Chapter 831

"Not just *The Hollywood Reporter*, you will also be on the list of the best performances of the year released by *French Film Review* next week."

Zhang Yuezhen said happily to Chen Pinhe.

Chen Pinhe also laughed.

This is indeed good news.

Even if *The Pianist* cannot let Chen Pinhe get an Oscar nomination in the end, this wave of fame brushing down is very helpful for improving Chen Pinhe's popularity and influence in Hollywood.

Just like the male and female leads in director Celine Song's *Past Lives*, they were hot favorites in the awards season that year. In the end, neither of them received an acting award nomination, but it did not affect the two of them having greater fame in Hollywood, and subsequent resources were continuous.

In fact, looking further, Chen Chong, who starred in *The Last Emperor*, is also the same. Many years later, she accepted a podcast interview with Lu Yu. Lu Yu asked her, if *The Last Emperor* appeared in the current era, do you think your performance could get an Oscar nomination? Chen Chong said lightly, this is certain.

The times are different, and the wind direction of the awards season is also different. "Political correctness" may not be a good thing for Hollywood, but for the group of people who are "correct" in Hollywood, it is a good thing because they can get on the table.

But even if Chen Chong did not get a nomination for an acting award at the time, it did not affect her getting the ticket for international development later.

Many times, really don't use temporary gains and losses to measure life—before Michelle Yeoh became popular with *Everything Everywhere All at Once* and swept the awards season that year, who would have thought that this Chinese action star, who is not known for acting, would win the Oscar for Best Actress with such a positive role?

Chen Chong is the same. No one knows whether her future will encounter a project that fits her like *Everything Everywhere All at Once*, and then, turn over again.

In fact, Chen Chong starred in a movie called *Didi* in 2024. A low-budget art film, she played the mother of a Chinese-American child in it, and the performance was very outstanding. At that time, after the movie came out, many media said she had hope of getting a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Unfortunately, the movie's volume was too small, and it did not cause any influence in the awards season in the end. This does not affect her being recognized. If you go to watch the 2024 awards ceremony, you will find that she was also invited to attend, sitting in the row behind last year's Best Actress winner.

She herself has also been tossing.

Ambitious actors are always looking for opportunities.

Every toss is accumulating strength.

Zhang Yuezhen has such thoughts now.

Every toss of Chen Pinhe is a "buildup".

"Can't go on like this," Chen Ziyan, who received the news in advance, frowned. "Zhang Yuezhen is opening up some media joints, besieging Wei to save Zhao, and creating momentum for Chen Pinhe."

Lu Qingzhen: "Can this get a nomination for Chen Pinhe?"

"Not necessarily a nomination, but it will give everyone the impression that Chen Pinhe has contributed an outstanding performance," Chen Ziyan said. "Such an impression has a trump card effect at critical moments."

Some actors, relying on such an impression, even if they don't win an award, are still the "uncrowned kings" in everyone's hearts, and their status is still high.

Some actors, relying on such an impression, such as Huanhuan, in the second year of the Magnolia Award, won the Best Actress that Huanhuan did not get the previous year with *Hot Mom*.

In short, such an impression is "shaping a golden body" for Chen Pinhe.

Chen Ziyan is not happy to see this scene.

Lu Qingzhen: "Then what do you plan to do? Play dirty, or?"

"Playing dirty is easy to be caught by the handle, of course, it's a positive conspiracy," Chen Ziyan said. "The movie *The Pianist* has become a box office disaster, hasn't it? It opened in more than 300 theaters in North America, and the box office is only 130,000 so far. With such box office performance, no matter how hard the media praises it, it is not liked by the awards season."

"That's true, box office is the key. If there is no million-dollar box office, competing for Best Actor is indeed unreasonable."

"Mainly play the box office disaster," Chen Ziyan said. "Then emphasize the global box office performance of *Storm Calmer No. 1*."

"Wouldn't Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen know that we did this?"

"Know, what are we afraid of them knowing? We didn't deliberately smear, frame, or spread rumors," Chen Ziyan said. "As long as what we say is the truth, there is no handle to be caught."

Lu Qingzhen said: "You just want to put him on the altar of an artist who doesn't sell well?"

"Whether it's an altar or not, first see if he can go up himself, but at least here with me, the label of him not selling well is to be hit, and it must be closely followed, and cannot be shaken off," Chen Ziyan sneered.

Lu Qingzhen: "I heard that he took a Hollywood romantic comedy movie."

"There are many Hollywood romantic comedy movies, and it's not that it will sell well just because it hangs the three words Hollywood," Chen Ziyan said. "Not to mention, we also have *The Notebook* and *The Fault in Our Stars* in our hands. When the time comes, we will fight against each other and see who can beat whom."

Lu Qingzhen: "Ruthless."

"Of course, the best way is to use movies that have already succeeded like *Home Alone* to hit them, directly swallow his screening space, and let them not have enough theaters to screen," Chen Ziyan said. "Without many theaters to screen, I see how that movie of his can sell well."

Lu Qingzhen: "Awesome."

Chen Ziyan said: "In this way, over time, with not selling well on his head, he can only mix in the independent film circle and cannot enter the mainstream vision. He wants to further raise his status in China through the international route, this idea can only end in failure."

"What if he wins the Best Actor of the International Four?"

"The reason why the Best Actor and Best Actress of the International Four have a lofty status in China is because few Chinese people have won these awards before, but there are many Chinese people who have won them, so it is not so scarce, and it can only be an award," Chen Ziyan said. "In the past few years, haven't you noticed that more and more Chinese actors are winning awards? In the past few years, there are more and more serious and artistic Chinese movies, so there are more and more films sent to international film festivals to compete, so naturally, more and more people are winning awards."

Lu Qingzhen: "You are really exaggerated, winning awards in the International Four can be not scarce."

"Of course, I know that those who win awards are ultimately a minority, but as long as it is not just those few, the irreplaceability is not so strong, and this so-called award cannot overwhelm everything," Chen Ziyan said. "At least, look at international popularity and influence? At least, now Wen Shengming, Jiang Jun, Liu Teli and some other male actors in their forties and fifties have popularity and influence internationally. Chen Pinhe is no longer the only actor with international influence in his age group."

"That's true," Lu Qingzhen nodded. "I understand what you mean."

"We just want to let the male and female actors of Chen Pinhe's age group break out one by one internationally, and Chen Pinhe's achievements will not be enough to look at. The more competitors he has, the less irreplaceable his value and significance will be, it's that simple," Chen Ziyan said. "The reason why Yan He is unique now is that there is no second him. Chen Pinhe wants to be unique, I just won't let him succeed."

Lu Qingzhen gave Chen Ziyan a thumbs up.

"Learning."

The movie *Storm Calmer No. 1* did not perform well in the awards season in October.

Its PR promotion has always stayed in the mention of mass media, but has not received any substantial praise and recognition.

Green Valley is a bit discouraged here, thinking whether to withdraw it from the awards season and stop wasting resources. But just at this time, *Storm Calmer No. 1* received praise from a French film magazine—

A veteran French film magazine announced the top ten films of the year, and *Storm Calmer No. 1* was actually the first on the list.

Although this veteran film magazine is not famous at the mass level, it is one of the "ancestors" in the critical circle.

The list it selects is often able to help a movie "open up territory" in film history.

And the review of the movie *Storm Calmer No. 1* in this magazine was invited to be written by the critic Anna White.

As one of the most famous critics in the world, she is also one of the special editors of this magazine.

Anna White wrote: "This is a neat, gloomy, master-level Chinese movie. The theme it discusses is always justice and awakening, rather than the political stance criticized by the critical circle. Ninety-nine percent of movies, their quality is inseparable from the performance of the actors. Lu Yan He and Wen Shengming, two actors, contributed the best performances since they started their careers—especially Wen Shengming, this actor we were not familiar with before, I only wrote this sentence responsibly after watching more than ten of his movies."

Lu Yan He looked at this review written by Anna White in surprise.

While watching, he recalled the time he stayed at her house.

Her strictness and the rigor of her attitude towards writing articles left a deep impression on Lu Yan He.

In this world, how many critics will watch more than a dozen movies for a sentence in their pens?

Lu Yan He specially took this magazine to show Wen Shengming.

The magazine is the French version, and they are looking at the translation.

Wen Shengming said: "Is she your friend?"

"Yes," Lu Yan He nodded. "But I didn't expect her to stand up for our movie."

Wen Shengming: "At this time, only friends will believe in their own judgment of the movie based on their belief in you."

This sentence of Wen Shengming is also very interesting.

Lu Yan He laughed.

Wen Shengming never felt that *Storm Calmer No. 1* had any shortcomings from beginning to end.

He firmly believed that foreign critics were enough to see the good of this movie. It's just that most people don't have the courage to publicly admit its good.

This is actually the most difficult problem *Storm Calmer No. 1* is facing now.

Obviously the box office performance is so outstanding, and it has conquered the market, but it encountered cold in the awards season.

Encountering cold is not because the word of mouth is controversial—controversy at least means this movie has volume. The problem now is that it is simply encountered cold.

Indeed.

At this time, only friends would dare to speak out publicly based on their trust in you when they are sure that this is a good movie.

Lu Yan He said: "I don't know if the top ten film list of this magazine can bring some changes this time."

They are not worried or questioning whether their movie is good enough now.

They just don't know how far *Storm Calmer No. 1* can break through.

This has the barrier of cultural background and political stance.

However, because of the list of this magazine, Green Valley finally picked up a little confidence and decided to try PR harder.

Maybe there will be changes.

Liu Bige accepted an interview with an American TV station at this time as the "youngest master director".

This was also arranged by Green Valley.

"Of course I am not a master, absolutely not," Liu Bige said as soon as he came up. "I can confidently say that I can film movies because I love movies. Every time I film, I mobilize the greatest passion in my body and life experience. But a true master must reach the peak. In this regard, I have many shortcomings."

"Filming *Storm Calmer No. 1* is a big challenge for me. Lu Yan He's own aesthetic for movies is no exaggeration, and it is the top level in the world. And Wen Shengming, among Chinese actors, is like the existence of Sandra Vichy among American actors. I am not worried that the two of them will not obey me on the scene. In fact, all directors who have worked with them will definitely want to work with them again. They are such good actors. My worry is that my own ability, talent, and experience cannot support what they can bring to this movie as actors."

Liu Bige said: "Fortunately, this movie was completed very well. It actually achieved a box office of nearly 200 million US dollars worldwide, which is a very remarkable achievement. I am particularly happy that so many audiences around the world have been moved by this movie and have new understanding and new passion for life."

This last sentence was emphasized by Green Valley to Liu Bige, and it must be said.

Now Green Valley's PR strategy for *Storm Calmer No. 1* is mainly placed on the global box office performance.

——This movie has achieved a very high box office, do you want to ignore it?

——This movie is liked by so many audiences around the world, do you want to ignore it?

——This movie will definitely enter film history, do you want to ignore it?

Green Valley is using this way to repeatedly ask the major judges of the awards season.

Movies are movies, do you want to worry about so many things unrelated to movies?

On October 25, a critic association award announced the nomination list.

*Storm Calmer No. 1* appeared on the nomination list for Best Foreign Language Film for the first time after being absent and cold for nearly a month.

Lu Yan He was shortlisted for Best Actor, and Wen Shengming was shortlisted for Best Supporting Actor.

Chen Pinhe and *The Pianist* were nowhere to be seen. (End of chapter)