On February 15th, the Berlin Film Festival concluded, and major media outlets worldwide reported on the event.
Two topics stood out as the hottest:
First, Charlize Theron was crowned Best Actress at the Berlin Festival.
Second, Brazilian actor Luca Kelly won the Silver Bear for Best Actor, making him the youngest Best Actor in the history of the Berlin Film Festival.
Theron winning an award was well-deserved.
Her stunning performance in Monster earned her nominations for both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Actress, so winning Best Actress at Berlin came as no surprise.
However, Luca winning Best Actor left many people puzzled.
Last year, after Honey Dance was released, American critics slammed his acting, saying it hurt the movie's box office and that he wasn't fit to be an actor, even suggesting he quit the industry.
Luca went into a three-to-four-month retreat after that.
People thought he would fade away and become a fleeting star in the entertainment world.
But no one expected that, after four months of silence, he would suddenly be crowned the youngest Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival.
What is this? A comeback victory?
As soon as the news broke, it made headlines in numerous newspapers. While the Brazilian press praised him, American papers were skeptical.
They speculated that the festival committee may have intentionally created a controversial buzz to boost the festival's international influence.
However, critics who had watched Buried voiced their support for Luca.
The News commented, "The entire movie is 90 minutes with only Luca as the actor, confined in a small coffin with just a few simple props. Yet, he delivers a gripping solo performance, keeping the audience glued to their seats without a dull moment. It's arguably the most creative and thrilling film of the past decade."
The editor-in-chief of Movie Weekly added, "What's impressive about Luca isn't just his acting, but his talent. The brilliance of Buried lies in both the screenplay and the performance.
"And Luca wrote the screenplay himself. He crafted the most thrilling story with his pen and brought it to life with his superb acting. He truly deserves the Silver Bear."
Jury president Frances said: "Luca's performance is intense, like a chisel driving every expression and action straight to the heart. I love such profound acting."
Director Babank also praised him in interviews, calling him one of the hardest-working and most promising young actors of his generation.
Thanks to the rave reviews for Buried, the public's focus shifted from "Is Luca an overrated actor?" to "Where can we watch Buried?"
These discussions sparked interest in the film.
Distributors in various regions hurried to secure the rights.
"Luca, Lionsgate has raised the price to $2.8 million. That's their final offer. What do you think?"
At noon, Luca received a call from Director Babank.
He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. The price seemed fair.
The film grossed about $20 million globally, with over $15 million coming from North America.
After deducting the shares for theaters and distributors, investors could take home about $3 million.
"Alright, I have no objections."
The North American deal closed at $2.8 million, and other regions, including Brazil, sold for $3.5 million.
The movie's total investment was under $1 million.
By investing his salary and the screenplay rights, Luca earned over $3 million and a trophy—quite a decent haul.
"What's your next movie plan?"
Babank asked over the phone.
This collaboration took just over a month, netting Luca over $3 million, or more than 10 million Brazilian reais—a huge profit.
So Babank was eager to work with him again.
Luca smirked. "Mr. Babank, are you interested in sci-fi?"
"Sci-fi?"
"Yes, last year in the U.S., I read a sci-fi novel called The Man from Earth. I've already secured the adaptation rights, and I'm almost done with the script. Would you be interested in directing it?"
The novel is by American sci-fi writer Jerome Bixby.
It's about a historian who claims to have lived for 14,000 years, shocking a group of friends. They refuse to believe him, so the protagonist starts laying out facts and reasoning to convince them.
By the end, everyone feels like a fool, as many of their beliefs are turned upside down.
The movie adaptation of the novel had a budget of just $20,000 but grossed $350 million worldwide.
But this time was different.
Last year, Luca spent $500,000 to secure the adaptation rights through Greenwood Press, so the profits might be much smaller.
"You want to make a sci-fi film?"
Babank sounded disappointed. "Unfortunately, I'm not great with special effects."
"Director Babank, it's not like that. This isn't your typical sci-fi film with high-tech effects. The entire plot unfolds through dialogue, like a play."
Luca explained the plot.
"Can I see the script first?"
"No problem, but this is a low-budget film, with a budget of under $100,000. I plan to finance it myself."
He was willing to pay Babank to direct.
Babank insisted on reading the script first before making a decision.
Luca agreed.
If Babank wasn't interested, Luca could direct it himself. The investment was small, so even if it failed, it wouldn't be a huge loss.
Ring~
Just as he hung up, the phone rang again.
This time it was Ed.
Ed was urging him to return to the U.S.
"Best Actor, several film companies are lining up to offer you roles, including a few major productions. When are you planning to come back?"
Ed was thrilled about Luca's unexpected win as Best Actor.
Not long ago, he had become the manager of a supermodel champion, and now he was the manager of the Berlin Best Actor. His status had risen so quickly that it made him feel a little giddy.
It wasn't until he was slapped by Nina a few times that he sobered up and accepted this happy reality.
But he was also a little frustrated.
Recently, all eyes in the U.S. had been on Luca. Film offers, endorsement deals, and media interviews were pouring in, with the company waiting for him to handle a pile of business.
But Luca was hiding out in Brazil, missing a golden opportunity to be in the spotlight.
"Ed, I'll need about another month before I can return to the U.S."
Luca looked at his laptop and checked his schedule.
"Why so long? You've been there since December, it's been almost three months. Even if you're recovering, you should be done by now," Ed complained.
Luca chuckled. "Ed, I've invested in two projects here, and they're still in the preparation stage. Once things are wrapped up, I'll head back to the U.S."
During the filming of Buried, Luca registered a small film company in Rio.
Now that he'd made some money, he planned to continue investing in films, including Saving Ronaldo and the Brazilian version of Infernal Affairs.
These two projects were his way of testing the waters. If they did well at the box office, he'd increase his investments. If they failed, he'd abandon the Brazilian market.
"Alright, just try to be quick. There's a lot of work piling up here. We've got a new season of commercials coming up, and we can't afford too much delay."
"I understand!"
After dealing with Ed, Luca dove back into his research. Jose had used his connections to obtain materials from the Rio police department, which included real cases and information on Rio's gangs.
Luca wanted to use these resources to refine the script for Infernal Affairs, making it feel more grounded, as if it were based on real events.
Time: February 2004, just before Carnival.
Location: A prison in Rio.
Characters: The protagonist Simon and the police chief.
(End of chapter)