May 8th, 5 PM, Jia Da Nation, Ou Lin City, Bei Hu District.
The Jia Da Film Festival was a spectacle of dazzling lights and booming celebratory cannons.
A vibrant red carpet stretched from the entrance to the signing wall and all the way to the gala venue.
Flanking the red carpet, behind sturdy barriers, stood over a dozen security personnel in black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces, maintaining order.
Beyond the barriers, renowned media outlets from around the world gathered, their camera lenses focused on the entrance, the signing wall...
Simultaneously, film enthusiasts and fans from all corners of the globe, brimming with excitement, held up their support banners, eagerly awaiting the stars' arrival.
Time ticked by, minute by minute.
The lingering rays of the setting sun cast a pale golden hue over the entire city.
The fiery clouds in the sky, bathed in an orange glow, made Ou Lin City appear incredibly vibrant and romantic.
6 PM. A crescent moon hung in the vast sky, the deep blue canvas dotted with a few stars.
As the clock tower of Ou Lin City chimed,
The 52nd Jia Da Film Festival Awards Gala had officially begun.
At the Jia Da Film Festival venue, the sound of celebratory cannons erupted continuously, with fireworks bursting high into the sky.
Outside the festival grounds, stars gathered in droves, and countless luxury cars lined the area.
Tonight's awards ceremony was even grander than the opening ceremony, with all attending guests being international celebrities who had received invitations.
This included Michael Andrew, last year's Best Actor Oscar winner from Bird Lai U; Jona Sterling, last year's Best Actress Oscar winner from Bird Lai U; Porter Cruz, last year's Best Director Oscar winner from Bird Lai U; and renowned screenwriters from Bird Lai U, among others.
There were also Ritch Humphrey, the previous year's Best Actor winner from the Lin Ying Film Festival, second only to the Jia Da Film Festival, and Gina Morton, the Best Actress winner, and many more.
Furthermore, prominent figures from the global music industry, numerous sports stars, and so on...
The lineup of stars at this year's Jia Da Film Festival was exceptionally star-studded, with celebrities from all walks of life invited to grace the event.
There was only one primary reason for this.
The Dragon Country had, for the first time, been nominated for five awards by the film festival committee.
Therefore, influential figures and stars from around the world were eager to witness this historic moment in Dragon Country's cinema.
As numerous celebrities made their entrances, the atmosphere at the festival venue became incredibly heated.
With each luxury car that stopped at the red carpet entrance, the host outside would announce the stars emerging from within, eliciting waves of screams from the fans gathered around.
The stars, adorned in exquisite gowns, walked the red carpet, waving and smiling under a barrage of camera flashes, showcasing their most captivating selves.
Each celebrity followed the designated route down the red carpet, gracefully signing their names on the signing wall, posing for photos for various media outlets, and then ascending the steps into the venue.
"Black and White Edge," a film that was a key focus of this film festival.
Due to Gao Fei's sensitive identity, he was unable to obtain a visa, so Wang He and Jin Qiqi would walk the red carpet on his behalf.
"Next, we invite Mr. Wang He, Chairman of Fei He Pictures from the Dragon Country, and Ms. Jin Qiqi, agent of Mr. Gao Fei, the lead actor of the film 'Black and White Edge'..."
As the host's voice boomed from outside the venue,
Wang He, hands casually in his pockets, strode forward with an elegant gait.
He was dressed in a simple yet stylish white suit, with a ruby brooch worth over a hundred million adorning his lapel. A subtle smile on his face exuded the air of a prominent young master from the Dragon Country.
Behind him,
Jin Qiqi, in a classic black evening gown from the Dragon Country, emerged from the red carpet entrance. A priceless sapphire necklace graced her fair neck, and with her subtle makeup, she possessed an outstanding and dignified aura.
They walked side-by-side under the flashing lights, their hearts filled with inexpressible excitement and surging emotion, proceeding through the red carpet rituals.
However, the international stars inside and the media professionals and audience outside were somewhat curious.
Since the film's lead actor was nominated, why was it his agent, rather than the lead actor himself, who was making the appearance?
As people pondered this question, the host outside, after concluding the introduction, provided an explanation: "Mr. Gao Fei, the lead actor of 'Black and White Edge,' is unable to attend the event due to visa issues, hence his agent is representing him.
However, we will be conducting a live connection with Mr. Gao Fei later in the evening. Please stay tuned."
Instantly, a stir rippled through the entire venue.
Not only was the Dragon Country making its first-ever nomination at the film festival,
but Gao Fei of the Dragon Country was also the first nominee to be unable to attend the film festival in person due to visa issues.
On the live broadcast channels of the Jia Da Film Festival,
Netizens from various countries expressed their astonishment upon hearing the host's explanation.
It was unexpected that Gao Fei, the nominated lead actor of "Black and White Edge" from the Dragon Country, would not be present at the event due to visa problems.
This was unprecedented in the history of major film festivals.
In the live stream's bullet comments, in addition to the surprise from netizens worldwide,
netizens from the Little Stick Country, upon hearing that Gao Fei, nominated for Best Newcomer, could not attend the evening's ceremony, became active once again.
[Saying he can't make it to the venue, I think this Gao Fei is just afraid of only getting a nomination and not winning an award, which is why he's too embarrassed to come to the ceremony.]
[The comments from our country's people are spot on. Gao Fei is definitely afraid of not winning an award, so he's not coming to the awards ceremony. After all, Dragon Country people also like to mock their own celebrities; wouldn't he be laughed to death if he came back empty-handed!]
[If the visa was rejected, then there must be an issue with his identity! But Gao Fei is just a mere small-time actor; how could he be unable to attend the event due to visa problems? That's ridiculous.
Does he think he's a Dragon Country soldier? Or does he have some dangerous identity in the Dragon Country that could pose a security risk to the Jia Da Nation?
I think he's just afraid of losing face and not winning an award, which is why he's afraid to attend the awards ceremony!]
Netizens from the Little Stick Country seized every opportunity to mock him.
Netizens from other countries simply echoed the general sentiment, not actively engaging in the Little Stick Country's barrage of comments.
However, a comment concerning identity did catch the attention of Dragon Country netizens working or studying abroad.
They began contacting friends and family back home to inquire about Gao Fei's identity.
Upon learning from their friends in the Dragon Country that Gao Fei was not only a recipient of three military honors but had also previously used his hacking skills to capture spies...
Dragon Country netizens abroad were astonished!
They hadn't been back home for a few years, and such a remarkable individual had emerged in their country.
Furthermore, knowing that Gao Fei was only eighteen years old, turning nineteen this year, once again left the Dragon Country citizens abroad in a state of shock.
...
It was 6:30 PM in the Jia Da Nation, and 1:00 AM in the Dragon Country.
Despite the late hour of the night, in order to witness a new milestone in the history of Dragon Country cinema,
Nearly half of the Dragon Country's 1.3 billion population had not yet gone to sleep.
Hundreds of millions of Dragon Country citizens were either sitting in front of their computers or televisions, watching the live broadcast of the film festival on Channel One.
When they heard the translator in the broadcast report that Gao Fei was unable to attend the film festival due to visa issues, the domestic population was dumbfounded!
Discussions about Gao Fei's visa denial ran rampant online.