Chapter 267: Winning the Palm at Cannes

“The winner of the 47th Cannes Film Festival’s Director Award is… Nanni Moretti, for ‘Dear Diary!’”
Xiao Ran was instantly stunned, unable to believe his ears. He had come to Cannes confident, determined to win an award with his film “True Colors,” only to be met with rejection by the festival that had once been so generous to him years earlier. This rejection left him bloodied and heartbroken.
After a few frantic beats of his heart, Xiao Ran’s vacant gaze lasted less than a second. If a camera had captured him, it would have failed to show the bitterness and disappointment in his eyes. He suddenly realized that his experiments in pursuing a distinct directorial style might not have been the right approach after all.
Fortunately, he was strong-willed and quickly smiled. This film was just an experimental work; he would return with another, even stronger film and make Cannes bow to him. Moreover, he vowed to write that film himself. With these thoughts, his emotions stabilized quickly.
Applause erupted throughout the hall. Out of courtesy, even though he had lost, Xiao Ran had to pretend to applaud. It was a strange feeling—watching someone else win while the loser had to smile.
Now, Xiao Ran understood what it felt like to win an award on stage before. He also understood why Liu Hua desired an award so much. It wasn’t just for the title of Best Actor; it was probably more about expressing emotions similar to those he felt now.
Subconsciously, Xiao Ran felt that failing this time didn’t necessarily mean failing next time. One failure could lead to future success. It was through failure that people gained experience, and once they had enough experience, they could start anew. He was also relieved that he had lost only after making so many films—it was almost a miracle.
After reflecting on all this, Xiao Ran found he could gradually watch the award ceremony calmly. Sometimes, people needed failure to cool down. Next was the award for Best Actress, won by Vina Lisi for “Queen Margot.”
When it came time to announce the Best Actor award, a smile gradually appeared on Xiao Ran’s face. Ge You was the first Chinese actor to win at Cannes, and now, with the emergence of Fa Ge, he became the second. But that didn’t matter much—first and second weren’t that different; both were honors as Best Actor at Cannes.
When Ge You heard his name called by the host, he was stunned. Roaring applause filled the hall, showing that his performance had indeed captivated many audiences. The final award was the Palme d’Or, the prize countless people aspired to win.

Xiao Ran also really wanted to win it, but he was well aware that his chances for “True Colors” were slim. The award presenter was Gilles Jacob, the president of the jury for this festival. Jacob stepped onto the stage and, looking at the numerous guests below, smiled and said, “There were a great many Mandarin-language films at this Cannes festival, and we’ve all enjoyed them. We have to admit that, just as Director Xiao Ran showed us back then, they are equally outstanding!”

“Because of their presence, Cannes’ reputation as a global film festival has been further strengthened, because we all know that the Chinese community will always be a force that cannot be ignored!” Jacob’s words might not sound pleasant to some, but it’s absolutely true.

“Now, let’s take a look at which film will receive the honor of the Palme d’Or!” As the crowd gradually fell silent, Jacob lifted the sealed answer in his hand, examined it carefully, and then declared, “The winner of the 47th Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or is…”

Xiao Ran seemed indifferent, but sometimes people can’t control themselves. His heart was pounding, even though he knew his chances were low, and he preferred to win the director’s award over the Palme d’Or.

“The winner of the Palme d’Or is…” Jacob clearly didn’t realize how effective his suspense-building tactics were. Combined with the music, the atmosphere at the scene was on the verge of reaching a climax. Suddenly, he shouted, “Pulp Fiction!”

Quentin’s reaction was quite interesting. He jumped up abruptly, his face filled with uncontrollable excitement. At that moment, Jacob suddenly raised his hands and said loudly, “Something amazing has happened! There will be two winners of this year’s Palme d’Or. Besides Pulp Fiction, the other winning film is… True Colors!”

Xiao Ran’s heart started pounding rapidly. For a moment, he was confused—he couldn’t believe he could win the Palme d’Or with an experimental film. At that instant, a ridiculous thought crossed his mind: If he kept making experimental films, wouldn’t he win awards frequently?

He exchanged a smile with Quentin and slowly stepped onto the stage together. Jacob shook hands with each of them to congratulate them and handed over Cannes’ highest honor. Xiao Ran signaled Quentin to speak first. After hesitating for a moment, Quentin, whose face was filled with joy, said, “I used to be a guy who rented videotapes. Hong Kong films fascinated me greatly. Now that I get to shoot films in Hong Kong, it’s truly an honor of a lifetime for me.”

“Now, standing here on this stage, the person I want to thank the most is Mr. Xiao Ran. It was he who created a film system different from Hollywood’s, and it is this system that allows me to have the greatest freedom in my creative work!” Quentin’s behavior was very different from what Xiao Ran remembered. He turned to look at Xiao Ran deeply and said with a smile, “He’s an extraordinary person and my idol! Thank you!”

Xiao Ran smiled and patted Quentin’s shoulder. When Quentin first came here out of his passion for Hong Kong cinema, he knew nothing and it took a considerable amount of time to adapt before he achieved what he has today. Thanks to Xiao Ran’s foresight, many filmmakers have gradually become fluent in English, enabling filmmakers from different countries to communicate and collaborate effectively.

“A few years ago, I stood on the Cannes stage…” Xiao Ran, who usually didn’t prepare speeches, stepped up to the microphone. After a brief hesitation, he quickly organized his thoughts: “At that time, I thought that as a popular art form appreciated by both the refined and the common, cinema shouldn’t be confined by region, language, or skin color. As a form of popular art, it should exist and circulate in every corner of the world, allowing everyone to experience the charm of cinema!”

The guests below listened quietly to Xiao Ran’s impassioned speech. Even those who thought he was putting on a show now had to admit that only someone who truly loved cinema could speak such words.

“Since the birth of cinema, various reasons have always prevented such exchanges from taking place. Why? Is it because of difficulties between individuals or between countries? I’ve been pondering this question!” Xiao Ran’s expression grew solemn, matching the seriousness in his voice. “In fact, it’s all human factors that restrict the spread of art. The charm of cinema lies in its visuals—a force that cannot be resisted and one that everyone can understand.”

With a soft sigh, Xiao Ran’s expression gradually brightened. “That’s why I founded Meiying—to strengthen our exchanges. And now, seeing such frequent exchanges at Cannes, along with Quentin and filmmakers from other countries in Hong Kong, is a very positive sign. At least we welcome these exchanges, as they represent not only artistic but also spiritual and cultural collisions. Throughout our lives, we seek such collisions in hopes of discovering that spark of inspiration—a birth of power, the power of cinema!”

As he said the last sentence, Xiao Ran shouted it out loudly, shocking the audience, followed by thunderous applause. Everyone was moved by Xiao Ran’s sincere speech—it was a powerful and meaningful expression.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ran’s enthusiasm reached its peak. He felt as if he were standing at the pinnacle of the world. “I’ve always believed that cinema is an art of creation. When I freely immerse myself in creating the works in my mind, I’m creating the world! Why not work together to create a better world?”

This final sentence acted like a catalyst for emotions, inspiring everyone with a desire to take action. In Xiao Ran’s words, they sensed his endless love for cinema, which further influenced their thoughts. If cinema is an art of creation, then they too are creating the world. The idea of creating the world was exhilarating, and they couldn’t help but applaud enthusiastically.

Xiao Ran’s speech this time was less of a speech and more of a presentation. As Wei Dongling said, Xiao Ran’s oratory skills are already highly refined; even running for president in the United States wouldn’t be a problem for him. This speech not only moved the guests present but also those watching via television broadcast.

After this speech, filmmakers from around the world, who had initially been reluctant to come to Hong Kong, flocked there one after another, and even Hollywood inevitably lost some of its talent. No wonder Wei Dongling often says, “To defeat Xiao Ran, you must first defeat his wisdom. To outshine him in rhetoric, you must first shut his mouth!”

That evening, Jacques, the president of the Cannes jury, gave his assessment of the festival: “It was a night belonging to Chinese-language cinema. Although we knew this day would come, we never expected it to happen so quickly!”

No one expected it to happen so fast—not even Xiao Ran. But he overlooked one thing: by the time he appeared, Hong Kong cinema was already in a period of rapid development. His arrival was a turning point that stabilized the market and changed everything that could have harmed Hong Kong cinema. Under such circumstances, its continued rapid growth was inevitable.

“A glorious night for Chinese-language or Hong Kong cinema!” Many newspapers and magazines quoted Jacques’s comments, viewing this edition as a milestone where Hong Kong cinema officially entered an era of diversity and complexity.

This meant that through years of relentless development, Hong Kong, through its demonstrated strength and the success of filmmakers like Quentin, declared to the world that it had become the second global film hub capable of attracting talent from abroad, with the strength to challenge Hollywood.

Why has Hollywood been able to continue developing and remain the pinnacle in the eyes of filmmakers worldwide? Thanks to technology, a well-established film industry system, substantial funding, and a strong market presence and influence.

Why can Hong Kong challenge Hollywood? In terms of technology, after years of heavy investment by Mipeng in training various talents and conducting research, it is definitely on par with Hollywood. As for funding, the existence of Mipeng itself is proof enough.

What about the market? Hong Kong cinema has a market worldwide, while Hollywood cannot enter Hong Kong no matter what. As for a mature film industry system, Hong Kong may not be fully developed yet, but it is definitely well-established. Most importantly, in Hong Kong, even crew members like props masters and lighting technicians, who were once overlooked, now receive the recognition and attention they deserve. In Hong Kong, the director-centered system created by Xiao Ran is certainly capable of attracting Hollywood directors.

Perhaps the only aspect where Hong Kong cinema still falls short of challenging Hollywood is money—but this certainly doesn’t refer to the salaries of crew members. In this regard, Mipeng has done an excellent job, helping to raise the salaries of crew members across Hong Kong to appropriate levels, rather than allowing a polarization similar to that in Hollywood between stars and crew.

It’s no exaggeration to say that top photographers like Zhang Shuping and Huang Yongheng already earn fees of up to three million. As for Xiao Ran, the fee quoted for a single idea he comes up with can reach four million, and his director’s fee is already close to ten million. In Hollywood, no director has ever earned such a high fee. Income, of course, is another matter—it involves profit sharing. For example, from “The Legend of the Car God,” Xiao Ran alone received sixty million in profit sharing.

By “money” here, I don’t mean fees, but rather the exchange rate between US dollars and Hong Kong dollars. Due to the high exchange rate, even though living costs are basically on par with those in Hollywood, on the surface it still seems that earning ten million dollars in Hollywood is more valuable than earning twenty million Hong Kong dollars there.

This is what troubles Xiao Ran greatly. In fact, it’s not that no one gets taken away by Hollywood after becoming famous. It’s just that once they go there, those people can end up doing nothing. The only advantage for Xiao Ran is that he has the Director Center system, which allows him to counter this damn exchange rate and keep filmmakers around.