Chapter 757: Contact

After the premiere, a media Q&A session.

Lu Yan He attended along with everyone else.

This film can be described as star-studded, with a gathering of big names.

It is one of the most anticipated film crews at this year's Hexi Film Festival.

Lu Yan He and Chen Bige, who have been red-hot in recent years, Liu Bige, who is in the first tier of young auteur directors in the film industry, and Shang Yongzhou, a Best Actor already familiar to the international film scene, plus actors like Zhou Shuyu and Liu Zi, who are very popular in China—

When they entered, the area below the stage was packed, full of people.

There were more than a dozen Chinese media outlets alone.

If it weren't for a film like *Dragon Inn*, it would be impossible for so many Chinese media to come.

The media had too many questions they wanted to ask, enthusiastic and scrambling to be first.

This scene even made the venue appear chaotic.

This is the influence a top-tier film crew can achieve at a film festival.

The situation at the scene was also captured by many people.

Guan Su Chen even took a photo at the scene and posted it to his social media.

—Never seen a Chinese film so popular at an overseas film festival; China's top film lineup is also top-tier internationally.

—People must go out, don't just stay in their own market; like them, they represent the face of China. The more such faces there are, the less China will be just a political symbol to the international community.

—Liu Zi is about to soar; almost all the media reporters around me are discussing her. The character Jin Xiangyu will become the most profound character in *Dragon Inn*.

There are not a few Chinese media people like Guan Su Chen who post many updates in one go.

Because they are at the Hexi Film Festival, the atmosphere at the scene can infect them.

Often, a person's confidence comes from two aspects: one is knowing very clearly that this is a good thing, and the other is that people around are all saying this thing is a good thing.

Now, *Dragon Inn* has gained huge recognition from himself to those around him.

Guan Su Chen's mood is naturally uncontrollably excited.

With their fame and industry status, they still work as entertainment critics; is it because they don't want to earn more money? It's nothing more than because they love this industry the most.

Because of love, feeling honored, so excited.

Liu Zi also never expected that in such a short time, from *Wu Lin* to *Dragon Inn*, she would present two characters who are so similar yet completely different as innkeepers in one go.

And in *Dragon Inn*, she performed with such coquettishness, lingering charm, and even sharpness, completely different from Tong Xiangyu in *Wu Lin*. She doesn't have to worry at all about the two characters being shaped too similarly.

She has almost no fame internationally, and many people don't know her.

She originally thought that at this media Q&A session, everyone's attention would not be on her.

After all, there were so many famous big names in the same venue.

As a result, many foreign reporters pointed their long guns and short cannons directly at her, asking various questions about her performance in the film.

Everyone had watched the film.

Many people will decide who to ask based on the actor's fame and status.

Of course, there are also people who are interested in the performer because they really like a certain character in the film, or even like, admire, and are infatuated with them.

In fact, it wasn't just Liu Zi; every actor present was asked questions one after another.

This scene also made many people realize that this film has truly stood firm.

Not just because of the protagonist, but also because of the ensemble cast.

Lu Yan He, however, was not surprised by this.

Because he knew that *Dragon Inn* is an ensemble film, and every character can leave a heavy mark.

At the time, being able to find those actors and shape these characters was truly a matter of right time, right place, and right people.

At the media Q&A session, Lu Yan He only answered three questions.

He pushed the other questions to others.

Mainly because he felt that as a screenwriter, his presence was already strong enough; if he answered some things at this time, it would become an "interpretive" answer, having the nature of "closing the coffin on the matter."

Therefore, he basically didn't answer questions related to the content.

He had to leave room for interpretation for the media and the audience.

"This is a script I like very much," Lu Yan He said. "I wrote the first draft in one night, in one go, writing until dawn. Strictly speaking, this is not the first time I've written a story with Wu Xia elements; I wrote a TV series called *Wu Lin*, which was also starred in by Teacher Liu Zi, but that show is a completely different style from this film."

"Actually, it was written long ago, but after writing it, I wasn't in a hurry to find a director. One day, Liu Bige read the script and said he wanted to film it, asking me if I could give him the script." Lu Yan He smiled as he said this. "At that time, the script had actually been shown to my senior brother Shang Yongzhou, and he said he wanted to act in it. The same went for Yan Liang, so I told him that some roles had already been cast. As soon as he heard who the actors were, he immediately said he would be a fool not to want to."

The whole venue burst into laughter.

Shang Yongzhou and Liu Bige also laughed.

"Later, when the script reached Brother Yuning, we were all very worried that he wouldn't be willing to take on such an image that wasn't very heroic in terms of image or performance style, and might even make some people's jaws drop," Lu Yan He said. "Zhou Yuning is one of the best actors in China, and the Wu Xia film *Nine Yin* he starred in also broke many box office records in China. I am actually very grateful that such a big star was finally willing to break his image to play the role of the supervisor."

Zhou Yuning immediately smiled and waved his hand.

"Fortunately, when it was screened today, I breathed a sigh of relief because I found that every time he appeared, many people would gasp," Lu Yan He said with a smile. "Still very handsome."

In the original work, this role was played by Donnie Yen.

It was indeed a rare type of role in Donnie Yen's acting career.

It must also be said that this kind of very extreme type of role is particularly easy for actors to give a refreshing performance.

This media Q&A session was extended by thirty minutes beyond the scheduled time.

It only ended when the time could no longer be dragged out.

After that was the group interview session.

This group interview session was more relaxed and didn't have such a formal setting.

Lu Yan He did not participate.

He had to meet with Wu Yang.

Wu Yang had made an appointment with him on short notice.

"Lu, congratulations, you've brought another good film," Wu Yang said as soon as they met.

"Thank you," Lu Yan He said. "Hexi is indeed my lucky place."

Wu Yang: "You don't know how much pressure I'm under now; everyone is asking me why I didn't put *Dragon Inn* in the main competition section, but instead put it in the screening section."

Lu Yan He said: "We will explain later. Facts have proven that putting it in the screening section did provide a better platform for *Dragon Inn*, didn't it? I believe if it were in the competition section, everyone would be more critical of it."

Wu Yang: "You are very smart; you know what kind of film is suitable for the main competition section."

"Of course," Lu Yan He nodded with a smile. "*Dragon Inn* is not the type of film that the Hexi Film Festival main competition section is keen on, and it's an ensemble film. Going to the main competition section, besides the name sounding better, the environment faced might not be as good as in the screening section."

"If many directors could be as open-minded as you, I wouldn't have such a headache every year when selecting films," Wu Yang said with a smile.

Many famous directors and big directors insist that their works enter the main competition section before they are willing to come.

This situation is very common at any film festival.

Lu Yan He said: "I hope the Hexi Film Festival can always stick to such standards."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang sighed immediately.

"Lu, I thought about your proposal from last time for a long time after I went back," Wu Yang said. "If we can't find a suitable sponsor immediately, perhaps we really need to consider the feasibility of your proposal."

Lu Yan He said with a smile: "Director Wu, my invitation is valid at any time, and it's not just an invitation. In fact, no matter what decision you make in the end, you know that I will do what I can. I like the Hexi Film Festival; it played a crucial role in my growth, I am very clear about this, and I also hope to be able to help it."

Lu Yan He said these words, making Wu Yang feel moved while also breathing a sigh of relief.

Wu Yang said: "Actually, your proposal to hold it in different places around the world does make me very tempted, but the Olympics are held every four years, while the Hexi Film Festival is held every year. I worry that frequently changing the host city will make it held very roughly."

"Then why not change it every four years?" Lu Yan He said bluntly. "These can all be adjusted. One city can host two or three consecutive sessions, which can also provide time for the next host city to prepare."

Wu Yang said: "What if no city is willing to host this film festival later on?"

Lu Yan He said: "Isn't that about the same as now? No city is willing to provide funding; the worst it can be is like it is now. In fact, by that time, as long as the Hexi Film Festival is still the current Hexi Film Festival, I will use my power to let it continue to be held in China."

Lu Yan He smiled.

"Director Wu, why don't you come to our Film Critics International Film Festival this June to take a look?" Lu Yan He said. "This is a very small film festival that is not held on a large scale, but it is small yet complete. You can participate in the whole process, and you will be able to feel what kind of attitude we Chinese have toward holding a good film festival."

"You also have many of your own film festivals in China."

"There are some all over the world," Lu Yan He said bluntly. "But there is only one Hexi Film Festival. This is what you have achieved, and for this, I am full of respect and admiration. Without such a great film festival you have created, we film creators would not be able to share in the glory it brings us."

Wu Yang took a deep breath and nodded.

"Actually, I came to you today just to chat with you about whether your previous invitation was serious."

Lu Yan He: "Director Wu, if I were joking with you, I would definitely let you know clearly that I was joking."

Wu Yang nodded.

"Tomorrow night, I am holding an event for Chinese filmmakers here," Lu Yan He said. "I just happen to want to invite you to attend. You know, Chinese filmmakers are the ones who come to the Hexi Film Festival the most. If you attend, everyone will definitely be happy."

Wu Yang is one of the film festival directors who truly supports Chinese filmmakers.

In the past twenty years, the top film festival where Chinese filmmakers have won the most awards is Hexi.

Some people say that is because the Hexi Film Festival is voted on by the audience.

However, without the Hexi Film Festival selecting Chinese films into the main competition section at the beginning, there would be no chance for them to be voted on by the audience later.

Many things really cannot be generalized.

Wu Yang nodded and agreed.

The huge attention *Dragon Inn* stirred up at the Hexi Film Festival made Lu Yan He, who had just achieved box office miracles globally with the two films *Home Alone* and *Buried* this year, once again hit the headlines of major film media.

Another film, with such good word-of-mouth, is the box office about to explode again?

This time, major film distributors around the world fought directly to grab the distribution rights for *Dragon Inn*.

Previously, the North American distribution rights for *Burning Fire* were sold cheaply by Long Yan. This time, because *Dragon Inn* had Lu Yan He's own investment, Lu Yan He told Long Yan directly that if the North American distribution company couldn't provide more than 1,000 theaters to screen this film, and they sold it rashly again, he would never hand over his scripts to Long Yan to produce films in the future.

Lu Yan He was too lazy to be earnest with them directly.

Of course, seeing that the two films *Home Alone* and *Buried* made Linghe earn a fortune, no one would believe Long Yan if they said they weren't jealous.

Lu Yan He didn't know what the global box office of *Dragon Inn* could reach.

Because the original version was not released globally at that time.

However, based on Lu Yan He's understanding of this film, plus the word-of-mouth bonus from the Hexi Film Festival, he believed that selling over 20 million USD at the box office overseas should be no problem.

If it catches up with the word-of-mouth explosion like *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* or *Hero*, sparking global interest in Chinese Wu Xia films, the box office might be even higher.

However, the premise for all this is that the distributor must value this film enough and be able to get the best screening conditions for it.

If the distributor isn't even willing to do this, even a film that could potentially sell 100 million USD at the box office would only end up with a few hundred thousand USD.

At least, in Lu Yan He's view, the film *Burning Fire* shouldn't have had such a low box office in North America.

But they only guaranteed 500 theaters for two weeks, and the film was only screened on a small scale; the momentum couldn't be built up, and only a few people knew about the film. In the end, selling a few million USD was considered pretty good.

At the Chinese Filmmakers Night event organized by Lu Yan He, Lu Yan He naturally sent invitations to Huang Zhongjing and Huang Tai, and a group of Chinese filmmakers gathered together.

Besides Chinese filmmakers, there were also many filmmakers from other countries, all invited by Lu Yan He.

Of course, the most crucial person among them was Wu Yang.

To put it bluntly, tonight's event was held for Wu Yang.

To build a bridge between Wu Yang and Wen Shengming.

But Chinese films this year indeed had a great volume at the Hexi Film Festival.

Besides the two films in the screening section, there was also a film in the main competition section.

Lu Yan He also invited them over.

There were enough Chinese filmmakers so that this event wouldn't be held too "shabbily."

It couldn't always be the same people back and forth.

Several young actors from *Oh My Sea* were led by Linghe staff to meet different people, greet them, and introduce themselves.

The male lead Kong Fanyu and the female lead Liu Guanxian were both a bit nervous.

This was their first time attending such a big occasion and seeing so many people they usually only saw in the news.

Jiang Yue, on the other hand, was quite generous and natural.

This chuunibyou girl enthusiastically expressed her admiration for everyone, leaving a deep impression.

Even in front of Wu Yang, she wasn't intimidated at all.

"Hello, Mr. Wu, it's such an honor to meet you," she said. "I hope I can bring more film works to the Hexi Film Festival in the future."

Wu Yang also had a good impression of this girl with a kind smile.

Who doesn't like a vibrant girl?

"Okay, you must come to the Hexi Film Festival more often in the future."

Lu Yan He said with a smile: "She really will come. Another film from my company stars her, and we will strive to have this film come to the Hexi Film Festival for its premiere."

Wu Yang immediately said: "Then it's a deal. I will list this film in the candidate list for the next session immediately."

Lu Yan He: "Haha, this film hasn't even started filming yet, and I don't know if it can make it."

Wu Yang: "It's okay, I'll wait."

Kong Fanyu and Liu Guanxian stood by, seeing Jiang Yue chatting and laughing with Lu Yan He and Wu Yang so calmly, a sense of indescribable envy appeared on their faces.

At this time, Chen Ziyan came over with a wine glass, noticed their expressions, walked up to them, smiled slightly, and said: "If you want to greet Director Wu Yang and introduce yourselves, just go over generously; don't miss it and feel regret later."

Kong Fanyu and Liu Guanxian were both suddenly startled.

After recognizing that the person in front of them was Chen Ziyan, they hurriedly called out "General Manager Chen."

Chen Ziyan had just arrived on short notice.

Originally, Chen Ziyan didn't plan to come to this Hexi Film Festival.

Man proposes, God disposes; what was thought to be a very simple trip suddenly had new changes.

Chen Ziyan naturally couldn't be absent.

"Wen Shengming, a director of the China Film Association, is also my acting teacher."

When Lu Yan He introduced Wen Shengming to Wu Yang, he directly used the title of teacher.

Wu Yang nodded.

"Director Liu Bige's next work, *Storm Calmer No. 1*, is starred in by both me and Teacher Wen," Lu Yan He said.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yang immediately asked: "I know this film. Why don't you bring it to our next Hexi Film Festival?"

Lu Yan He said with a smile: "Our post-production hasn't been finished yet; we have to wait a bit."

Wu Yang shook hands with Wen Shengming.

Wu Yang said: "I have seen your *River of Life and Death*."

Wen Shengming instead showed a look of surprise.

Unlike the generation of actors like Shang Yongzhou and Lu Yan He, in his era, their films were oriented toward the domestic market rather than exhibiting at overseas film festivals.

Therefore, his fame internationally was also very average.

He didn't expect Wu Yang to have seen one of his films.

Lu Yan He didn't expect it either.

"I am good friends with the director of *River of Life and Death*, Liu Fengchi," Wu Yang said.

Lu Yan He showed a look of sudden realization.

He said: "I haven't had the chance to meet Director Liu Fengchi yet."

Wen Shengming said: "Director Fengchi got stomach cancer. After treatment, his body was already weaker, and given his age, he retired from acting at the request of his family and hasn't come out for a long time."

Lu Yan He realized and nodded.

Wu Yang said: "Back then, *River of Life and Death* was supposed to be screened at our Hexi Film Festival, but due to some special reasons, Liu Fengchi contacted me and said this film could not be exhibited. It's a pity; that was truly a good film."

Wen Shengming nodded.

"At that time, it was indeed strictly managed, and there was caution regarding exhibiting at overseas film festivals."

A special period.

Wu Yang said again: "At that time, Liu Fengchi told me that the male lead of his film was a very good actor, so I paid special attention to your performance in the film. At that time, our selection committee all thought you would be a strong contender for Best Actor that year."

Wen Shengming smiled and said: "So my fate with the Hexi Film Festival started long ago."

"Yes."

Lu Yan He: "That's great."

Everyone's past has many stories.

If Wen Shengming hadn't come tonight, or Wu Yang hadn't come, Lu Yan He wouldn't have known about this. (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 758 =====