last night, he still thought he was just a supporting character. In fact, he only filmed with our crew for less than ten days. However, his performance exceeded my expectations and unexpectedly matched my later ideas for the film. Therefore, his scenes were retained to the greatest extent possible, with only a few scenes with Han being cut.”
Lu Yanhe smiled.
"Why was this part cut?" a media outlet asked.
Huang Tianlin explained: "Because I wanted to reduce the erotic aspects of the brother's character and highlight his own confusion and contradictions."
The media then asked Lu Yanhe, "Why did you decide to participate in this movie?"
"Because I had filmed a lot of commercial films at the time, as an actor, I was a bit tired of it, so I wanted to find a film that could focus on the inner world of the characters and the emotional relationships between people. It just so happened that the theme of this film was family affection, which I had never filmed before. The script's approach of not catering to current popular themes and concepts, but rather describing family relationships from the last century, really touched me."
"We heard that your relationship with the director wasn't very good at first?" one media outlet asked with a smile. "Could you tell us about it?"
Lu Yanhe and Huang Tianlin exchanged a glance.
Lu Yanhe handed the document to Huang Tianlin, indicating that he should speak.
Huang Tianlin thought for a moment and said, "It's my fault. I'm just a small-time director with no fame, but he's a big star in the film industry. I was very worried that such a big star would play a supporting role for some other reason. Otherwise, why would he want to play a supporting role?"
Everyone in the room laughed.
Lu Yanhe also smiled and made a helpless gesture.
“I am very grateful to him,” Huang Tianlin said. “When I deliberately provoked him and tried to force him to leave the film, he very frankly told me his thoughts and very considerately forgave my very rude offense. He really has the tolerance of a great actor. Moreover, during the later filming process, he did not have any star airs at all. I mean, there was no special treatment in terms of food, clothing, accommodation, or transportation. So, I still have the same question: why did he come to play a supporting role?”
Lu Yanhe: "Oh, you see, I acted well enough, so you couldn't bear to cut my scenes, so I became the lead actor."
The audience burst into laughter.
"Getting back to the point, my willingness to play supporting roles stems from my first film, 'Three Mountains.' It was a movie where I only had a cameo role for one night, with just ten minutes of screen time. But that one scene, I was fortunate enough to gain worldwide recognition at the Situ Film Festival," Lu Yanhe said. "Therefore, I am very clear that the amount of screen time, whether it's a lead or supporting role, will not affect an actor's presence. In this film, whether it's Qin Shulan, who played my mother, or Han Yujiang, who had a secret relationship with me, you can see how outstanding they are. I want to be an actor who can be remembered even with just one scene."
Applause erupted.
"I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate that I welcome directors from all over the world to submit scripts to me, whether for lead or supporting roles. As long as it moves me, salary or distance is not a problem," said Lu Yanhe.
-
The response and praise for "Tropical Rainy Season" in Situ was even higher than that for "Raise the Red Lantern".
Especially media reviews—
Clearly, while "Raise the Red Lantern" is full of critical spirit and has high artistic value, "Tropical Rainy Season" is more acceptable in terms of the theme of the film itself.
According to the program's ratings, "Tropical Rainy Season" ranked third among the films shown, with a score as high as 3.1.
The media are saying that this year is a big year for Situ.
At this point, one-third of the films in the main competition section have not yet been screened.
Lu Yanhe felt helpless.
It seems that it will be quite difficult for "Raise the Red Lantern" to win the top prize this year. It depends on the judges' tastes and what role Liu Bige can play in the judging panel.
After his trip to Situer ended, Lu Yanhe set off to return home.
The entire crew of "Tropical Rainy Season" has also returned.
Wang Chong stayed in Xituer.
Five days later, the Situ Film Festival closed.
If there are awards, the film festival will recall the crew.
Lu Yanhe laughed and said to Chen Bige, "Why don't you just ask the crew for a few more days off? You're such a strong contender for Best Actress this year."
Chen Bige: "I was thinking, what if I asked the crew for leave and didn't win the award? I don't know where I would lose face."
Lu Yanhe didn't expect Chen Bige to be worried about this.
“Besides, asking for another five days? That’ll be six days including the time he goes back. The crew will be under so much pressure that everyone will be putting voodoo dolls on me.” Chen Bige rolled her eyes. “People should know their place.”
-
Both of Lu Yanhe's films received scores above 3 in the festival's daily publications, making them highly anticipated award winners this year. Such an achievement is actually quite rare. However, when the news spread back to China, the general reaction was rather ordinary, with people simply thinking that it was normal for Lu Yanhe to achieve this.
However, four days later, Lu Yanhe suddenly received a call from Huang Tianlin.
Huang Tianlin said that the Sea Tour Film Festival recalled the crew of "Tropical Rainy Season".
Immediately afterwards, Lu Yanhe received a call from the film festival's artistic director, Wintour Robbe.
"Lu, we hope you can come to the closing ceremony with the crew."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Lu Yanhe was not surprised that "Tropical Rainy Season" won awards and was recalled.
However, Wintour Robbe called him specifically to invite him to the closing ceremony.
this--
Could it be—
Lu Yanhe's heart started racing.
Really?
Lu Yanhe said, "Mr. Luo Bei, I'm actually currently on set. I came here a few days ago and have already asked the crew for leave. Director Huang Tianlin can represent the crew to go back, right?"
He was testing the waters.
Wintour Robbe said, "Lu, if possible, please try to come back and participate this time."
Lu Yanhe understood.
At that moment, he felt quite calm and didn't feel anything.
“I understand. I’ll go talk to the production team and see if we can coordinate something,” Lu Yanhe said, then added, “Thank you, Mr. Luo Bei.”
“Lu, you are an actor who became known to the world through our Situ’er. We hope to share every key moment of glory with you in the future.”
-
“You absolutely have to take this leave!” Chen Ziyan went straight to the “Seventeen Floors” crew. “I’ve already had them book your plane ticket. It’s an 11 p.m. flight. You’ll have to transfer once, but that will make sure you arrive in Situ three hours before the closing ceremony starts.”
Lu Yanhe: "Unbelievable, this is completely unexpected."
"Huang Tianlin has finally done something good." Chen Ziyan's joy was undisguised; even the strands of her hair seemed to radiate happiness and excitement. "In the end, you actually became the lead actor in this movie."
Lu Yanhe: "We got a good deal."
“He took advantage of you,” Chen Ziyan said immediately. “No wonder Situ noticed this film and immediately selected it for the main competition. Generally speaking, a director’s work has to start from other sections first.”
Many directors' works, if they are nominated for the Situ Film Festival for the first time, are usually in other competition sections, rather than in the main competition right away.
At the time, Chen Ziyan thought that Huang Tianlin's directorial debut had received rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and was well-known in Europe and America, which was why the Seatour Film Festival directly selected "Tropical Rainy Season" for the main competition. Now, it seems that Chen Ziyan would never believe that it was not due to Lu Yanhe's performance.
—You are an actor who became known to the world through our Situer, and we hope to share every key moment of glory with you in the future.
Wintour Robbe's statement is clearly meant to express something.
Although it's more likely that he knew something beforehand and said it on purpose, in order to get closer to Lu Yanhe at this time and to make Lu Yanhe feel that Xituer was treating him well.
In any case, the fact that people are willing to say such things to Lu Yanhe shows that Lu Yanhe is different from them.
-
In contrast to Lu Yanhe, who was not among the favorites for Best Actor this year, Chen Bige did not receive an invitation to return to the competition.
The production team of "Raise the Red Lantern" received it, but Chen Bige herself did not.
For this, Lu Yanhe actually felt quite embarrassed deep down.
He asked the crew for leave, but didn't mention that he had received a separate recall call from the art director. He only said that both films were being recalled, so he still had to go.
The production team naturally agreed.
No one else noticed anything, but Chen Bige was very perceptive and asked privately, "Are we going to have a celebration party when we get back?"
Lu Yanhe said, "If so, can you open it for me?"
Chen Bige smiled generously and nodded, "Okay, I'll organize it."
Lu Yanhe finished work at 8 p.m. and rushed to the airport to catch his flight.
They traveled a long and arduous journey, not daring to waste a single moment.
Finally, an hour before the closing ceremony began, Lu Yanhe arrived at Xituer.
We arrived two hours later than expected.
He arrived at the scene travel-worn and didn't even have time to do any styling work.
In the car that picked him up, he changed into a suit and then simply tousled his hair.
Wang Biao was almost frantic with worry.
Today, Lu Yanhe is very likely to go on stage to receive the most prestigious Best Actor award of his life, and Wang Biao does not want this moment to leave behind a dirty or inappropriate scene for Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe himself felt fine.
Even though he had dark circles under his eyes and a pimple on his forehead, he still looked handsome when he looked in the mirror.
He took a deep breath.
Nervous, expectant, yet afraid of disappointment—
What if I don't end up winning that award?
He certainly knew that Situ's top award was more prestigious than Best Actor.
But for him, at this stage, the Best Actor award is definitely more valuable.
He was genuinely afraid that he would come with high expectations only to leave disappointed.
In the past two years, he has won two major awards: the Golden Globe Award and the Best Screenplay Award at the Jose Film Festival. However, Lu Yanhe knows that these are not his achievements. To be precise, for him, they are the Best Plagiarism Award.
Only the performance—
Yes, of all his worldly achievements, only two were accumulated by himself: his college entrance exam scores and his acting.
"Road to Glory" earned him a domestic Best Actor award, which is also his only Best Actor award. He has zero international Best Actor awards.
Now, it's possible to break through that zero. And this is for a film like "Tropical Rainy Season," a film that nobody had high hopes for from the start, directed by a relatively unknown director, and with a crew that had no other actors with any international recognition besides him. If he were to win an award for such a film, it wouldn't just be a recognition of his own performance, but also a recognition of his vision.
This feeling is one of double pride.
—Yes, even if the roles and scripts he chooses don't meet anyone's expectations, the facts have proven that his judgment was correct!
Lu Yanhe realized that he was getting a little emotional, so he quickly composed himself and suppressed his excitement.
Stay calm.
It shouldn't be too obvious on your face.
Fortunately, although the closing ceremony of the Situ Film Festival is broadcast live worldwide, it does not feature a separate shot of each nominee when announcing each award, unlike large award ceremonies.
Thankfully, film festivals don't operate that way.
Otherwise, Lu Yanhe felt that he might not be able to control his disappointment if he didn't win the award.
Because he came with really high hopes—
This is a separate recall.
-
When Lu Yanhe walked onto the red carpet at the closing ceremony, the Chinese media present all showed expressions of great surprise.
This was a scene that exceeded their expectations.
Prior to this, no media outlets had received any information that Lu Yanhe would attend the closing ceremony.
Since everyone here is a seasoned veteran, and Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige are still filming in the "Seventeen Floors" crew and haven't returned, it means that neither of them is involved in the Best Actor and Best Actress awards that everyone is most concerned about.
Even though the "Raise the Red Lantern" crew was recalled, director Wang Zhong confirmed his attendance at the closing ceremony, which means Chinese films are sure to win awards. But for the general public, especially for mass-market media, celebrities are definitely more attractive and generate more news buzz.
In particular, Chen Bige was the most popular contender for Best Actress this year, competing against only the lead actress in an Iranian film. All the media outlets said that the Best Actress award could only be won between the two of them. But Chen Bige did not appear.
As a result, Lu Yanhe suddenly appeared.
This scene caused everyone watching the live broadcast of the Seatour Film Festival to suddenly perk up in surprise.
Everyone knows that if you appear on the red carpet at the closing ceremony, you are very likely to win an award.
This is an ironclad rule for the closing ceremonies of top international film festivals.
If Lu Yanhe didn't have a personal award, what would be worth him making a special trip all the way from China?
Instantly, news of Lu Yanhe's appearance on the red carpet at the closing ceremony of the Situ Film Festival topped the trending lists on major social media platforms in China.
-
"Among the four major international film festivals, the Situ Film Festival has always been recognized as the highest hall of art films. Previously, director Wang Zhong won the Best Director Award for 'Three Mountains,' and since then, no Chinese-language film has won an award at the Situ Film Festival. This time, director Wang Zhong has once again entered the main competition with 'Raise the Red Lantern,' written by Lu Yanhe and starring Chen Bige, and it is very likely that he will win an award again. Let's wait for good news."
The movie channel suddenly inserted this live news segment.
It was during a commercial break between movies.
After two commercial breaks, the movie channel inserted another news item.
It's the same host as before.
"Just now, Chinese filmmaker Lu Yanhe walked the red carpet at the closing ceremony of the Situ Film Festival. He has two films in which he starred that were nominated for the main competition at this year's Situ Film Festival: one is 'Raise the Red Lantern,' directed by Wang Zhong and written by him, and the other is the Malaysian Chinese film 'Tropical Rainy Season,' in which he also starred. However, this time, he did not walk the red carpet with any film crew, but alone, which is somewhat unusual for the closing ceremony red carpet. It is understood that Lu Yanhe took leave from filming to come here, mainly because he received a personal call from Mr. Wintour Robe, the artistic director of the Situ Film Festival. This means that he is very likely to receive an individual award."
"Lu Yanhe won the Best Screenplay Award at the Jose Film Festival, one of the four major international film festivals, for the film 'Love Letter'; the Audience Choice Award at the Jose Film Festival for the film 'Rouge'; and the Golden Globe Award for Best Writing for a Musical or Comedy Series for the sitcom 'Friends'. In addition, the film 'Late Spring' in which he starred won the Jury Prize in the main competition section of the Venice International Film Festival, and the film 'Road to Glory' in which he starred won the Best Film Award in the Horizons section of the Venice International Film Festival. In recent years, he has become one of the most prominent Chinese filmmakers on the international film scene."
The movie channel directly listed Lu Yanhe's representative films and international awards in a chart, clearly demonstrating his achievements over the years.
Besides the ones read out by the host, there were many other awards.
Then, this picture went viral online.
There's no way around it, their record is just too impressive.
Over the past five years, he has been unstoppable, and his roles as both actor and screenwriter have earned him a wealth of awards that no one can question.
Expectations were immediately raised.
-
When Lu Yanhe returned and entered the inner area, he greeted Wang Zhong.
Wang Zhongdu looked at him with great surprise.
Huang Tianlin was also one of them.
Now they all know their films will definitely win awards, they just don't know what awards they will win.
Lu Yanhe will definitely receive an award, but it's unclear what kind of award it is.
It could be either the Best Screenplay award for "Raise the Red Lantern," the Best Actor award for "Tropical Rainy Season," or one of the films winning the Best Picture award.
The atmosphere here isn't as social as other award ceremonies.
The entire venue was decorated in a dark blue tone, with soft lighting.
The jury members were introduced by Wintour Robbe and took to the stage. They remained seated on the stage throughout the entire process, presenting and witnessing the awards one by one.
Lu Yanhe saw Liu Bige.
Liu Bige, dressed in a suit and tie, sat solemnly among the judges. He looked quite handsome, and several women around Lu Yanhe glanced at him several times.
Lu Yanhe had hoped he could glean some signal from Liu Bige's face—
Although he refrained from messaging Liu Bige to ask what was going on.
But nothing could be seen on Liu Bige's face.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but feel nervous and uneasy, and even subconsciously wanted to shake his leg, but fortunately he immediately restrained the impulse.
There was no one else around him.
He was seated in the second row, and sat alone by himself.
Wang Zhong and Huang Tianlin are both elsewhere.
This made it impossible for Lu Yanhe to find someone to talk to.
The awards ceremony always starts with some less important awards.
Surprisingly, one of the first few awards was for Best Cinematography, which went to "Tropical Rainy Season".
Huang Tianlin, the film's director of photography and chief cinematographer, went on stage to accept the award.
Lu Yanhe could tell that he was a little disappointed.
He certainly didn't think the award was bad. As a director who won an award on his first nomination, he was already very lucky. However, after receiving the invitation to return, knowing that he had a chance to win an award, he must have thought that maybe he could win an even bigger one.
In fact, the Best Cinematography award is already a very high honor for "Tropical Rainy Season," a work that uses a small detail to reveal a larger truth.
The film's greatest strength is clearly its cinematography.
Lu Yanhe clapped his hands happily.
Then, he heard Huang Tianlin thank him again in his acceptance speech.
Lu Yanhe smiled happily and gave him a thumbs up.
Later, the Best Screenplay Award went to the French film "The Epitaph of Frandi," and the Special Award went to the Indian film "A Woman."
To everyone's surprise, the Best Screenplay and Best Director awards went to Christian Mosin for the American film "Bale".
Generally speaking, it is rare for a film to win two major awards at the same time.
However, this also relieved Lu Yanhe, and he became even more focused and attentive.
Subsequently, the Best Actress award went to another frontrunner in this year's competition, the actress in the Iranian film "Divorce".
Then, Best Actor—
Lu Yanhe kept taking deep breaths to keep himself calm.
Oh shit!
This award system is so annoying. It's different from awards where you have no idea what the result will be. In this case, you know that you are likely to be the winner, but you can't relax until the hammer falls. Instead, it makes you even more nervous.
"Tropical Rainy Season, Lu Yanhe!"
He heard a broken Chinese pronunciation of his name.
Then, Wang Zhong and Huang Tianlin stood up at the same time, looked at him, and applauded him.
Lu Yanhe felt dizzy for a moment, but then he came to his senses.
He instinctively clenched his fist and squeezed it tightly.
He clenched all his barely suppressed excitement into his fist.
Lu Yanhe walked onto the stage amidst applause and attention from the crowd.
Only then did Liu Bige give him a knowing smile.
dog.
Would it kill you to give him a hint sooner?!
It made him nervous and he had been looking forward to it for so long!
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath and accepted his trophy.
"Please allow me to take a deep breath, please allow me to look at this trophy carefully." Lu Yanhe controlled the excitement in his voice, and after speaking to everyone, he looked at the trophy in his hand seriously. "It's incredible that I can receive this trophy when I'm still so young and handsome. Thank you, Satur, you stopped me from becoming ugly and fat in order to win the award—thank goodness, I don't have to abandon my image to win Best Actor."
Wang Chong sighed in admiration and laughed along with everyone, clapping his hands in agreement.
Why is it that every time this guy gives an acceptance speech, he manages to come up with something fresh and original, both sincere and humorous?
"Thank you, Director Huang Tianlin. Without you editing me from a supporting role to a lead role, I probably wouldn't have won this award." Lu Yanhe shook his head and sighed, "Film is indeed the art of the director. The director determines the fate of everyone in a film. However, the fate of actors is in their own hands, because excellent directors can be won over by excellent actors. As long as you are good enough, even a director who doesn't like popular stars will break his own principles for them."
Everyone burst into laughter again.
The behind-the-scenes story of "Tropical Rainy Season" has become widely known in recent days thanks to various media reports.
Lu Yanhe took a deep breath.
“Satur is truly my lucky place, especially for me to play a supporting role in a film. Five years ago, my first film, ‘Three Mountains,’ was filmed here, which made me known to the world. In that film, I only had ten minutes of screen time. Five years later, ‘Tropical Rainy Season’ won me the Best Actor award. I didn’t calculate my screen time, but thankfully, the judges don’t judge the quality of an actor’s performance by calculating the length of their screen time.”
"The changes in light and shadow are the eternity of a moment, and the moment of eternity. Performance is the emotional touch formed by the iteration of countless moments. For me, 'The Rainy Season' was an unexpected joy on my acting journey. As for 'The Rainy Season,' I hope that Satur can be the starting point for it to be known to audiences all over the world. Its emotions are enough to transcend language, my face, and the skin color of the characters to touch the depths of everyone's heart. I also hope that this is the reason for me to win Best Actor. Thank you."
After Lu Yanhe finished speaking, he proudly raised his trophy to the audience, showed it off, bowed slightly to the judges to express his gratitude, and then stepped down from the stage.
-
"A 24-year-old Best Actor at the Situ Film Festival!"
"The second youngest Best Actor winner in the history of the Situ Film Festival!"
"Green Valley Films has acquired the North American distribution rights to 'Tropical Rainy Season' and will be lobbying for Lu Yanhe for next year's Oscars!"
"Lu Yanhe's acceptance speech moved the whole world!"
...
"What the hell?!" Chen Ziyan waved her hand dismissively. "Which media outlet reported that last one? Take it down immediately! What disgusting stuff! Don't use these motivational headlines at a time like this!"
She directed the publicity and public relations department to launch a publicity campaign immediately. At the same time, she monitored public opinion from all sides and resolutely cracked down on anyone who came out at this time to attack Lu Yanhe with the statement that "overseas film festivals only give awards by smearing China".
Chen Ziyan's heart soared at that moment.
I won an award! I actually won an award!
"Ah—" Suddenly, Lu Qingzhen screamed.
"Raise the Red Lantern won the highest award, Best Film! This is the second Chinese film to win the top prize at the Situ Film Festival! It has been 35 years since the last time it won the top prize!"
The entire audience erupted in cheers of surprise after Lu Qingzhen's words.
At that moment, Chen Ziyan disregarded her image and shouted, "Yes!"
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(End of this chapter)
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