After spending one last leisurely day in Shanghai, Xiao He led his team to Beijing.
Because it is a voting mechanism, the final list of films nominated for the Baiming Awards will be screened for several days so that the jury can watch them up close and vote again on the final award-winning films.
Once this period ends, the Baiming Awards ceremony will officially begin.
The official award ceremony for the Baiming Awards was scheduled for August 2nd, and the venue was Qinhuangdao, which is next to Beijing.
However, Xiao He and his group arrived in Beijing at the end of July not simply for the final election of the Baiming Award.
Because, unbeknownst to many, the Golden Flower Award recently ended its registration phase and quietly entered the preliminary review and selection stage.
If Baiming relies more on popularity and is limited by the audience voting mechanism, and its overall professionalism is affected by the popularity and topicality of the actors, and therefore lacks strong professionalism, then the Golden Flower Awards, which is another of the three major film awards, undoubtedly places more emphasis on professionalism.
Of course, all the awards have had their flaws over the years, but overall, these do not affect their important status in the Chinese entertainment awards.
So their goal this time is not just the Hundred Blossoms Award, but the rare double Best Actor award in the same year!
Taking one is fine, but taking two is even more natural!
This is Liu Rulan's ambition, Xiao He's ambition, and the ambition of the entire "No Bait" crew!
At this point, the total domestic box office of "No Bait" had been officially set at 3.9 billion yuan. Although it was a pity that it ultimately failed to break the 4 billion yuan mark, its overseas box office, which was comparable to that in China, was what truly shocked everyone. Its global commercial success far surpassed that of other similar films in China, making it one of the best works both at home and abroad. With such popularity and attributes, it was destined to be a dark horse at the two awards ceremony.
Is this really that easy?
No one has ever achieved this feat in the same year.
For various reasons, the Golden Flower and Hundred Blossom Awards are not actually presented in the same year; their award cycle is every two years.
However, one company has an odd-numbered year, while the other has an even-numbered year.
Therefore, it is impossible for them to meet in the same year. Other double Best Actor winners are basically able to win the same role award in the year before or after, and the timeline of this may even be more than three years.
However, due to the market expansion and booming film industry in recent years, the Golden Rooster Awards were later changed back to being held annually...
So, this year, the two of them were able to meet again.
This is the year when the "No Bait" crew has the best chance of winning both awards, and it is also the year when Xiao He is closest to winning both awards. If he misses this chance, the next time he can win both awards in the same year will be another two years away.
At that time, the entertainment industry in China was in constant flux, with new and old players emerging one after another. No one knew who the competitors would be, or whether they would be able to get roles like Shu Yuxiu, who was a natural fit for Xiao He.
Nobody wants to miss an opportunity.
However, the limitations of the script and character design in "No Bait" itself made this opportunity seem unpredictable...
...
Conference room of a government agency in Beijing.
"I disagree with this work being nominated; it doesn't conform to current mainstream values at all."
An old man shook his head, his tone resolute, tossed the list onto the table, and slowly sipped his tea.
"How is it not in line with values? I think this work is novel enough, profound enough, and satirical enough."
Another old man, however, held a different opinion and slammed his fist on the table, making a loud "bang, bang" sound.
This was a somewhat old conference room, where several elderly men of similar age were sitting, each with a different expression as they watched the two people arguing in front of them.
"Are you really watching this work carefully? Isn't this just exposing social phenomena? How is it against our values? If you don't understand it, I recommend you check it out on Bilibili. I think there are a few videos that explain it quite well." An elderly man with graying hair and glasses said sarcastically, "It's normal for someone who's old to not understand the works of young people."
"We all watched it in the same theater, how come I didn't understand it? Who are you mocking?" Old Zhong glared at him. "Especially since it's an old man's work by Ning Jiaqi. He calls himself young? Are you kidding me!"
"If you understand it but still don't vote for 'No Bait,' then you're just deliberately picking a fight and harboring prejudice." Old Xu also slowly and deliberately played with the fountain pen in his hand, and then attacked bluntly and harshly, "Xiao He's acting skills are also very good. You can't criticize his acting skills just because of the character he portrayed, can you?"
“We should look at things in a diverse way. If a character is good, we should explore more of his value and social significance, rather than simply judging him by how bad he is.”
"So you acknowledge that Xiao He is a good actor, but insist on discussing the character's portrayal without addressing the acting aspect?"
“That’s not what I meant. Xiao He’s character and personality have big problems. I think it doesn’t fit our core theme at all.”
Mr. Zhong's expression was serious, and he was not convinced at all: "The selection of our awards is often a barometer for the industry. If it is misinterpreted by others and causes more and more people to be portrayed in a way that is not conducive to development and harmony, then that would be a dereliction of duty on our part!"
"Hmph! It's because of your fearful nature that you've skewed the atmosphere in the industry and eroded everyone's ambition!" Old Xu sneered. "It's your choices over the years that have led to a rise in stereotypical, righteous characters and a growing number of suffering minorities! But look at the market feedback now! Open your eyes and see the global box office of 'No Bait'! Isn't your caution itself a form of stifling artistic creativity?"
"Now that things have been relaxed, the fact that 'No Bait' was able to pass the censorship proves that it has no problems. And Xiao He, who plays the lead role, has even fewer problems. Since there are no problems, and his acting skills are clearly slightly better than the other contestants, why shouldn't he win an award?!"
"Giving him a nomination is already enough; you want him to win? Are you being paid off?"
Professor Zhong slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
"Hey, how dare you accuse me of taking money? If even Xiao He's acting is so bad, then who paid you? Tell me, tell me!"
Old Xu also stood up and rolled up his sleeves, "Oh dear, I have such a fiery temper! You say the script for 'No Bait' is bad, the characters are poorly designed, I can tolerate that. But you say the actors' performances are bad, they don't deserve awards, then today I'll risk my old bones to have a good talk with you—"
"Who mentioned acting skills?"
"You're choosing an actor for Best Actor and you don't even talk about acting skills? Are you trying to be a scoundrel?!"
"Hey, everyone, let's talk this out. This is still the preliminary round, let's discuss it some more."
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the other old men rushed over to try and break up the fight.
But at this moment, they all seemed to have forgotten that they were just discussing whether or not to nominate "No Bait", but somehow they suddenly turned to Xiao He and even started discussing whether the Best Actor award should be given to Xiao He.
But seeing that their two most authoritative judges were about to start fighting over "No Bait," no one dared to think about anything else. They all tried to pull people away, fearing that the two old men might collapse from anger.
"Why don't we let them be shortlisted first, and then discuss this further if other excellent and promising actors come up later?"
One of the judges made a cautious suggestion.
The two old men exchanged a glance, crossed their arms, and snorted through their nostrils: "Hmph!"
They're smart to be sensible!
