novellhall Chapter 325: The Streets Are Dazzled with People - Progress: 99%
Chapter 325: The Streets Are Dazzled with People - Progress: 99%
Chapter 324: The Streets Are Empty - Progress: 99% (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
During the conversation at the reception, the opening ceremony bells officially rang.
Everyone took their seats in the main hall one by one.
When the host announced in both German and English: "The film nominated for the main competition, *Crosscurrent*, from China!"
The camera instantly switched to Chen Xun and his group.
The entire audience erupted in thunderous applause.
It was even louder than the applause given to many famous European directors when they appeared on stage.
Yang Chao stood up and bowed deeply to the entire audience.
Chen Xun, Jackie Chan, and Xin Zhilei also stood up to greet them.
The lights shone on them, making them the most dazzling touch of Eastern color at the opening ceremony of this year's Berlin Film Festival.
Less than half an hour after the opening ceremony ended, reports from major media outlets around the world were already out.
The Guardian devoted a significant portion of its front-page coverage to Jackie Chan and Chen Xun's red carpet appearance.
"The arrival of legendary Eastern stars and promising Hollywood talents has injected unprecedented Asian enthusiasm into this major European film city."
The Hollywood Reporter updated its feature article on "Crosscurrent".
In addition to continuing the previous praise for the flowing Eastern poetry, a great deal of ink was devoted to Chen Xun.
"A rare talent in recent years, an Asian actor capable of simultaneously handling top-tier Hollywood commercial productions and the core themes of European art films, has emerged. His appearance has shattered Western perceptions of Chinese actors, and his future is limitless!"
The Chinese-language media in China immediately went into a frenzy.
#Changjiang Tüblin Film Festival Main Competition#
#JackieChanChenXunBerlinRedCarpet#
The two terms surged to the top of Weibo's trending topics list with overwhelming popularity.
The related topic garnered over one billion views within an hour.
Netizens left numerous comments.
This is hailed as a glory for Chinese-language films.
The only Chinese-language film to be shortlisted for the main competition, with the support of international giants and a leading man who combines talent and popularity, has completely broken the dilemma of art films struggling to break out of their niche audience.
As the party ended and the group walked out of the Berlin Film Palace, it was already late at night.
The evening breeze in Berlin carried a chill, but it couldn't dispel the warmth in their hearts.
Yang Chao's eyes reddened as he looked at the messages popping up on his phone.
He turned around and bowed deeply to Jackie Chan and Chen Xun.
"Brother, Chen Xun, you're not saying anything more."
His voice choked with emotion: "Without you, 'Crosscurrent' would never have reached this point, let alone have such a strong presence in Berlin."
Jackie Chan smiled and reached out to help him up: "Director Yang, don't say that. The reason the film is standing here is because it is strong enough. We just set up the stage. The real show is performed by you and the whole team."
The third day after the opening of the Berlin Film Festival.
ZooPalast Cinema hosted one of the most anticipated premieres in this year's main competition.
The only Chinese-language film to be nominated for the global premiere of "Crosscurrent".
Prior to this, this landmark Berlin cinema, which can accommodate thousands of people, had never experienced such a situation where tickets were in such high demand.
All tickets were sold out 24 hours before the premiere.
The cinema entrance was packed with film critics, media reporters, and movie fans who hadn't been able to get admission, including some European film enthusiasts who were willing to pay ten times the price for a standing ticket.
All of this stemmed from Jackie Chan and Chen Xun's appearance on the opening red carpet.
Originally only circulating among art-house film circles, "Crosscurrent" suddenly became the center of attention at this year's Berlin Film Festival.
Global media coverage, industry leaders' attention, and film fans' curiosity have allowed this Chinese-language film, imbued with the ultimate Eastern aesthetics, to carve out a path for itself among the works of renowned directors in the main competition.
On the day of the premiere.
Jackie Chan arrived as promised. His appearance once again caused a flurry of camera shutters to click at the cinema entrance.
Jury president Meryl Streep, jury member Isabelle Huppert, and even the usually reclusive Coen brothers were all present in the premiere's guest section.
As the lights dimmed, the theater became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The two-hour screening was completely silent.
No one left midway through, no one whispered among themselves, and everyone's eyes were firmly fixed on the ever-flowing Yangtze River on the big screen.
They followed the boats from Gaochun upstream, and followed the figures from Anlu from one dock to another. In the misty river fog, they came to understand the unique romance, destiny, and poetry of the East.
As the end credits slowly rolled and the last ship's horn faded into the theater, the entire audience remained silent for three seconds.
The next second, deafening applause erupted!
The entire audience stood up spontaneously and clapped enthusiastically for a full eight minutes before gradually subsiding.
Many European film critics had tears in their eyes, clapping and giving the creative team a thumbs up: "Unbelievable!"
"Incredible!"
"You can go see the Yangtze River if you have time!"
Yang Chao stood at the front of the stage, looking at the audience who had all stood up.
This tough guy, who had endured four long years of hardship on the Yangtze River, suddenly teared up, bowed deeply to the audience, and remained standing for a long time.
Chen Xun and Xin Zhilei stood beside him and also greeted the audience.
Jackie Chan, sitting in the guest seats, clapped enthusiastically, looking at the young people on the stage with eyes full of pride and satisfaction.
After the premiere, word-of-mouth exploded.
The Hollywood Reporter released a lengthy film review overnight.
"Crosscurrent is the most surprising discovery at this year's Berlin Film Festival. With its exquisite visual aesthetics, it constructs a spiritual world that belongs to the East. It is a flowing epic that Chinese-language cinema presents to the world."
French film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma said it "broke the West's preconceived notions about Chinese-language art films. Its poetry is universal, its emotions transcend national borders, and Chen Xun's performance is textbook-worthy. He used the most restrained expression to portray the most turbulent soul of the character."
Even the notoriously critical British magazine *Sight & Sound* gave it extremely high praise: "At this women-led Berlin Film Festival, this Chinese film, with its unique Eastern aesthetics, has made a splash in the European film scene—"
It left a significant mark.
Public opinion in China was in an uproar.
Footage from the premiere was sent back to China, and the hashtag #CrossRiverTuberPremiereGivesStandUpApplause immediately topped the trending searches.
Countless netizens left comments, calling it a glory for Chinese-language films and a highlight for art films.
This global buzz and recognition finally came to a perfect end at the Berlin Film Festival's closing awards ceremony.
"The Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Achievement at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, awarded to the film *Crosscurrent*, China!"
The presenter reads out the awards.
The entire awards ceremony erupted in thunderous applause.
The camera instantly cut to the main creative team of "Crosscurrent".
Yang Chao trembled, stood up abruptly, and hugged Chen Xun and Xin Zhilei tightly.
Jackie Chan patted him on the back with a smile, his tone full of congratulations: "Go on, go and take the award that belongs to you!"
The spotlight followed the creative team all the way until they stood on the highest podium at the Berlin Film Festival.
Holding the Silver Bear trophy, Yang Chao spoke into the microphone, his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you to the Berlin Film Festival, thank you to the jury, thank you to the Yangtze River Film Festival. This award belongs to everyone who contributed to this film, and to Chinese-language cinema."
The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause once again.
Project Name: Yangtze River Map
[Current filming progress: 100% (Award already awarded)]
[Performance Rating: S+]
Director's satisfaction rating: S+
Team Collaboration: S+
[Audience Expectations: S+]
Overall Rating: S+
[Congratulations, host, on completing an S+ level film and television project, gaining widespread recognition in the global film industry, and significantly improving your acting skills.]
[Progress of the "Ten Thousand People Draw the Streets" Realm +5%]
[Current progress towards the "streets packed with people" phenomenon: 99%]
[Progress has reached a critical threshold. Upon breakthrough, the performance realm [Recorded in History] will be unlocked, along with a brand-new system function: Global Intelligence Network.]
-
Chen Xun was thrilled as he watched the words appear before him.
After all this time, we're finally about to reach the required progress!
He remained in this realm for a considerable period of time.
Even if you absorb attribute orbs every day, it will take a long time to increase your progress by 1%.
Chen Xun roughly calculated that he would need to stack the attribute ball value to almost 1000 points to increase it by 1%.
To accumulate 100 progress points, you need a full 10 points!
Astronomical figures!
And the next stage will require even more values than this!
Without rewards, relying on absorbing attribute orbs would take forever.
Before he could think for long, the words reappeared:
[Host detected to have completed an award-winning independent film at one of the three major European film festivals. Long-term achievement quest "The Road to Independent Cinema" progress +1]
Current progress: 3/10
It's time to draw characters again!
His current performances have achieved a deep empathy and precise interpretation of the characters, but they still ultimately bear the traces of Chen Xun's acting style.
This reward allows him to completely break down the boundaries between actor and role, becoming the character himself and achieving a perfect, flawless performance.
Backstage at the closing ceremony and awards presentation of the Berlin Film Festival.
Yang Chao clutched the heavy Silver Bear trophy tightly.
This tough guy, who had spent four years working on the Yangtze River, now had tears in his eyes as he repeatedly toasted with filmmakers from various countries who came to offer their congratulations.
Surrounded by Meryl Streep and the Coen brothers, Jackie Chan chatted with a smile about possible future collaborations, exuding the composure and charisma of an international superstar.
Chen Xun leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze fixed on the panel in front of him that only he could see.
Only 1% progress left!
A value of 1000 points.
Even in previous scenes with Jackie Chan, the total attribute points that could be dropped in a single game were only a little over a hundred.
Ordinary scenes may only have a few or a dozen minutes.
Collecting 1000 points through ordinary shooting is simply a long way off.
Only his scenes with Jackie Chan, particularly the intense father-son scenes between Star-Lord and Ego in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2," allowed him to accumulate enough points for that final push in the shortest amount of time.
However, there is still one thing he needs to do right now.
[Host has completed the independent movie achievement. You are eligible to draw one classic movie character card. Draw now?]
"Extract!"
Chen Xun silently recited the instructions in his mind.
The panel in front of me instantly transformed into a dazzling, spinning wheel.
The silhouettes of countless classic movie characters flashed rapidly across the spinning wheel:
Vito Corleone in *The Godfather*, Andy in *The Shawshank Redemption*, Cheng Dieyi in *Farewell My Concubine*—
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