"How was your date last night?"
"Not great. Women are all liars. She invited me upstairs for coffee, but it turned out to be just that—coffee. After we finished, she kicked me out."
In the car, Luca was texting Kate on his phone.
"And then you just left?"
Kate sounded disappointed.
Luca smirked. "No, it was snowing in Berlin last night, and it was pretty cold. I didn't feel like running around, so I asked if I could crash on her couch for the night."
"Did she agree?"
"Of course!"
Luca laughed.
"Hah, I knew it. Theron's interested in you. There's no way she'd let you go that easily. Come on, tell me what happened next—I want details!"
Luca chuckled and was about to dive into the details when someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Luca, time to get out."
Director Babank reminded him.
"OK!"
The car stopped at the entrance of the Berlin Film Palace.
It was February 15th, the closing day of the Berlin Film Festival.
Invited by the organizers, the crew of Buried Alive and more than 40 other film crews arrived at the Film Palace to attend the closing ceremony and award presentation.
As the car door opened, the crew members stepped out one by one.
"I'll tell you later," Luca texted back, helping Babank out of the car.
The scene outside was bustling. A red carpet, more than ten meters long, stretched across the entrance of the Film Palace.
Outside the barriers on both sides of the carpet, a large crowd gathered—fans, media from various countries, and onlookers, all bustling with excitement.
"Luca!"
Many people shouted loudly.
Luca waved and flashed a charming smile.
"Luca, look over here!"
Photographers snapped away at him non-stop.
Last year, Luca became a hot topic in the U.S. thanks to numerous rumors.
He was named the most talked-about actor of 2003 by The Hollywood Reporter. After that, he attended Paris Fashion Week, making quite a name for himself in Europe.
This time, he brought his new movie Buried Alive to the Berlin Film Festival, and it even made it into the main competition, a hot topic indeed.
"Luca, are you confident you'll win a Silver Bear?"
A reporter called out.
Luca smiled slightly but didn't answer.
There were many guests at the closing ceremony today, and the organizers hadn't set up an interview area on the red carpet.
After striking a few poses, Luca followed Babank into the Film Palace.
"Mr. Babank, I've heard that only crews informed beforehand come to the ceremony to receive awards. Those who don't get notified leave early to avoid embarrassment. Did we get any notice?"
"Nope," Babank glanced at him. "Do you really want to win?"
"Don't you?"
Luca raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"No, it's all about participation."
"Heh~"
Yeah, right.
The award ceremony was held in the main hall.
The hall was grand, luxuriously decorated, with a red color scheme that gave off a festive vibe.
There were over a thousand seats on the lower level, most of which were already filled.
The front rows were reserved for film crews, with the Buried Alive team in the second row, right next to the Argentine team from Lost Embrace.
Nearby were the Korean crew from Samaritan Girl, the South African crew from Country of Skulls, and the Hong Kong team from 20 30 40.
Director Babank, well-known in the film industry, was greeted by several people after sitting down.
Luca, bored, played Tetris on his phone.
After a while, the hall buzzed with excitement—it turned out that Charlize Theron had arrived.
She wore a stunning golden gown, glittering and dazzling, drawing everyone's attention. Many rushed over to greet her.
A true star among stars.
Ms. Theron sat in the middle of the front row, directly in front of Luca.
"Hello, Ms. Theron. Nice to see you!" Luca greeted her politely.
Theron had already noticed him and gave him a brief, cold glance, her eyes full of displeasure.
"Hmph."
Clearly, she wasn't too fond of him.
Luca grinned mischievously. Did he go too far last night?
Soon, the award ceremony began.
As usual, the organizers started by presenting other awards before moving on to the main competition categories.
The first award was the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement, given to Argentine filmmaker Fernando Solanas, an elderly man with white hair.
Next came the Blue Angel Award for Best European Film, the Golden Bear for Best Short Film, the Silver Bear for Best Short Film, and the Peace Award.
After about ten awards, Buried Alive had won nothing.
Then came the most important awards of the festival.
First up, the Golden Bear for Best Film.
Unfortunately, it went to a German movie, Straight Ahead. Keeping it in the family, huh?
Luca didn't even bother to comment.
The next award was the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.
It went to the Argentine film Lost Embrace.
The crew next to them celebrated with hugs.
Luca felt a bit envious. If they had won that prize, their film could've earned several hundred thousand dollars more.
The third award was for Best Director.
"Mr. Babank, they're about to announce the Best Director Award," Luca reminded him.
The old man opened his eyes and shook his head.
"No chance?"
Sure enough, Best Director went to Kim Ki-duk for Samaritan Girl.
The fourth award was for Best Actress.
This year, it was a tie.
The winners were Charlize Theron and Catalina Sandino.
Theron's win was expected—she wouldn't have come to the closing ceremony otherwise.
Catalina Sandino, a Colombian actress, had garnered numerous award nominations this year for Maria Full of Grace, including an Oscar nod for Best Actress, so her win was also well-deserved.
"Mr. Babank, could there be a tie for Best Actor too?"
"Impossible. From what I know, there's only one Best Actor this year!"
Babank said confidently.
"Really?"
Luca glanced at Daniel Hendler from the neighboring crew—it seemed the award was his.
After Theron received her trophy, French actress Valeria Bruni stepped onto the stage with a small card to announce the Best Actor.
The nominees included Oscar-winner Michael Douglas; The 52nd Berlin Best Actor Jacques Gamblin;
American actor Samuel L. Jackson;
Argentine actor Daniel Hendler;
And Brazil's most handsome man, Luca Kelly.
Aside from Luca, the rest were all veteran actors. Luca didn't expect much.
"Luca, did you prepare an acceptance speech?" the old man suddenly asked.
"Why would I do that?" Luca asked, puzzled.
"Just listen!"
"The winner of the 54th Berlin Film Festival's Best Actor is Mr. Luca Kelly."
Suddenly, a name that stunned him echoed through the speakers.
Luca froze. "Are they calling me?"
"Haha, of course, kid! Get up there!" Babank laughed heartily, patting him on the shoulder.
"Luca, congratulations!"
"Luca, the youngest Best Actor in Berlin Film Festival history. Congratulations!"
"Luca, stop standing there! Go get your award!"
The crew members came over to congratulate him.
Everyone around him turned to look, and in that moment, he was the center of attention.
Luca hugged his team and floated up to the stage.
Holding the Silver Bear, gazing at the familiar faces below, it all felt like a dream.
Did I really become the Best Actor in Berlin?
No doubt about it—it was real.
"Thank you!" Luca took a deep breath, smiling as he held the microphone. "Thank you, Berlin Film Festival, thank you to the committee. I never expected to win this award. This feeling is amazing.
I want to thank Director Babank. I wrote this script.
After finishing it, I approached many directors, but when they heard I wanted to play the lead, no one believed I could pull it off.
Only Director Babank supported me.
Mr. Babank, thank you for believing in me. I told you I'm just as good as anyone!"
Luca raised his trophy.
Applause!
A round of applause filled the hall.
Director Babank grinned widely, his efforts not in vain.
"That kid's pretty cocky!" Ms. Theron smirked slightly.
"I also want to thank everyone in the crew for your help and support. Finally, thank you to my sister, Kate, and my girlfriend, Lima."
Applause!
"Luca, stop dreaming! We've arrived in Rio!"
Luca had been sleeping when someone suddenly woke him up. He opened his eyes, and a blinding light made him fully alert.
"Finally home. It's always more comfortable in Rio!"
Stepping out of the plane, Luca stretched out with a big yawn, feeling utterly refreshed.
"Luca, there are hundreds of reporters waiting to interview you outside the airport. Are you ready?"
Mr. Babank chuckled.
"Interview me about what?"
"Brazil's first Berlin Best Actor, and the youngest one at that."
"Uh... Did my dream come true?"
Luca looked at the swarm of people outside the airport, long lenses aimed at him, and grinned widely.
(End of this chapter)