Global Film Emperor

Chapter 375 Film Festival End
Only the Best Film in the main competition section of the Berlin Film Festival can be called the Golden Bear. Other awards, such as Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress, can only be called Silver Bears.

Therefore, this trophy does not shimmer with a noble golden light; its overall silver sheen is less visually striking compared to the gold.

But this did not diminish Lu Ze's love for the trophy. After all, it was his first trophy since his comeback, and he won it entirely as a freelance actor. Without public relations or relying on resources, he relied on his personal acting ability to overpower all his rivals and win the crown. This is not only a recognition of Lu Ze's strength by the world, but also a very precious and unique commemorative significance for Lu Ze.

Stroking the adorable silver bear engraved on the trophy, his fingertips touched the name engraved on the bottom of the trophy. In the end, he couldn't resist and gently kissed the bear's head. This scene was captured by many reporters.

Lu Ze gently placed the trophy on the podium with both hands. This gentle gesture won the unanimous favor of the judges in the first row. Respect is mutual. They felt Lu Ze's respect for the trophy, so Lu Ze also won the respect of the organizers. Of course, this is also why the organizers don't like Mickey very much.

The audience applauded continuously, but not enthusiastically. The applause from the guests on the first floor was somewhat perfunctory. Lu Ze knew the reason for their perfunctory attitude and didn't mind. He simply nodded slightly to the guests to express his gratitude. After all, even perfunctory applause is still applause. When the applause stopped, he stood in front of the microphone.

"Thank you, thank you everyone. It's my first time standing on the stage in Berlin, and I'm still very excited. This isn't the first highlight of my life, but it's definitely a new milestone. There are so many people I want to thank. If I were to name them all, it would take three days and three nights. After all, so many friends have helped me. I won't mention their names here, but you have to believe me. Among the people I want to thank, you are definitely one of them."

Facing countless cameras, Lu Ze stood on the stage with his left hand in his pocket, speaking eloquently and calmly, without the slightest hint of panic. It was even difficult to find much joy in him. This composed and dignified demeanor was much more impressive than those award winners who were either crying or laughing so hard they could see their throats. He was clearly a frequent winner, and some veterans kept nodding in approval.

"For me, the most joyful moments in life come first from the moment the film wrapped up, because I successfully completed my goal. The second is the moment I stand on the stage and receive the honor, because my efforts have earned everyone's recognition. This feeling of reaping what you sow is simply wonderful. I love this place, so I hope this is not the last time I set foot here. I will come back again, definitely. Thank you."

Golden lights stirred the air in the venue once again, and applause rang out again. This time, Lu Ze focused his attention on the audience seats on the second floor, raised the trophy and waved to the audience. He walked to Marcus's side and saw that Marcus was staring intently at the trophy in his hand. Lu Ze could only nod politely.

Perhaps sensing Lu Ze's goodwill, his expression softened. Of course, this didn't mean his impression of Lu Ze had improved. After all, it concerned saving money for the rest of his life to save his life, and no one could let it go so quickly. But seeing Lu Ze's friendly attitude, even if he was unhappy, he had to give Lu Ze face in front of so many people and earn some reputation for himself.

Marcus straightened his legs slightly to make the path in front of Lu Ze wider, stood up, and the two shook hands gently before Lu Ze returned to his seat.

After that, there were two more awards in the main competition. Mickey won the Best Director award, which attracted a lot of hostile stares to the two of them. This made Lu Ze realize that the festival organizers did not actually have a very bad impression of Mickey. The people who really hated him were his peers.

Then came the awarding of the Best Film Award, the highlight of the Berlin Film Festival, the Golden Bear. Everyone present, from film industry professionals to those who had simply paid to watch the spectacle from the second floor, was somewhat surprised.

"I hereby announce that the winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival is..."

"Merlin Caparzo, The Dwarfs".

There were no gasps of surprise at the upset, only a round of applause even louder than when Lu Ze and Mickey went on stage to accept their awards. Although "The Effect" was very good, "The Dwarfs" wasn't bad either, was it? Besides, most people in the audience hoped that Caparzo would win the award, not Mickey.

Applause erupted, and as a German director, Capazzo received cheers from everyone on the first and second floors. In contrast, the two who won Best Actor and Best Director seemed somewhat overshadowed, as they received very little attention.

His gaze swept over Mickey, who had casually placed the trophy aside. With a calm expression, he finished the water in his glass and reached for the red wine that most of the guests would not touch, which was placed in the center of the table.

The beautifully designed decanter poured out the scarlet wine. Mickey seemed a little unaware of his own strength, and when he put the decanter down, he tapped it on the table. This action made the elders at the table turn around. Their displeasure was fleeting, and they then smiled and faced the stage and the photographers, showing their proper demeanor.

"It's great that Mickey didn't win."

This is probably what they were thinking, and also what most people present were thinking.

Mickey downed half a glass of red wine in one gulp, exhaled softly, covered his upper lip with his lower lip, stared straight at the stage, his eyes flickering, seemingly lost in thought.

"Here, cheers."

Pour some red wine into a glass, then pour some for Mickey. The two of them didn't care about being filmed by the camera. The glasses clinked together with a soft sound, which didn't sound like the mutual consolation of the disappointed, but rather like the celebration of the victors.

"Luckily we didn't drive here. Besides, you don't need to look so bitter and resentful. You've already won two awards, what more do you want?"

"Is it obvious?"

"Nonsense, you look at them like they want to eat you alive. So you think all the awards have to be yours? Give them a break. After all, they're a local director, which gives them a huge advantage."

Mickey stroked his chin, staring at his shrunken face reflected in the wine glass. He didn't realize that he was actually showing so much envy, jealousy, and hatred on his face.

The gala concluded with the presentation of permanent honorary awards. The award recipients went on stage to receive applause, and the elderly gentlemen were visibly moved, perhaps because they hadn't expected the film festival to remember them.

Overall, this year's Berlin Film Festival was quite successful. Almost all the films that entered the main competition won one or two awards. Although most of them won minor awards, every little bit helps.

As a group of singers whom Lu Ze did not recognize sang, everyone stood up to celebrate the successful conclusion of the evening. The audience members who had paid left first, and Lu Ze and his companion left the theater about fifteen minutes later.

The reporters who had been waiting for a long time asked questions to the award winners. Lu Ze and Mickey were among them. Lu Ze originally wanted to answer some questions seriously, but he was quickly dragged away from the venue by Mickey. It wasn't for any other reason than that the beautiful host was standing behind them with a smile on her face.

……

"I told you, why did you have to get involved with her?! Look at how she was laughing just now, it gave me the creeps. Let's hurry up and leave, or we'll miss the last bus." "How was I supposed to know she was like this! If I had known she was like this, I wouldn't have gotten involved with her at all!"

Knowing that the host and Mickey had a past, Lu Ze felt that the woman's smile was a bit scary. After striding to the bus stop, he couldn't help but complain. But to his surprise, Mickey's reaction was even more intense than Lu Ze's. Holding up a trophy in each hand, she loudly complained to Lu Ze.

I can't be bothered with you.

There was no one on the bench, so Lu Ze walked over and sat down. He took out a cigarette and tapped it on the pack. As he put the pack away, he loosened his tie, tucked his bangs that had been blown down by the wind back behind his head, used the trophy in his hand to shield himself from the breeze, lit the cigarette, and looked in the direction from which the bus would come. But then he saw a Maybach switching between high and low beams, blinding him.

The luxury cars that arrived at this time were mostly for film festival guests, so Mickey held back and didn't start criticizing. He just watched coldly until the car stopped next to the two of them and the back window rolled down. Mickey's originally cold face suddenly thawed, and he greeted the people in the back seat with a smile.

Good evening, Miss Xugula.

"You two have really responded to the call to save energy, reduce emissions, and travel in a low-carbon manner?"

Camilla is a regular guest invited to the Golden Bear Awards. Due to her influence and fame, and the fact that she is a native German actress, the organizers will invite her to attend even if she has no works in competition, in order to attract attention. Lu Ze and his companion had already seen her in the venue, so they did not find it strange to see her here.

The fact that Lu Ze and his companion took the bus to the party had spread throughout the industry and become a laughing stock. However, Camilla still looked at the two of them with a hint of surprise, genuinely unable to understand what they were thinking.

Actually, when the car flashed its lights, she was already thinking about how to greet the two of them. In the end, she felt that since the three of them had eaten together, they could at least be considered friends. Besides, she had something to say, and the three of them would have a lot of interaction in the future, so she decided to greet them in a slightly joking manner.

Besides her own aura, she is also a true socialite in terms of family background, and has always been known for her elegance and intellect. However, she made a joke this time, and Mickey seemed to receive the signal and changed his tone as well.

"Yeah, we originally planned to run back to get some exercise, but after looking at the navigation, it's over thirteen kilometers. I figured we couldn't finish it even if we were exhausted, otherwise we really would have run back."

"You two really love sports and life..."

"How can you get by in middle age without exercise? Hahaha..."

"Alright, enough joking around, Mr. Taylor. I've thought about this for a long time since I got the script, and I feel it's necessary for me to participate in this film that's destined to leave its mark on the film industry. What do you think?"

He spoke frankly and directly, and this set of boxing techniques caught Lu Ze and his companion off guard. However, after a brief moment of stunned silence, a surge of joy welled up in their hearts.

"Of course I welcome this wholeheartedly. Thank you for your decision. I believe it will be a pleasant filming experience."

“I think so too. This isn’t the place to talk about specific things. I think we can schedule a time and find a formal setting to discuss this issue properly.”

"Of course, no problem. We'll be returning to Liverpool tomorrow; you can decide the exact time."

"Okay, that's it, bye."

She smiled and nodded to the two of them, closed the car window, and drove away. Lu Ze had just finished smoking, crossed his legs, and was about to stub out the cigarette on his heel and throw it into the trash can when Mickey suddenly grabbed Lu Ze's shoulder and shook him violently.

"Did you hear that, Lu Ze?! Kamiya Schigula is going to be filming under my supervision! Did you hear that?! You bastard!"

"I heard that, but... do we have that much money to pay her?"

"I don't care, even if I have to borrow money at exorbitant interest rates, I'm going to make her act under my wing. This is Kamiya Schigura! The biggest star I've ever worked with! Wait, why is she back again?"

The vehicle didn't reverse directly, since they are quite strict about driving on the wrong side of the road and reversing on highways in Europe. It probably went in a circle and finally parked the car in the same spot.

"Are you sure you don't need a ride? What do you think, Mr. Lu?"

Lu Ze didn't really want to hitch a ride with someone right after talking about energy conservation and emission reduction. It would be a huge slap in the face, like a tornado. After all, it would tell the other person that he was really poor.

If it were someone unrelated to him, he wouldn't care about revealing his secrets. The key issue is that the person asking the question might be joining the production team and working with Lu Ze and his partner, so Lu Ze plans to refuse.

"It's alright, little Xugula..."

"Lu Ze, get in the car."

"No, when the hell did you go up there?!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)