Chapter 160: Golden Rooster Anecdotes and Private Talks Between Best Friends

"Brother, isn't the Golden Rooster Awards going a bit too far? They invited Senior Brother Ning Hao, but didn't even give him a chance to be nominated?"

Jing Tian looked at the domestic news, feeling a bit indignant on Ning Hao's behalf. The two had known each other since filming an MV, and they had gotten along quite well for a long time.

"That's normal. Do you think he wanted to go? He was forced to. The Golden Rooster, tsk tsk."

"Crazy Racer" had already wrapped up filming. The process took over half a year, which was still a slow pace for filmmaking, but Ning Hao had always been one to produce fine work through slow, meticulous effort.

This time, the organizers of the Golden Rooster also invited Ning Hao to attend the film festival, even going so far as to have Professor Hou Keming from the jury call Ning Hao personally.

You have to understand, Professor Hou was a veteran leader at the Beijing Film Academy. Once that call was made, Ning Hao had to go whether he wanted to or not. If Wei Jin hadn't been in North America filming a movie, he might have been pressured as well.

The result was no surprise: it was just going to be a prop again. Besides Ning Hao, Zhang Yimou's film was also shut out, not receiving a single nomination. Feng Dapao's film only received a nomination for Best Sound Recording. Wei Jin didn't even know what the point of this was.

"But after this time, Senior Brother Ning Hao will probably see reality clearly and won't hold any expectations anymore."

All the commercial films that signed up for this year's festival were eliminated. That would have been one thing—everyone knew the Golden Rooster didn't like commercial films, so not many had signed up to begin with.

But the key point is that the organizers invited people to come, used their fame to attract a lot of attention, and then were stingy enough not to give them a single nomination. That was simply unjustifiable.

What was even more ridiculous was that "Still Life," which won the Golden Lion Award at Venice last year, and "Tuya's Marriage," which won the Golden Bear Award this year—these count as art-house films, right? —ended up with zero awards and were both knocked out. It was enough to make one's jaw drop.

What was even more infuriating was the media interview afterward, where the Secretary-General of the Golden Rooster jury couldn't even be bothered to cover it up, replying directly: "There were many big commercial films that signed up, but we didn't select them. It's as simple as that."

"The Golden Rooster has its own selection criteria. It's not like winning a Golden Lion or a Golden Bear guarantees an award. That's not how it works."

Regarding this, many industry insiders sneered. If you didn't know better, you'd think the Golden Rooster was already the best in the world.

During the red carpet interviews at the closing ceremony, Jia Kezhang, Wang Quanan, Jiang Wen, and others made no effort to hide their sarcasm and mockery. If not for the sake of appearances, they would have likely walked away right then and there.

At this Golden Rooster Awards, 12 actors competed for Best Actor and Best Actress, a record in history. If you look closely at the background of each actor, they had either just won a Huabiao Award Award Award Award Award Award or were image ambassadors hired by the film festival at a high price.

The final Best Actor award was split between Chen Kun and Fu Dalong, and there were two Best Directors as well. It was practically a farce.

An even more brazen move followed: the Best Actress award was given to Liu Jialin and Yan Bingyan, but the presenter was Liang Chaowei. The organizers were clearly trying to use the scandal between Liu and Liang to divert attention.

This move was also considered very low by the media, practically insulting the reputation of the three major film festivals in Huaxia.

After this Golden Rooster Awards, many commercial directors reached a tacit understanding; it is unlikely that so many people will show up to support them in the future.

These old guys are becoming increasingly arrogant in how they do things, completely indifferent to what public opinion says. Since the power of discourse is in their hands, it doesn't affect their status in the industry in the slightest.

The internet was also full of mockery: "If the awards aren't shared, the Hundred Flowers won't bloom; if it's not a 'double-yolk egg,' the Golden Rooster won't crow."

"Alright, let's stop talking about this. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Let's do something happy, Tian Tian."

"Brother Wei Jin, I've discovered that you really are like an ox."

"Then Tian Tian, do you like it?"

"Hate you. Mmm."

Another night of passion. — Domestic, inside a courtyard house in Beijing.

"Feihong, this place you chose is really nice."

Gao Yuanyuan looked around, somewhat amazed. She really hadn't expected that in the bustling downtown of Beijing, there would be such a stylish cafe.

"The owner of this place is a friend I met when I was studying in North America. It's his own family's courtyard house that he renovated. It's not usually open to the public. Those who come here are friends within a small circle, and you have to make a reservation in advance."

The beautiful young woman sitting across from Gao Yuanyuan was none other than the "Jinghong Fairy," Yu Feihong. She held a spoon in her hand, slowly stirring the drink in her cup, exuding a literary and artistic temperament.

"Your life is still the one that's truly comfortable, Feihong. I wish I could enjoy life like you, sigh."

Gao Yuanyuan's tone was full of envy; she couldn't be as carefree as Yu Feihong. Yu Feihong became famous in the early 90s. Long before the Four Dan Double Bing, she was already a famous big-name actress in the country. However, she was naturally indifferent to fame, and after becoming famous, she actually gave up her domestic career and went straight to North America to study.

But her "Star Luck" was truly strong. At the turn of the century, she returned to the country to participate in the TV series "Little Li Flying Dagger" and "Turbulent Times Peach Blossom," ushering in another wave of popularity.

As it turned out, this time she was even more decisive, taking her acting fees and tinkering with her own film. This endeavor lasted for several years.

"What is there to envy about me? Look at you, your career is successful, and isn't it quite nice to run flower shops now?"

Gao Yuanyuan's hobbies were also very unique. When she had nothing to do, she liked to listen to crosstalk, and in her spare time, she tinkered with a few flower shops. She basically just maintained their operations, but she enjoyed it tirelessly.

"It's just to pass the time when I'm bored. By the way, Feihong, how is your movie going?"

Gao Yuanyuan and Yu Feihong had known each other for over a decade. Her first commercial after debuting was actually introduced by Yu Feihong. Back then, Yu Feihong's film had actually looked for her, but the schedule really didn't fit, so she had to turn it down.

"Sigh, I didn't expect filming a movie to be so difficult. It's filmed, but it's just..."

Speaking of her own film, Yu Feihong couldn't hide her exhaustion. The whole journey had been unpleasant to the extreme.

From the moment the review process began, she encountered many troubles, even using many family connections. Just when she finally smoothed things over, problems followed one after another.

As a first-time director, Yu Feihong had no experience. She spent money lavishly and lacked a detailed shooting plan, leading to an overly long production cycle. This caused investors to withdraw their capital multiple times, and she had to constantly find new ones. In the end, she had no choice but to put in all her own savings.

Subsequent filming encountered natural disasters, and she almost lost her life. The crew's filming was once brought to a standstill. After spending several years, she finally finished the film she had in mind, only to find that there were new problems with distribution.

"What kind of problems could there be if it's already finished? Is there no distributor willing to take it?"

"It's not that they won't take it, it's just that the number of copies is too small. It's practically as if they've made plans for a one-day run. I can't accept that."

Yu Feihong's film "Love Is Not Blind," adapted from the novel "Ginkgo, Ginkgo," had a very strong literary and artistic temperament. The distributors weren't optimistic about it; their willingness to take on the distribution work was already out of respect for her.

But for Yu Feihong, this was not just a movie; it was nearly ten years of her heart's blood and sentiment. She hoped more people could see it.

"Hmm... then I'll ask him to think of a way. Don't worry, Feihong."

Gao Yuanyuan also understood the intent of this close friend of hers today, and she really couldn't bear to refuse.

"Will it have any impact on you?"

As one of Gao Yuanyuan's few close friends, Yu Feihong naturally knew about their relationship, but the two of them hadn't reached a final conclusion yet, and she didn't want to cause any unpleasantness between them.

"No, these are all small matters. It's just that I don't know when that heartless man will be back. You're not in a rush, are you, Feihong?"

"I'm not in a rush. But Yuanyuan, I think Wei Jin is still very good to you. He has you in his heart."

Yu Feihong was a non-marriage advocate who hoped to find a soulmate with whom she shared a tacit understanding. She wasn't unable to accept Wei Jin's approach. Moreover, as far as she knew, Wei Jin was truly good to Gao Yuanyuan—movies, TV series, how many men could do that much?

"Hmph, he just relies on being good to me to act without restraint outside. I don't know what kind of trouble he'll get into in the future..."

Although Gao Yuanyuan's tone was somewhat resentful, it always gave people a sense of "humblebragging."

"Give it a rest. In our circle, how many can find a good partner? You should be content to have met someone who is good to you."

Then, as if thinking of something, a smile appeared on Yu Feihong's exquisite face: "Besides, didn't you say that you couldn't handle it alone? Is Wei Jin really that powerful?"

The two had known each other for many years, and Gao Yuanyuan would occasionally chat with Yu Feihong about private matters. Yu Feihong was actually a bit curious about Wei Jin's iron-like stamina.

"Oh my, Feihong, you're going to be the death of me, what are you saying?"

Thinking of Wei Jin's heroic prowess, Gao Yuanyuan's face flushed with shyness; in such a public place, she was, after all, still a bit reserved.

"Don't be shy, sister has been through it all, let me tell you..."

The second update for today; I earnestly request all readers to reward me with subscriptions, follow-up reads, and bookmarks. You must flip to the very last page for the follow-up read, thank you everyone! (End of chapter)