Chapter 466: Three Art Films Released

After returning to China, Lu Yan He went back to school first.

He reported to the counselor Chen Shiqiu and had a meal with his roommates and classmates.

Roommate Xiao Jing had already gone to the UK.

Mao Jiayang and Zhou Mukai both successfully obtained the qualification for postgraduate recommendation, temporarily not facing the pressure of the future, which is the most relaxed time.

"I don't know how Xiao Jing is doing in the UK, it must be cool," Mao Jiayang tsk-tsked twice. "I don't know if I will have the opportunity to stay abroad for a period of time in the future."

"Do you want to immigrate?" Zhou Mukai asked Mao Jiayang in surprise.

The surprise was because he didn't feel that Mao Jiayang had the tendency of "foreign countries are better" in his thinking.

"Immigration is fine, I'm still only used to eating our Chinese food," Mao Jiayang laughed. "But I really want to go to different places to experience life."

Lu Yan He said: "I had such thoughts before."

"Really?"

"Yes," Lu Yan He said. "At first, when I had the opportunity to go abroad, I was still quite excited and excited. When I went to any place, I would try to squeeze out some time to go shopping locally. But later, after going to more places, I slowly lost this excitement. I also feel that I am still a Chinese stomach, only used to eating Chinese food. Other places, going for two or three days to feel the different customs and history and culture is fine, but staying for a long time, I am always not used to eating. This time in Venice, I really missed our country's food too much later, so after coming back, I immediately made an appointment with you for a meal."

Zhou Mukai: "I really want to go to Japan once."

"I've been to Japan, that side is more delicious than Korea," Lu Yan He said with a smile. "Korea is really not delicious at all."

Zhou Mukai: "I'm not interested in eating, I really want to see the scenes that appeared in the animations I watched when I was a child."

"Japan's animation is really nothing to say," Mao Jiayang also said. "I don't know why, the animations I watched when I was a child were basically Japanese and American, but there were not many of our own domestic animation works."

Lu Yan He: "Mm, mainly because there were not many good-looking ones, they were all young animation films."

"Now some have been made," Zhou Mukai said immediately. "I've watched quite a few in the past few years, and they are getting better and better."

"Really?" Lu Yan He was very surprised. Because he doesn't watch animation much now, occasionally seeing an animation movie like *Angry Crow*, he feels strange.

Zhou Mukai: "Now there are many animation works adapted from online novels."

Mao Jiayang suddenly remembered something, nodded, and said: "Yes, I also watched one a while ago, called *Doulong Mage*. I didn't know it was adapted from an online novel until I finished the first season of twelve episodes. It was filmed so well, I didn't expect that we could make such animation in China."

"Obviously, our domestic animation started quite early, I don't know why it suddenly hibernated for a long time in the middle."

"Those people in the Polytechnic Academy often say what is the use of liberal arts, every time I hear such words, I am very speechless," Zhou Mukai complained.

Mao Jiayang, who studies computer science, immediately raised his hand: "Zhou Mukai, don't kill everyone with one stick. I don't think so at all. I still envy you who study literature. Alas, to be honest, because the knowledge of science and engineering is explicit, objective, and can be seen by people, while the knowledge of liberal arts is implicit, subjective, and has different effects on different people, so there will be this argument that liberal arts are useless."

"If liberal arts were really useless, human history would be useless. People with brains wouldn't say that. Just like you want to travel to Japan, isn't it influenced by their animation works."

"I have always felt that Yan He is doing a great thing, because he is creating our own culture. Temporary popularity or box office, these are very temporary things. The work is left behind. Maybe ten years later, twenty years later, *Friends* will become a window for others to understand the young people of our era, and movies like *Sanshan* and *Late Spring* will attract some foreigners to our China like Japanese animation attracted you."

"Look at which Olympic opening ceremony, the host country is not showing its country's history, culture, and development process, which opening ceremony is not taking literature and art, which represent spiritual civilization achievements, as a window for display to the world?"

Mao Jiayang looked at Lu Yan He's face, really full of envy, he said: "I also want to be able to make things that can be written into our country's history and human civilization history, and have value."

Lu Yan He and Zhou Mukai looked at Mao Jiayang in surprise, for a long time, before he sighed: "Mao Jiayang, your ideal is so grand."

Mao Jiayang's face showed a little embarrassment.

"A bit exaggerated, I feel very ashamed for no reason now."

"What's there to be ashamed of, it's quite good," Zhou Mukai changed his previous expression and said to him, "To be honest, thanks to being roommates with you and Xiao Jing for these four years, I have changed my view on science students a little bit. Before reading high school, from teachers to classmates, almost everyone firmly believed that only those who couldn't learn science went to study liberal arts. I really hate them."

Mao Jiayang laughed.

"It's okay, look at how good it is now. Most of the people around you now won't think so anymore," Lu Yan He said. "People with prejudice are everywhere, but as long as you get better and better, you can get further and further away from those who have prejudice."

"Words from the heart," Mao Jiayang laughed loudly. "Look at Lu Yan He's words to Yongshan Hesan at the media meeting in Venice, even if old Lu is like this, there are still idiots like Yongshan Hesan who are talking nonsense."

Zhou Mukai complained: "That's a brain-damaged person."

Lu Yan He looked at them in surprise.

"You actually all know Yongshan Hesan?"

"People scold him on our school forum every day," Mao Jiayang said. "You don't know how many people in our school are helping you scold him, and even many students have climbed over the wall to scold him abroad."

Lu Yan He was surprised.

"No way? Everyone... there's no need to do this."

"No way, you might play less on the school forum, and now there are really not many forums active, but in Zhenhua, our school forum still has many active users. Many alumni who have graduated for ten or twenty years are still used to pouring water in it. Everyone likes to chat in the forum. You are the most famous person in our Zhenhua now, everyone will inevitably talk more about your affairs, you are bullied, how can everyone sit idly by," Mao Jiayang said. "Our school's alumni are still very united."

Lu Yan He realized.

"And, just scolding Yongshan Hesan, everyone wants to have a little entertainment project," Mao Jiayang said. "Sometimes I get annoyed by writing code, and I will climb over the wall to scold him, anyway, scolding him has no psychological pressure."

Lu Yan He hugged his fists and said: "Respect!"

For these roommates around him, Lu Yan He actually admires them all.

In a university like Zhenhua where excellent students gather, basically everyone was a proud son of heaven in their respective high schools before coming here.

After coming to Zhenhua, almost everyone needs a process of adjusting their inner mentality.

How to adapt from "leading the way" to an environment of "falling behind at any time."

And Lu Yan He also knows that a star artist like him, no matter how much he tries to reduce the impact, will inevitably affect his roommates more or less.

But his roommates not only never complained about it, they were never affected.

Whether it is academic or other aspects outside of academic, everyone of them has always been serious and hard-working.

Lu Yan He's state is not the state of an ordinary student in school. And if there is such a person around, it actually affects one's state very much. But they not only maintain their excellent grades in learning every year, but also work hard to expand and improve themselves in other aspects.

Like Zhou Mukai, he is usually a big academic bully, almost squatting in the library every day, and later took the initiative to ask Lu Yan He if there is an opportunity to do a part-time editor at *Jump Up*. Now he has become the backbone of *Jump Up* magazine.

Compared to himself, Lu Yan He has always felt that they are representative examples of relying on personal effort and struggle.

Actors, entertainment circle, are not the kind of fields with universal representation.

Lu Yan He dare not arrogantly think that he can earn tens of millions a year at a young age and become a nationally famous person, which is entirely achieved by his own efforts and so-called talent.

He knows how much industry and era dividends he has occupied.

At the film seminar of *Road to Glory*, Lu Yan He also mentioned this point again.

Film seminar activities like this, in the eyes of outsiders, are actually just a formalized standard action most of the time.

But Chen Ziyan specifically explained it to Lu Yan He.

"This time you can say more about your understanding of film and this industry," Chen Ziyan said. "Since you are no longer just an actor, you should let them hear more of your ideas."

Therefore, when it was Lu Yan He's turn to speak, he opened his mouth and said: "Actually, I am a very lucky young actor. Because I have collaborated with many very reliable and talented producers, directors, editors, and crew teams, I have gained a lot of false names through one film after another. In fact, these are the halos given to me by the achievements of film and television dramas."

This is also Lu Yan He's words from the heart.

As soon as he opened his mouth like this, many old seniors at the scene looked at him much more gently.

Which old senior doesn't like a humble junior?

Especially a junior with great fame who makes them feel unable to control.

Lu Yan He set his posture before continuing.

"Our domestic film and television drama market is also one of the best in the world, which allows our film and television dramas to have a very solid industrial foundation to further promote the development of our film and television production. In the past two years, we have also seen that the figure of Chinese films has increased at international film festivals. While commercial films are developing vigorously, art films are also radiating new vitality. This is when I am particularly lucky as an actor. No matter what kind of movie I want to act in, I can find a suitable project."

Lu Yan He said such things on such an occasion, in front of the competent leaders of the film department and other influential relevant personnel, which undoubtedly made them feel comfortable in their hearts.

Lu Yan He also has no interest in being a big gun and firing at them.

He himself is a beneficiary of this industry, what kind of gun is he firing.

"This time *Road to Glory* was able to win the Best Film award in the Horizons section at the Venice International Film Festival, which is quite a surprise. This also shows that it is not that only movies reflecting the dark and ugly side of our country can win awards internationally, right?"

Lu Yan He smiled.

Now there are many arguments in China, saying that only movies reflecting the ugly and dark side of China can win awards internationally.

Lu Yan He dare not say that there is absolutely none, but based on many movies he has seen, especially award-winning movies at film festivals, basically award-winning films, no matter which country's film, are themed on satire and criticism.

Satire and criticism themselves are one of the main themes of artistic creation.

Of course, Lu Yan He dare not talk too much on such an occasion, just mentioned it simply, and then talked about what he really wanted to talk about.

"Two days ago, I had a meal with my classmates, and my classmates said that he really wanted to go to Japan to play. We asked why he wanted to go to Japan, and he said, because he saw many Japanese animations when he was a child, so he wanted to go and see. I was thinking, actually, film and television dramas are the same. Although we are very encouraged for foreign friends to come to China to see, we also all know that foreign friends who can truly come to China and set foot on our land are very few. Film and television dramas have almost become an important window for others in the world to understand our country, and can even be said to be the most three-dimensional window."

"Why do you say that? Because each of us will be affected by factors such as history, politics, culture, etc., towards different countries, and produce some attitudes and opinions. This leads to us having some derivative ideas about everything related to this country. But film and television dramas are characters, stories, and emotions. Many of us who cannot experience the customs and customs of that country in person often feel it through film and television dramas and other literary and artistic works."

"Other people in the world are actually the same towards our China," Lu Yan He said. "How to let everyone eliminate prejudice against our China, prejudice against our Chinese people, let them see the development of the times and the country, see the bravery, diligence, justice, and enthusiasm of the Chinese people? These beautiful things cannot be forcibly added to everyone's mind by rote."

"Film and television drama is a business card that has been verified by the whole world to introduce its own national image and culture to people in other countries."

"Good works, no matter what the subject matter, are shaping a positive national image, whether it is commercial films, art films, or genre films. It is not that only main melody movies can do it. The *Friends*, *Late Spring*, *Sanshan*, and this *Road to Glory* I filmed, none of them are main melody works, but they are liked by many people abroad, and many foreign friends have also generated a lot of interest in our China and Chinese culture because of these few works."

Lu Yan He said these words here today, actually wanting to express one meaning.

Before the domestic film market was not large enough, the entire film and television circle still had a force to go outside to find recognition and find a sense of existence, even if it was actually not confident at that time, so it felt that the outside was fragrant and good, but no matter what, it created many creators who tried hard to make the voice of the Chinese people internationally.

But now, being too confident has led to another extreme, feeling that there is no need for others' recognition, the domestic market is large enough, even if Chinese film and television dramas have no influence in the world, it does not affect them making money themselves, becoming another degree of "closing the door and making a car," and behind this phenomenon is another kind of "arrogance," and specifically putting a hat of "worshiping foreign things and fawning on foreign things" on those who try to continue to "go out."

Twenty years ago, the figure of Chinese films would frequently appear on the international film scene, and it had never disappeared.

Ten years ago, Chinese films suddenly appeared less and less slowly.

It was not until these two or three years that one or two works slowly appeared again, returning to the vision of the international film scene.

"I think we should still encourage Chinese films to participate in international film festivals more. This is not to say that we must go to win awards, or that only foreign awards are more advanced than domestic awards," Lu Yan He smiled and said in the most student-like tone, without attack, "but domestic awards, no matter what, someone will win them every year, but foreign awards? If we don't actively participate in the competition and don't encourage everyone to film films suitable for film festivals, then we may disappear from the vision of the international film scene for another seven or eight years."

"These are just my feelings. There must be many places where I am young and not thoughtful. If there is anything wrong, please criticize and correct me, teachers."

Encourage Chinese films to participate in film festivals more.

Not for gilding, nor because foreign awards are more advanced and cow than domestic awards.

Simply because international film festivals still hold the artistic discourse power of this globally accepted art form of film.

Only when you have your own Hollywood and Oscars in China, set up another stove, and don't rely on other people's dissemination channels, can you be like Hollywood movies, waiting for others to take the initiative to invite you to participate.

Now the Chinese market is so large, this young man who has just started his career is warmly entertained by the officials of major film festivals once shortlisted—are they all rushing to him personally?

Lu Yan He doesn't have such a big face.

Lu Yan He's words did not cause much discussion at the scene, but after the event, someone passed the word, saying that his speech was very good, and also said, please continue to work hard as a Chinese filmmaker, and take Chinese films to continue to show the artistic charm of Chinese films internationally.

"That's enough," Chen Ziyan nodded and said to Lu Yan He. "With this sentence, you are a person with a Shangfang sword."

Lu Yan He was still blank, vaguely realizing something, but didn't think it through completely.

It wasn't until he heard that a comedy blockbuster *Left Foot Immortal* distributed by Chenguang Film Company wanted to set a schedule for the Mid-Autumn Festival and release it with *Rouge Button* to compete for the box office, but was blocked, making it withdraw from the Mid-Autumn Festival, that Lu Yan He knew what Chen Ziyan meant.

Chen Ziyan said: "To protect art films, officials have many means of protection. Setting up funds to support creation is one thing, and taking out a few small schedules for art film screening is also one thing. The reason why a movie like *Left Foot Immortal* suddenly wants to set a schedule for the Mid-Autumn Festival is that it found that there are no other blockbusters in the three-day holiday, and it feels that it can come to pick up a leak. Then this leak can of course not let it pick up."

Scheduling is a science, and the impact on movies goes without saying.

*People on the Journey* released in the summer, because it was not released during the Spring Festival, was estimated by the industry to have lost at least 300 million.

Lu Yan He was still a bit embarrassed and asked: "Then... is this not fair to *Left Foot Immortal*?"

"Fair?" Chen Ziyan rolled her eyes. "Lu Yan He, don't have a Virgin Mary heart at this time, okay? Movies can be art, but movies are competing products between movies. Do you believe that a film like *Left Foot Immortal* can directly eat up at least 5% of the scheduling rate that originally belonged to *Rouge Button*?"

Lu Yan He: "Uh, I put away my Virgin Mary heart, not acting."

Chen Ziyan said: "Prove well what a movie like *Rouge Button* can bring to Chinese movies, and let this industry see what good movies can bring to this world besides the box office."

Lu Yan He hissed, "Ziyan-jie, the pressure on me suddenly increased."

And just after *Road to Glory* announced that it would start small-scale screenings from September 10th, *Happy Hour* also announced that it would be scheduled for the Mid-Autumn Festival.

For a time, the Mid-Autumn Festival was occupied by three movies that won big awards at international film festivals: *Rouge Button*, *Happy Hour*, and *Road to Glory*.

The media saw this list and were stunned for a moment.

Why did the Mid-Autumn Festival suddenly become an art film schedule?

What about those commercial films?

Don't come to this schedule? Don't look down on this small schedule, all want to swarm to the National Day schedule?

Lu Yan He still vaguely felt in his heart that this was wrong. The movies released in the same schedule are of course in a competitive relationship, but is it to compete in this way?

While he was thinking, he warned himself not to be a Virgin Mary again.

He felt that he really had this problem.

He didn't feel it before, but now he really has it.

But he also felt, is this called a Virgin Mary heart?

He just wanted to compete uprightly.

But no matter what Lu Yan He thinks, this is not a situation he can change.

*Left Foot Immortal* withdrew from the Mid-Autumn Festival, it must have reached an agreement with someone before withdrawing.

Lu Yan He finally didn't allow himself to think more, just told himself that he had never asked for things like "art film protection schedule." He just called for more support and encouragement for art films. How to do it, that is not something he can control.

After participating in the *Road to Glory* seminar, Lu Yan He went to Jiangzhi, looked at the *Wu Lin Gaiden* crew in filming, went to Jiangguang to see Chen Siqi, and had a meal with the *Jump Up* team members in Jiangguang.

When he was busy with his own little things, the domestic film and television circle was also restless.

The TV series *Deviation* starring Zeng Qiao was stopped halfway because an actor in the play was caught for prostitution.

Zeng Qiao sent a message to Lu Yan He, scolding bad luck.

Lu Yan He also felt depressed for Zeng Qiao and the *Deviation* crew—this kind of thing where everyone's efforts were suddenly wasted because of a mouse dropping, whoever changes it will be depressed.

Two days later, Zeng Qiao asked him again: Yan He, do you know people from HP and Maxine? Can you help us contact and see if they are interested in *Deviation*?

If a play disappears like this, it's really going to lose a lot.

Zeng Qiao clearly starred in *Silent River* invested and produced by Maxine, but he didn't have much contact with Zhong Benshuo.

He felt that by contacting through Lu Yan He, people might pay a little attention.

Lu Yan He didn't push back, so he helped to contact.

Zhong Benshuo and Tom White both said they would seriously evaluate it.

Lu Yan He could only help here.

He couldn't say that a phone call from him could make people willing to spend tens of millions of US dollars to buy the

That is unrealistic.

"Road to Glory" began small-scale preview screenings on September 10th.

Take Yuming, for example: only three cinemas there held one screening each per day.

As it turned out, once pre-sales opened, tickets for those three screenings sold out within ten minutes; even the seats in the very corners were snatched up.

Some people even complained online: "Unbelievable, this is the first time I've had to buy movie tickets with the same intensity as grabbing concert tickets."

On the first day of the small-scale screenings, the national box office was 23,000, with an 83% occupancy rate. On box office statistics platforms, this figure was initially thought to be a system error, but then, everyone looked again and realized there were only 10 screenings nationwide that day.

"..."

This was a "small-scale preview screening" the likes of which no domestic film production company had ever done before.

The scale was so small that it left the industry in shock.

However, the cinemas were very satisfied.

To make so much money from a single screening—the profit margin was incredibly high.

From that day on, the daily box office for "Road to Glory" remained around 30,000.

Many cinemas wanted to fight to increase the number of screenings, but they all refused.

In any case, "Road to Glory" was not a film that feared being spoiled.

Its focus was not the plot.

And so, it reached the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Only on this day did "Road to Glory" slightly expand its preview screening sessions.

The influence of stars became prominent in the box office of these few films.

Because "Road to Glory" deliberately suppressed its screening count and remained only a preview, it ultimately had only a 7% share of screenings, yet it brought in about 17 million in box office revenue.

Meanwhile, "Rouge" relied on a 32% share of screenings and the drawing power of Wang Zhong, Chen Bige, and Huang Kai, especially the support of Huang Kai's die-hard fans, to take in about 43 million in box office revenue.

"Happy Hour" also rode the coattails of the Venice International Film Festival's buzz and the gimmick of Ning Xiulian being a Venice Best Actress winner, attracting about 14 million in box office revenue.

Outside of these three films, several older movies also saw their box office surge thanks to the holiday boost.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the box office exceeded 100 million.

This was the lowest daily box office for a holiday period in recent years.

However, the advantages of art-house films were highlighted at this moment.

On the day of their release, the level of discussion the three films sparked on social media was exaggerated beyond the industry's imagination.

Especially "Rouge."

Among the three films, "Rouge" was the one with the highest ratings and favorability from casual viewers.

Although it was a romance film, it had a plot, and it had a sad ending that made people shed tears.

"Rouge" allowed women, especially young women, to have a strong sense of immersion, as if they themselves had become that Ruhu who waited for many years, only to say goodbye to a man who had failed her in her delusions.

I don't know how many self-media outlets published advertorials that day with titles like "Women, Even if You Become a Ghost, Be a Ghost Who Cherishes Yourself," triggering female empathy on social media.

"Road to Glory" became a vehicle for artistic youths to express themselves, their lives, and their insights. It also became a work publicly praised by many in the older generation of the film circle. Of course, because the screening rate was too low, the discussion it generated was far less than the other two works.

The one discussed the most was "Happy Hour."

It was the most controversial; for every person who praised the female consciousness and self-strength reflected in the film, there was another cursing the female lead for not having self-respect at the end.

In short, in such a small window led by three art-house films, after creating the lowest opening-day box office for a holiday period in recent years, it created another small miracle—the second-day box office actually rose instead of falling.

"Where is the greatest commercial value of art-house films? It's that almost every one of these films is a natural theme, a theme that allows many people to express their own views and attitudes."

That is what Chen Siqi said; the "Jump Up" team she led was responsible for the marketing work of both "Rouge" and "Road to Glory."

"Whether they like it or curse it, you have to let the audience see them. Once they are seen and discussed, then you have everything that follows."