The Cannes International Film Festival truly lived up to its international reputation.
During the award ceremony, apart from a French television station's live broadcast, many other media outlets opted for recorded coverage.
For a while, German, French, English, and Danish languages echoed in succession, the grandeur giving a sense of pride.
Lyman wasn't quite aware of the past winners in his previous life. But wasn't "Miscreant" a unique disruptor?
With its impressive screening performance and reputation, coupled with five nominations, it became the most attention-grabbing film at the 56th Cannes Film Festival.
After entering the venue, Lyman and his group were seated in an extremely advantageous position. They exchanged knowing glances before taking their seats.
It seemed that the organizers truly valued them.
The hall wasn't overly spacious, nor was it small. Although one could see the seats at a glance, they were sufficient and there was room to spare.
The individuals in their chairs were all content, yearning to know if they could be winners.
The atmosphere was decent, lacking the solemnity of the Oscars, which made Lyman quite at ease.
The film festival had two main sections: the official competition section and the non-competition section. The latter was typically considered less prestigious. In recent years, it had also become a place for Hollywood studios to advertise their films. For example, "The Matrix Reloaded" was already released in the US, yet it had a presence here.
Naturally, the highest award was the Palme d'Or. That much was self-evident.
In fact, the Cannes Film Festival's award ceremony was very straightforward, totaling less than an hour overall.
It began with the jury members taking the stage to express their gratitude.
"To participate in this Cannes Film Festival as the Jury President is an honor for me. Here, we have the opportunity to witness the works of the finest filmmakers from various countries... Finally, thank you all for being here to support this event." Patrice Chéreau finished speaking, offering a friendly smile.
Though these words carried an official tone, applause still broke out from the audience.
Next was the organizers expressing their gratitude.
An elderly gentleman stood on the stage. He had organized the Cannes Film Festival for over 30 years, a true veteran.
With age came a sense of openness; his speech was also quite insightful.
"Cannes is a small place, but we hope to assist those who love cinema and foster good communication and progress among them. The creation of this film festival was driven by this idea. Although it may have veered off course in some directions, we cannot deny its contribution to the art of cinema. At the very end, I want to say..."
The old man paused for a moment before continuing, "Let's not let what we pursue become distorted and let's uphold the original spirit with which it was founded."
"Applause..."
The people below went wild, clapping relentlessly, one wave after another.
Lyman shrugged his shoulders, feeling somewhat speechless. Art, wasn't it okay to follow market trends? Even if you're artistic, what's the point if the audience doesn't want to watch it?
Furthermore, what had the Cannes Film Festival turned into later on? Did nobody have any sense of irony about it?
The stirring power of a few words was something Lyman hadn't anticipated. Perhaps these people had been stifled for too long, needing an outlet, and coincidentally, someone spoke their minds. The emotions flowed spontaneously; that's how words are meant to be used.
This group of independent and niche film enthusiasts were quite similar to those underground rock youth. Once they got excited, they could really get into it, fervently and even hysterically.
Unfortunately, the allure of cinema had been misinterpreted by many from the start, focusing solely on romantic and ethical matters, akin to a certain island's industry—how vulgar and pretentious.
After a while, the scene calmed down.
The host delivered a brief opening, and the award ceremony began.
The process was remarkably simple, with a smooth flow between segments, no nonsense or idle chatter. There wasn't a single unnecessary word.
When it was time for someone to receive an award, they stepped forward, received it, and then gave a simple introduction. The recipients didn't recount the difficulties of filming or how challenging it was; instead, they expressed happiness and gratitude.
Lyman sat below, and before he knew it, even the minor awards had been presented.
However, Lyman felt a sense of queuing up to receive fruit at the Cannes Film Festival. It seemed that the organizing committee also liked to maintain a "balance."
Best Short Film: Awarded to Australia.
Golden Camera Award: Danish film "Reconstruction".
AFCAE Award: Afghan director's "Osama".
Premiere Spotlight Award: France.
And the Golden Coach Award went to American director Clint Eastwood.
So, never mind "Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers", the pursuit of balance was pretty much a universal norm in the global game.
After the hors d'oeuvres, it was time for the main course.
In fact, after days of anticipation, everyone had their guesses as to who the major awards would go to. It was nearly predictable.
For instance, Tom Cruise was quite composed. After submitting his nomination for Best Actor, he allocated a significant sum for public relations work. He had just told Lyman he was quite confident.
As for Lyman, he had a clear idea. He was sure to win at least one of the jury prizes.
Three members of the jury were French. You could guess why.
But when the results were announced, at that very moment, it wasn't Lyman who was quite excited, it was Tom.
He stood on stage, expressing gratitude in various ways. Surprisingly, he had quite a way with words, and his praises flowed seamlessly. It was likely that someone had helped him craft his acceptance speech.
When he stepped down, Lyman's attention refocused because it was time to unveil the Jury Prize.
The host, as efficient as ever, began, "The winner of the Jury Prize is "Miscreant". Please welcome Director Lyman."
As the words fell, there was some commotion in the audience.
Why? Well, the same old reason. A film with a commercial scent winning an award would undoubtedly trigger gossip, especially among those arthouse filmmakers who were even more eager for recognition than Lyman.
In their view, art-house films never really had much in terms of audience or box office. If you don't give them some awards for consolation, who would be willing to make them?
Lyman, of course, didn't care about these things and went up calmly.
Honestly, holding an award in his hand was even heavier than a little golden man, though he had no idea what material it was made of.
"Thank you for the recognition from the jury... Thank you, everyone." He spoke a few simple sentences and stepped down without any unnecessary delays.
Next, the Best Screenplay was also awarded to "Miscreant". However, the most important award, the Golden Palm, was ultimately given to the arthouse film "Elephant".
Once the biggest award was also presented, it marked the end of the film festival.
Those who received awards wouldn't bask in their glory forever, and those who didn't wouldn't wallow in self-pity.
Awards, they mattered to those who cared and meant little to those who didn't.
Life, as always, continued.
No matter what, it's best not to be imprisoned by awards from any platform when making movies.