Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 110 Which great director hasn't been banned?
As the award was announced, the audience gasped in surprise, followed by enthusiastic applause.

As a hit movie, most of the people present had seen "Run Lola Run" and learned from reports that the director, Wu Yuchen, was only 19 years old this year, which was simply too young.

Without a doubt, this is definitely the three youngest Best Directors of all time—a record-breaking achievement!
This is why it initially drew gasps of surprise, but those who had seen "Run Lola Run" also admired the young director's talent and joined in the applause. To snatch the Best Director award from such excellent directors as Miloš Forman, Anthony Minghella, and Eric Herman truly makes his achievement incredibly valuable!

Wu Yuchen felt a jolt when he heard the name Wu. When the song "Run Lola Run" was recited, he was certain and immediately stood up, raised his arms, and shouted "YES!"

"You won an award! You're the best director! The best director at Berlin!"

Li Xiaoran, standing next to him, didn't hold back at all and hugged him, cheering with excitement, her face flushed.

Wu Yuchen was also very excited. Although he won the Golden Bear for Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival last year, the influence of short films and feature films is vastly different. Previously, "We Two" won an award at the Tokyo International Film Festival, but the influence of the Tokyo International Film Festival is far inferior to that of the Big Three, and even Europe and America might not give it a second glance.

Therefore, this Best Director award at the Berlin Film Festival can be considered the most prestigious international award he has received so far, and Wu Yuchen can now be said to be a well-known figure in the international film industry.

Everyone watched Wu Yuchen and Li Xiaoran's excitement with kind smiles, after all, young people are always more tolerant.

After Wu Yuchen calmed down a bit, he walked towards the podium. Along the way, he shook hands or hugged fellow countrymen like Huang Jianxin and Derek Yee. Leslie Cheung also gave him a light hug and congratulated him.

"Director Wu, congratulations!"

"Thank you, Young Master Rong~"

After a brief thank you, Wu Yuchen walked toward the stage, where applause never stopped.

He walked to the podium, gave Brecht a brief hug, then took the Silver Bear trophy from her and looked down at the audience.

"It's hard to describe how I feel right now. I'm so happy, it feels like a dream! On my way to the stage just now, I could clearly hear my heart pounding. I told myself, if this is a dream, don't let me wake up!"

Those in the audience smiled upon hearing this, and could understand the excitement of a 19-year-old who had suddenly won an award.

"I am truly grateful to the jury for recognizing me! There were so many outstanding films and directors this year, and to receive this award today must be a blessing from God!"
Thank you to Li Xiaoran, Fu Dalong, and other actors for their wonderful performances, thank you to the entire crew for their hard work, thank you…

After a series of thank-you speeches, Wu Yuchen stepped down from the podium amidst applause.

After Wu Yuchen returned to his seat, he saw Li Xiaoran staring intently at the trophy in his hand, so he handed it to her and let her handle it. At the same time, he felt relieved.

He had previously held onto a sliver of hope that he could win the Golden Bear, but now that he's secured the Best Director award, he's stopped thinking about it so much. In any case, the trip to Berlin has been worthwhile, and the Best Director award is a significant affirmation of his abilities as a director.

He turned his gaze back to the stage; the next award to be presented was the Jury Grand Prize.

My conversation with Harris from Pathé Pictures is still fresh in my mind. At the time, we talked about the Best Director award and whether it would be a choice between the Best Director award and the jury award. Now that it seems he has kept his promise, it's not bad.

The presenter who took the stage at that moment was none other than Maggie Cheung. She was wearing a black dress and had a very unique, slightly voluminous, and trendy hairstyle.

Maggie Cheung, adhering to the Berlin Film Festival's pragmatic style, also avoided unnecessary details:

"The Grand Jury Prize tonight goes to 'Gimma Port'!"

Eric Herman sighed upon hearing the name of his film. At 77, he was a regular at the three major juries and no longer cared much about the jury. This time, he had hoped to win the Golden Bear, but he failed to achieve his goal.

Meanwhile, several directors who were also aiming for the Golden Bear, such as those behind "The Sex Book Tycoon" and "The English Patient," breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen's first thought was that this year's judges really knew how to distribute the spoils. Best Actor went to "Romeo and Juliet," Best Actress to "The English Patient," Best Director to "Run Lola Run," and the jury awarded the prize to the French film "Port Guimarães."

This is quite normal. Chairman Lang himself is a French filmmaker, so he certainly wouldn't let his country's films go completely unprofitable.

Just as Wu Yuchen was about to applaud, Zhang Manyu continued, "...and 'Run Lola Run'!"

A murmur rippled through the hall; no one had expected this year's Jury Prize to be a tie!

The Grand Jury Prize is essentially for the second-place film among all the films, meaning the runner-up. And yet, you chose two films to be runners-up!

Actually, there are precedents for the Jury Prize being awarded to two winners; Cannes has done so several times already.

At the 42nd Cannes Film Festival, Giuseppe Tornatore's "Cinema Paradiso" and "Too Beautiful" shared the Grand Jury Prize, while the Palme d'Or went to "Sex, Lies and Videotape".

In 1990, at the 43rd Cannes Film Festival, "Law" and "The Thorn of Death" were on the same jury.

At the 47th Cannes Film Festival in 1994, Zhang Yimou's "To Live" and "Burnt by the Sun" were both awarded the jury prize, while Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" won the Palme d'Or that year.

It's rare for a Berlin jury to have two yolks, but even the Golden Bear has had two yolks, so this jury having two yolks isn't too surprising.

The most surprising thing was actually Wu Yuchen himself; I never expected him to be there!
He was both surprised and delighted. He thought to himself, "Bai Dai Ke Film Industry is really awesome! And Mr. Lang, the chairman of the jury, is really good at handling things!"
This not only earned him the Best Director award, but also a Jury Prize as a bonus. Although the double win might slightly diminish its value, it was a completely unexpected surprise, so what's there to bargain about!
Wu Yuchen, who had just stepped off the stage, went back up to accept the award and gave the beaming Zhang Manyu a big hug, whispering in her ear, "Thank you, Sister Maggie!"

Wu Yuchen knew that the fact that "Run Lola Run" was able to win two awards at the same time was definitely inseparable from the help of Maggie Cheung.

“Well deserved, the movie was really great!” Zhang Manyu said with a smile, then handed the trophy to Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen held the trophy and stood side by side with Eric Herman, who also received an award. First, Eric Herman gave a speech to express his gratitude. After all, he was a senior figure in the field, and he politely gave a brief speech before handing the microphone to Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen smiled, then looked at the audience below and raised his hand, saying:
"First of all, I would like to ask my leading actors, Li Xiaoran and Fu Dalong, as well as several members of the crew, to stand up and thank everyone!"

They were told to thank everyone, but in reality, they were to receive applause and cheers from the entire audience. Everyone understood this, so they clapped and cheered in unison.

Li Xiaoran, Fu Dalong, and the others stood up and smiled happily, waving to people in all directions before bowing in thanks.

After the applause subsided, Wu Yuchen said:
"This award belongs to our entire crew and everyone who helped us. Thank you for your hard work in helping me complete the filming of this movie. Without your support, there would be no 'Run Lola Run' today!"

After Wu Yuchen finished speaking, he raised the trophy in his hand and walked off the stage amidst applause.

Wu Yuchen was completely relaxed and relieved this time, because there were no more surprises to come, and once he won the jury prize, there would be no more Golden Bears.

After returning to his seat, he handed the trophy to Fu Dalong and the others, letting them take turns holding it for a while, and then looked back at the stage.

In the end, only the Golden Bear award was left, and Wu Yuchen guessed that it would be "Sex Book Tycoon". The other companies had already won awards, and only "Sex Book Tycoon" was left. This movie was so in line with the Berlin taste, it was impossible for it to go home empty-handed.

As expected: "Congratulations to 'Sex Book Tycoon' for winning the Golden Bear for Best Film this year!" Wu Yuchen clapped his hands with a smile. The jury's favoritism this time was quite obvious, except his "Run Lola Run" got a larger slice, making it the biggest winner after "Sex Book Tycoon." He was also grateful to Maggie Cheung once again. His relationship with EMI was a transaction; Maggie Cheung's help was a favor, not an obligation.

After the awards ceremony, there was a gala dinner, mainly for everyone to celebrate and network. Wu Yuchen raised his glass to express his gratitude to Chairman Lang and the female judges who had supported him, before returning to the Chinese filmmakers' group.

At this moment, Leslie Cheung said to Wu Yuchen, "Director Wu, I just heard Maggie say that it was a pity that 'Run Lola Run' almost didn't win the Golden Bear."

"Oh?" Wu Yuchen looked at Zhang Manyu with curiosity.

Zhang Manyu said, "The Golden Bear Award was actually discussed several times. Chairman Lang supported 'Run Lola Run,' but it was still one vote behind 'Sex Book Tycoon.' Until the last time, Lang said that such a good New Wave film should be encouraged. If it was not given the Golden Bear, it should be compensated in other ways. The other judges agreed and finally awarded a tie."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen understood. If "Run Lola Run" won the Golden Bear, he probably wouldn't be the Best Director either. Maybe "Sex Book Tycoon" and "Run Lola Run" would switch places.

Then he smiled and raised his glass to Maggie Cheung: "Thank you, Sister Maggie. I'm already very satisfied with two awards. Without you, I might not have won either one!"

"Haha, your movie is really to our tastes!" Zhang Manyu said with a smile.

Wu Yuchen was also relieved at this moment. Fortunately, he had met Zhang Manyu, who was willing to fight for Chinese films. If it were someone else, they might not have helped him.

Everyone understands the principle of judging by actions, not intentions. A netizen once started a summary thread, ranking the contributions of Chinese judges to Chinese-language films at the three major European film festivals, that is, simply ranking them based on their contributions to Chinese-language films during their tenure as judges.

The undisputed number one, a legendary figure, is Zhang Yimou. Every time he serves as a judge, he invariably awards Chinese-language films substantial prizes, often the Golden Bear and Golden Lion. Tied for second place are Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

Even Wu Baige, who is criticized by many, won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2005 for the film "Shanghai Dreams." This is no joke. Fifteen years later, jury member Bernoullich Jacques revealed the inside story of that year's awards, saying that Wu Baige had remained silent until the discussion of "Shanghai Dreams," at which point she suddenly stood up and solemnly spoke:

"I cannot take sides with any of the films you have discussed before, but I am about to return to my motherland to shoot a historical war film. If 'Shanghai Dreams' returns empty-handed, I, as a Chinese filmmaker, cannot explain myself to my country. I need the support of the people of the whole country!"

Since he was so blunt, the other judges were too embarrassed to contradict him, and that's how "Shanghai Dreams" won the Jury Prize. Wang Xiaoshuai really has to thank Wu Baige.

In contrast, when it came to Chen Kaige and Johnnie To, who served as a judge three times, Chinese-language films basically won nothing, so their performance on the jury could only be described as utterly worthless. However, there was someone to put them at the bottom of the list: Yang Fan, whose handling of the situation was criticized as a complete mess.

This selection process has given Wu Yuchen a deeper understanding of the influence of the judges. If he wants to participate in the three major film festivals in the future, he will aim to get on the good side of the judges, and ideally, he would like to have Zhang Yimou as a judge, as he would really be helping his own people!
"What? Best Director? And a jury!"

It was still before 6 a.m. in Beijing, and the sky was overcast. Han Sanping, who was only wearing long underwear and a coat, didn't care about the cold. He woke up immediately after hearing Wu Yuchen's words on the other end of the phone, and his blood rushed to his head.

"Run Lola Run" was a co-production between Beijing Film Studio and Sil-Metropole Organisation, which was originally just a favor they did, but they never expected to win two major awards!

This made Han Sanping extremely happy; it was like receiving an honor for free!
"Little Wu, no, I should call you Director Wu from now on!"
Haha, you win awards every time you try, isn't that amazing? Young man, no need to be so modest!

I'll arrange an awards ceremony for you right away, and I'll make the arrangements as soon as you get back!
"Okay, I'll look into it myself when I get to work later."

Han Sanping was overjoyed after hanging up the phone, but he couldn't decide whether the film could be released, so he had to ask Wu Yuchen about it. Although it was allowed to be filmed in the first place, that was because the filming location was not in mainland China. Being allowed to film was one thing, but being allowed to be released in mainland China was another, since the protagonist's behavior was not entirely in line with core values.

Three days later, Wu Yuchen led his group back to Beijing. This successful trip brought everyone great joy.

At the airport entrance, in addition to a car from Miracle Pictures, there were also people from Beijing Film Studio there to pick them up, including none other than Section Chief Yu Dong.

As soon as he saw Wu Yuchen, he jogged over, his face beaming with excitement, and grabbed Wu Yuchen's hands with both of them, saying excitedly:

"A triumphant return! Director Wu, you are truly amazing! Best Director at Berlin! I am utterly in awe!"
I volunteered to come pick you up from Factory Director Han this time; I can't contain my joy until I see you as soon as possible!

"You're too kind, senior. Actually, our company has a car to come, so you don't need to go to all this trouble." Seeing Yu Dong's warm and friendly manner, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill towards him, even though he knew Yu Dong's personality. He truly deserved to be called a public relations expert.

"Director Han gave me instructions: you are a hero of Chinese-language cinema. You went through so much trouble to win the trophy in Berlin, so we can't let you suffer any more on your journey!"

Wu Yuchen chuckled and then asked, "Senior Yu, I'm not too tired. Why don't you take me to see Director Han first?"

"Alright, I'll call him right now. Director Han has specifically arranged for a reporter to interview you."

Wu Yuchen's heart skipped a beat. This looked like a good opportunity for promotion. If that were the case, would there be a chance for the film to be released?

With anticipation in their hearts, Wu Yuchen and his group first arrived at the Beijing Film Studio.

In the office, Han Sanping looked at the trophy, then smiled at Wu Yuchen and said:
"What I meant was that you guys should rest for a couple of days first. I didn't expect you to be in such a hurry. Those reporters haven't even arrived yet!"

"Haha, Director Han, I'm in high spirits right now because I just received an award. Once this excitement wears off in a couple of days, I won't even want to go out anymore," Wu Yuchen joked.

He actually wanted to finish all these trivial matters at once so that everyone could go back and get a good rest.

He then asked, "Director Han, what's the matter with the film's release?"

When Han Sanping heard this question, his smile faded slightly, and he shook his head: "I went to ask in person, and it's still difficult to get it released."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen sighed. In fact, he had anticipated this outcome from the very beginning of the filming, but he had some thoughts after hearing about the interview earlier.

"It just means it can't be shown in theaters. You can promote the awards, and as for the DVDs, you can decide for yourselves."

Wu Yuchen's heart skipped a beat and he asked, "Like 'To Live'?"

Han Sanping smiled and nodded.

Wu Yuchen understood now; it meant that everything except theatrical releases was tacitly approved. The same applied to "To Live"—it wasn't allowed to be released in theaters, but Princess Six (a popular online streaming platform) had aired it multiple times. Princess Six even aired "From Beijing with Love," which featured some rather negative portrayals of the police. If that could be aired, then "Run Lola Run" would definitely be able to as well.

Wu Yuchen laughed. Actually, he didn't care about the box office revenue in China. What he regretted was that the film couldn't be shown and his name couldn't be spread.

But now it seems that both the DVD and Princess Six can play it. So it doesn't seem like a bad thing, at least we've earned the title of a banned film this time.

What kind of avant-garde art director would they be if they hadn't been banned?

Look at Zhang Yimou and Jiang Wen, which one of them hasn't been banned?
That's how it is in the domestic art and literature scene: the more something is banned, the more it's considered a classic, and the more it sparks film fans' desire to explore it. Once a film is labeled as a banned film, its status is instantly elevated.

It can both carry the title of a banned film and promote Wu Yuchen and the awards won by "Run Lola Run" on a large scale. This move seems to be a win-win situation!

(End of this chapter)