1973: A Sense of Superiority from Acting in a Youth Movie

A Sense of Superiority from Acting in a Youth Movie

"I've been in this profession for over a decade, from a cameraman and a producer to the director of the new box-office record for the most-watched Chinese film, 'The Green Apple'. It's been a road filled with fear and trepidation. I feared mediocrity as much as I dreaded going unacknowledged. I'm thankful for every person who fought with me. Today, I did it. 'The Green Apple', to me, isn't just any youth film; it's the culmination of my career as a director! As such, I want to thank my production family for the happiness they gave me as we grew together. This award doesn't belong only to me; it belongs to you all as well. Thank you!"1

Yun Shishi smiled and applauded the man.

Lin Fengtian as the recipient of the Director of the Year was truly well-deserved.

Li Jiuxian smiled and said, "Director Lin's award may be heavy, but he deserves it."

"All of my glory belongs to every person working quietly backstage with the production team. They are all heroes. Thank you very much!"

The man on stage was humble and polite. It was hard to imagine that this was the same devil director, who harshly cursed and berated all the main cast on set.

After he walked off the stage, the presentation of awards resumed.

'The Green Apple', together with its crew, received many nominations. Apart from the Director of the Year, the cast and the film itself were nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Film of the Year, Most Popular…

Of course, being nominated did not mean that they would win the categories in the end.

The initially, highly anticipated Gu Xingze did not manage to clinch the Best Actor, losing it ultimately to someone else.

The superstar had always received tons of cheers.

Be it his popularity, acting skills, or professionalism, nothing could be faulted.

Why then…

Could it be because of his ban?

Yun Shishi pursed her lips in disappointment.

Qin Zhou glanced at her and immediately understood what she was upset about. He hurriedly said, "Don't be sad. Xingze didn't win this award because he's not there yet. Don't look at the low-movie market rate of the latter half of the year. While there are different levels of commercial films with quite a few cases of superficial numbers, there are still plenty of quality works in the earlier half of this year—to name a few are 'Mekong River Tragedy', 'Flying Swords of the Snow Mountain', and 'City of Pain'. There are many outstanding works and plenty of male celebrities with extraordinary acting skills.

"But… his skills don't lose to them." She was clearly unconvinced.

"A youth movie has always been weak when contending in such a category. It can't win against those films with profound meaning, so… missing the award is to be expected. Your attitude should be a bit more placid about this!" explained her agent.

The actress slowly nodded in response.

At the side, Han Yuyan suddenly sneered. "Did you think you'd win an award just by being nominated? You've only acted in a youth movie, yet you're already showing a sense of superiority; a teen film like 'The Green Apple' could probably still fool students but not the Hall of Elegance! Yun Shishi, you shouldn't have too much hope. You won't be able to win any categories, either; at most, you can win the Best Rookie just for the fun of it."

The newbie artist turned around expressionlessly. She glanced at her and suddenly gave an elegant smile.

"It seems that my memory isn't that great. For the famous actress Han to be born as an outstanding actress, you must be feeling that acting in inferior works, such as youth movies, is beneath you, but if I remember correctly, your first work was with Director Lin. If not for 'Bamboo Dragonfly', you might not be where you are today."

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