This was Renly's moment.
Not only the entire audience, not only the fellow actors, but also the director Rodrigo Costa stood up, raising his hands high and applauding vigorously. His eyes were gleaming with excitement and enthusiasm!
No one understood better than Rodrigo how much Renly had invested in this film, and how much he had gone through. The entire work "Buried" was Renly's solo performance. With the power of one person, he presented this extraordinary masterpiece. Even for Rodrigo, as the director and editor, who had already seen the complete film countless times, seeing the full version on the big screen at this moment did not weaken the impact in the slightest. On the contrary, his excitement surged even stronger, dedicating all the applause, all the credit, and all the respect to Renly.
The surging emotions rushed like tidal waves, as if Renly were at the center of a whirlpool. All praise, all frenzy, all respect revolved around him, boiling and tumbling. The mixed feelings of emotion echoed in his chest and shook him so much that his mind went momentarily blank.
Looking up, Renly saw Ryan Goslin's radiant smile. He was clapping his hands while shaking his head, exclaiming, "Madman, you're a madman, a madman!" As he spoke, he burst into laughter.
Next to him, Rami gave Renly two thumbs up, exclaiming repeatedly. Then he started whistling directly, leading others like James to join in, whistling and cheering along, making the scene even more lively. Yet, even so, Rami still seemed unsatisfied. He then patted Ryan's shoulder and leaned in to whisper something in his ear, causing Ryan's face to immediately light up with a bright smile.
Before Renly could react, he saw Rami raise his hands high, clapping while following a rhythm, and shouting, "Renly! Renly! Renly!"
Ryan next to him also joined Rami, and the two of them hopped like kangaroos, jumping and hopping around. The smiles on their faces were even more dazzling than the sunlight, and their shouts continued one after another, "Renly! Renly!" Soon, Renly's friends understood and followed suit. Everyone jumped and shouted, "Renly!"
For the audience in the screening room, over ninety percent might not have known who "Renly" was. They might have never even heard the name before. However, in the midst of the fervent atmosphere, everyone imitated the scene, jumping, shouting, celebrating, and reveling. They showcased the madness and enthusiasm of the film festival to the fullest.
Summer was startled by Thaisa. Thaisa was shaking her head fervently, her long hair dancing wildly in the air. This scene didn't feel like a film festival; it felt more like a music festival. A music festival? The thought crossed Summer's mind in a flash, and then she started jumping too, shouting, "Renly! Renly!" After the first shout, it was as if the walls of reality were shattered. The joy, the happiness, the beauty, made her want to scream uncontrollably.
So, she did just that, "Renly!"
The entire screening room presented a scene that was beyond imagination. The live audience was jumping and shouting. The synchronized scene was truly spectacular. The eyes of the journalists were gleaming with astonishment as they turned to look at the boiling sea of people behind them. Although the Toronto International Film Festival was always known for its warm hospitality, a scene like this was truly rare, even in a decade.
Gavin also wanted to scream, he also wanted to jump, he also wanted to join everyone in the revelry, but his journalistic instinct forced him to stay calm. He quickly used his camera to capture the scene, but his boiling and fervent blood couldn't help but make him follow the rhythm of the crowd. He started tapping his foot and couldn't seem to stop.
Renly looked at Rami and Ryan, a smile unconsciously forming on his face, but it carried a hint of helplessness. These two were clearly just stirring up trouble. He couldn't help but stand up. In the gaze of everyone, he walked to the open space in front of the seats, as if walking onto a Broadway stage. After the performance, he faced the entire crowd's applause, expressing gratitude in a bow.
Somewhat unfamiliar, yet somewhat familiar.
Renly stood in the center, bathed in light, a pitch-black expanse before him. His face seemed to blur into a mass, leaving only a boiling sea. Renly carefully observed this ocean of applause, cheers, and acclamation. He unreservedly indulged himself in this moment.
The applause lasted for more than ten minutes, seemingly endless, unable to stop. Afterwards, Renly invited Rodrigo to join him, and together they received the baptism of applause. This filled the entire scene with uproar. The audience was expressing their love for the film with all their might. This was clearly something the journalists hadn't anticipated.
Of course, this was also the essence of a film festival—providing a platform for film enthusiasts to discover more artworks, independent films, and niche creations. In addition to the mainstream commercial films shown in major theaters, it enriched the film market with diversity. So, an independent work that nobody paid attention to could win a standing ovation at the film festival. This was precisely the most wonderful aspect of a film festival.
The 35th Toronto International Film Festival had been underway for five days now. The most popular work so far was undoubtedly "Blue Valentine", receiving an extremely high honor with the audience's ten-minute standing ovation. Film critics were also lavish with their praise, believing that this work had a great chance to shine in this year's awards season.
However, the Toronto International Film Festival wasn't primarily focused on awards. The highest annual award was the People's Choice Award, selected by the audience. Therefore, compared to film critics, the audience's praise was the most direct and effective. For example, at this moment, "Buried" was enjoying an even hotter round of applause than "Blue Valentine".
Although the screening room for "Buried" could only hold three hundred people, far fewer than the premiere of "Blue Valentine" in the main venue, and although the media reception for "Buried" was more like fulfilling their duties compared to the enthusiasm for "Blue Valentine", the applause that exceeded ten minutes truly conveyed people's love for "Buried".
After the applause finally ceased, Renly's first words were, "I suppose the cells on your palm should all be dead by now. Remember to rest well when you get home. Don't bother attending other film premieres."
A pun, not only mocking the applause just now, but also playfully ridiculing the focus that almost everyone had placed on "The Town" today, to the extent that "Buried" was neglected. This humorous remark immediately caused the whole venue to burst into laughter, even the journalists couldn't help but chuckle.
During the Q&A session, Gavin was so eager that he couldn't even wait for Renly to call his name. He stood up first, and his impatient movement caused everyone to chuckle. The journalists today seemed somewhat unprepared, and their enthusiasm for asking questions couldn't be compared to the popularity of "Blue Valentine". Therefore, Gavin stood alone.
However, Gavin didn't mind at all. He took the microphone from the staff's hands. "Director, the first question is for you. I'd like to ask, why did you choose Renly Hall as the male lead? This is a completely solo performance film, and choosing a newcomer with no big screen experience is undoubtedly very daring. Also, what are your thoughts on his performance?"
Unexpectedly, Gavin didn't address the question to Renly; he directed it to Rodrigo instead.
Rodrigo was somewhat surprised, but after hearing the question, he calmed down. "To be honest, Renly wasn't my first choice. Like you said, I didn't know Renly at all before this film, and I'd never heard of an actor named Renly Hall. He took the initiative to audition. He convinced me with his acting, or more accurately, he stunned me with his performance. For the first time, I realized that acting could have such tremendous power."
Saying this, Rodrigo turned to Renly, who was standing beside him. Renly smiled and nodded, seemingly enjoying the praise. Catching Rodrigo's gaze, Renly also turned his head, raised his right hand, and gestured for Rodrigo to "continue", as if he hadn't heard enough. His demeanor was like that of a little boy who had aced an exam at school and then heard his parents boasting to others. He stood tall with pride and contentment.
Laughter erupted throughout the audience.
Rodrigo couldn't help but smile. "As everyone just witnessed, the entire film only has one actor, Renly. Of course, there are other actors who contributed their voices off-screen, and we must thank them for their efforts. But it's undeniable that Renly's performance is the soul of the entire work. I'm not sure about everyone else's thoughts, but my thought is..." Rodrigo didn't say much more. He directly offered applause. Whistles and screams resounded immediately, accompanied by a renewed round of applause.
Nothing could be more direct and effective than such a reaction.
Bradley couldn't wait and stood up, hoping to secure the opportunity for the second question. However, he hadn't anticipated that he was already quick enough; someone else had stood up simultaneously. Bradley looked back and was surprised to find not just one person but several standing. Daisy Lucas from Vanity Fair, Cornell McGregor from Entertainment Weekly, Eli Wallah from Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and others, including Bradley himself—there were six people in total!
"Don't worry, I'm right here. We should have plenty of time today. I think everyone will get a chance to ask questions. To prevent a lull later on, let's take it slow." Renly's playful comment successfully made everyone in the venue laugh again. "Daisy, you can ask the second question. Just to clarify, I absolutely didn't choose you to go second because you're the only woman among these six."
Daisy shrugged. "I don't mind. As long as this question is mine." Her candid and teasing manner prompted laughter once again, before the previous bout had even subsided.