The two guest presenters were surprised that Iris Long brought along her man to the stage with her. However, they didn’t stop her nor did they demand Jin Liwei to get off the stage. There was no rule indicating that winners couldn’t bring other people with them on the stage, but it wasn’t the norm either.
An official from the Sommet International Film Festival’s committee handed Iris the award. It was a trophy which looked like a golden sun fixed on the surface of a large, clear, rectangular crystal. The beautiful trophy couldn’t stand on its own because of the crystal’s cut. Instead, it was already placed inside its own velvet box that opened on the front, making the trophy visible for everyone to see.
Iris had to let go of Jin Liwei’s hand to receive the award and the congratulations from the official and the two guest presenters. She might have let go of her darling’s hand, but her body language indicated that she wanted him to stay close to her. Of course, he sensed what she wanted so he stayed close, even when the official and the two guest performers retreated to the back.
The couple walked to the front of the microphone. Iris looked at the entire audience. It was an awards show, but to her, this stage felt very different to the stages of the Harmony Music Awards and the Diamond Guild Awards back in China. This stage felt bigger and more amazing.
Although this grand theatre held less people compared to the massive arenas where the Chinese awards were held, the Sommet International Film Awards still felt a whole lot larger because of the different ethnicities present among the audience. Each of these people represented a different country in the world. As a result, it felt like the entire world was watching her receive an award right now compared to just one country back in China.
The situation gave Iris a surreal feeling, yet she also felt humbled at the same time. She knew that there were still a lot of talented musicians out there in the world. The thought motivated her to do her best and improve her musical craft even further. She should never allow herself to grow complacent. If she did, others would surpass her current level and reach new heights in music without her.
With all of these thoughts running through her mind, Iris finally gave her acceptance speech. She spoke in French first, thanking the officials and organizers, the jury, her fellow nominees, all the participants of the shortlisted films, and everyone who followed and supported the events during the entire duration of the Sommet International Film Festival. The people were impressed at her elegant French. She sounded like a native, no foreign accent at all.
Then all of a sudden, she switched to English with a British accent.
“I would like to thank everyone from the ‘Strong Yet Broken’ family. Thank you for entrusting me to compose the entire film score. If it weren’t for your belief in me and the opportunity that you’ve given me, I wouldn’t be standing here on this stage right now, receiving this award. Mr. Guan, your life story, especially your mother’s, is a source of inspiration to all of us. Thank you for supporting this film and giving it your personal seal of approval.”
Then she looked at her big brother, Grandpa Lu and Wei Lan all sitting together in the audience. “Thank you to my family for accompanying me all the way here to France. I’m deeply grateful for your support.” Next, she looked at Maestro De Luca and Enrique Valdez. “To those who inspire me to become a better musician, thank you very much!”
“Most importantly, thank you to the man standing beside me,” she said. Her tone became softer, almost dropping to a whisper. “You’ve been there silently supporting me while I composed the film score. You’ve been so patient and understanding, even when I spent more time with my music than with you. Thank you…and I love you.”
Jin Liwei’s lips moved. It was obvious what he said, even if they didn’t hear his voice.
“I love you, too. So much.”
Squeals and whistles echoed throughout the grand theatre upon witnessing such a romantic scene.
Iris continued her speech.
“The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said, ‘Music in the soul can be heard by the universe’. This is my ultimate goal as a musician—to let the whole world, no, the whole universe hear my music. Where my words could fail to reach far, I hope that my music will. So thank you very much for listening to my music and liking it enough to choose me for this award.”
Before ending her speech, she switched to Mandarin and said, “Last but not the least, I want to thank my fans, the Black Stars. This honour is our honour. Please wait for me to come back home. I can’t wait to see you all again.”
After her speech, she moved a few steps to the side and gave the audience an elegant, deep curtsy bow. She was still holding Jin Liwei’s hand. Following her example, Jin Liwei also bent his body forward from the waist and gave everyone a deep bow.
Their beautiful bows earned a loud standing ovation from the audience. Not only that, they were all very impressed at Iris Long’s multilingual speech. She switched languages so naturally that it didn’t feel pretentious at all. In fact, it felt just right coming out of her mouth.
