Chapter 589: Top-Tier Resources, Returning to Venice

The Film Bureau released the latest filing information, and one piece of movie news regarding Shanhe Media instantly triggered a wave of public opinion across the entire film and television industry and the whole internet.

"According to the new film filing list on the Film Bureau's official website, the movie 'Operation Mekong' has completed its basic information filing. Specific details are as follows: Project Name: 'Operation Mekong'; Project Investment: 240 million; Project Type: Mainstream action crime film (adapted from a true case); Production Companies: Shanhe Media, Jindun Film and Television, Enlight, Wanda, Western Film Group, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group; Director: Wei Jin; Screenwriter: Wei Jin; Main Cast: To be determined."

Once the news broke, countless industry insiders were dumbfounded, and a large number of netizens were suddenly enlightened and realized what had happened! Its popularity was so high that in just half an hour, it parachuted to the top of the Weibo trending list and the entertainment headlines of all major portals.

"Holy crap, the answer to the previous situation is finally here, isn't it?"

"I guessed it right; he really did latch onto a big shot. No wonder Wei Jin was so quiet the whole time—because he didn't need to say anything at all."

"Sure enough, with Jindun's endorsement, no wonder those old guys bowed their heads. Wei Jin is awesome."

"What kind of organization is Jindun? Is it that powerful? Can someone in the know come out and explain it?"

"The person above is too ignorant, right? Jindun is a public institution directly under the GA Department. Although it's on par with the Film Bureau in terms of ranking, it represents the voice of the GA Department. Let's just say, those who know, know!"

"This doesn't make sense. Since there's an endorsement from Jindun, why was the review rejected? Are they sick in the head?"

"Although I don't know the full story, I have a bold guess: is it possible that Wei Jin was deliberately digging a pit and then using someone else's hand to kill?"

"Holy crap, that's absolutely possible. First, show the enemy weakness, then dig a pit for an ambush, and then use someone else's hand to kill—is this the template for a 'cool' novel? Just thinking about it is exciting. Wei Jin is awesome!"

"."

Unlike the netizens who just wanted to eat melons and join in the fun, the film and television industry was deeply shocked by the content of this filing information.

Especially the actors in the circle; their eyes were gleaming, and they were swallowing their saliva frantically.

Shanhe Media, Jindun Film and Television, Enlight, Wanda, Western Film Group, China Film Group, Shanghai Film Group—this luxurious lineup of production companies was simply blinding!

Coupled with Wei Jin writing and directing it himself and an investment scale of 240 million, "Operation Mekong" was definitely the top-tier resource in the entire circle this year.

Especially the keyword "Cast: To be determined," which made it impossible for countless actors to look away.

You have to know, it is extremely rare for a project by Wei Jin not to have pre-selected actors.

Countless stars and artists began to act frantically. Wei Jin ignored the chaos in the circle; he took Yifei and embarked on the journey to Venice.

Also traveling with them were Chen Xi, his mentor Tian Zhuangzhuang, and the cast members of "The Distinguished Citizen."

Fortunately, the crew of "Nomadland" departed directly from North America; otherwise, this 18-seater private jet might not have been able to fit everyone.

As for the copyright sale of "Big Shot," Chen Zhiming had already arrived before the opening ceremony.

At this moment, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, Wei Jin was chatting with Tian Zhuangzhuang, Chen Daoming, Yifei, and others.

Zhang Yimou's "Hidden in the Dust" was about to be released. Although there were no high expectations for the box office, the promotional activities and the premiere press conference still had to be done.

Therefore, the "Coming Home" crew would be on hiatus for these few days, and Chen Daoming happened to have the time to come and attend the Venice Film Festival.

Come to think of it, although Chen Daoming was considered a member of the Beijing Circle, Wei Jin's impression of him was quite good.

He came from the Central Academy of Drama, had good acting skills, and was very low-key; he was considered someone who didn't cause much trouble.

Otherwise, for last year's "Joy of Life," they wouldn't have specifically coordinated his filming schedule for "Legend of Chu and Han" to invite him to perform.

Of course, when it comes to emotional issues or matters between men and women, it's rare to find a perfect person in the entertainment industry.

After chatting for a while, Chen Daoming felt a bit tired, signaled, and found a quiet place to rest.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, on the other hand, although he was getting on in years, was still full of spirit at the thought of being shortlisted for the Main Competition Section of the Venice Film Festival with his student.

"Yifei, I remember you and Teacher have worked together before, right?"

"Yes, my first movie, 'May of Love,' had Teacher Tian as the producer."

Yifei politely smiled at Tian Zhuangzhuang; she knew the weight this teacher held in Wei Jin's heart.

"Yes, I remember it started filming after the National Day in 2003. In the blink of an eye, it's been almost ten years, and the little girl has grown into a young woman..."

A look of reminiscence appeared on Tian Zhuangzhuang's face, but he immediately mocked himself a little.

"I'm just not cut out for commercial films. That movie back then really cast a shadow over your film career..."

"Not at all, Teacher Tian, you're being too hard on yourself."

"Teacher, you can't blame yourself for that. Besides, looking at it now, the rating is actually not bad."

Wei Jin's words were mostly for comfort; "May of Love" could be described as a total flop.

After being included on Yinxiang Net, although it had a rating of 7.3, after so many years, only a few tens of thousands of people had rated it, basically all fans of Yifei and Chen Bolin, so of course the rating would be high.

Yifei naturally knew that Wei Jin was talking nonsense and rolled her eyes beautifully. Tian Zhuangzhuang did not pick up on that topic and instead started talking about something else.

"By the way, Wei Jin, the school's procedures are almost finished. If it goes fast, there should be news before December. The Academy has an idea and wants to communicate with you."

"Yes, Teacher, please go ahead."

"The school leadership's intention is that if the results come out in December, they hope you can start your courses next semester..."

"Wait, Teacher, don't I need a full academic year?"

"You forgot, you're teaching a major elective course, so it doesn't affect that."

Hearing this, Wei Jin finally realized that elective courses could have new classes added every semester, but didn't this seem too eager? Seeming to see Wei Jin's confusion, Tian Zhuangzhuang explained with a smile.

"The Central Academy of Drama has started poaching, so the school can't sit still either, haha..."

Wei Jin didn't quite believe this. Although the Central Academy of Drama's recent moves were grand, they hadn't actually achieved much effect.

People like Zhang Yimou and Feng Dapao posted announcements directly on Weibo, stating they didn't have much energy and politely declined.

To put it bluntly, for big directors, the status of an Associate Professor or even a Professor at a school wasn't much of a temptation; their ambitions lay elsewhere, and preparing courses would instead delay their careers.

Lu Yang, however, had a different excuse, stating bluntly that his personality wasn't suitable for teaching and educating people, so he wouldn't go and mislead the youth.

As for the other directors, there didn't seem to be any definite word yet.

So Wei Jin guessed that the reason shouldn't be here; perhaps the school wanted to use his name again before next year's art exams? However, next year's schedule wasn't that tight, and for a major elective course, there were only a few classes per semester.

Even the class times could be chosen by himself, and it wouldn't delay anything, so he nodded.

"Alright, Teacher, I will follow the school's arrangements."

"Good."

A few hours later, Wei Jin and his party landed at Venice Marco Polo Airport in Tessera.

Just as they walked out of the airport, they saw the company employees who had come to pick them up.

"President Wei, the premiere of *The Distinguished Citizen* is tomorrow afternoon, and *Nomadland* is on the evening of the 5th."

"Alright, let's head back to the hotel first and get some rest." There is a six or seven-hour time difference between Venice and home, so this moment is no different from the time they departed.

"Understood, President Wei."

Departing from the airport, Wei Jin and his group headed toward the Westin Hotel, the official hotel designated by the film festival.

Chen Xi was quite excited along the way; it was her first time going abroad with Wei Jin to attend one of the European Big Three.

In the past, the producer for the award-chasing films was always Chen Zhiming, but this time it was finally her turn; if she could witness the birth of a European Three Major Film Festivals Grand Slam in a few days, it would be a trip well worth it.

Wei Jin, on the other hand, had been coming here for three consecutive years and could hardly muster any interest.

Tian Zhuangzhuang was the same.

As early as 2002, he had been shortlisted for the "Orizzonti" competition section of that year with *Springtime in a Small Town*. He, too, had little interest in the scenery here.

Fortunately, the water transport was quite fast; the journey of nearly 10 kilometers took less than half an hour to arrive.

After the group checked in, they dispersed to return to their rooms and rest.

Watching the backs of Wei Jin and Liu Yifei as they left together, Tian Zhuangzhuang felt a bit helpless.

His student was good at everything, but when it came to matters of the heart, he really didn't know what to say.

"Brother, everyone is asking when you will start casting?"

After arriving in the room, Liu Yifei glanced at her phone; many of the messages she saw were beating around the bush about *Operation Mekong*.

Clearly, everyone knew that Wei Jin was no longer in the country and wouldn't even reply to their messages, so they set their sights on Liu Yifei.

"Casting? No rush, we'll talk about it after we go back."

Wei Jin put his luggage away and replied casually, then suggested, "By the way, Yifei, since we're idle, why don't we go check out the exhibition area this afternoon?"

For a director, isn't the fun of a film festival just watching movies? "Okay." Liu Yifei agreed readily.

Although there were few big names at this year's film festival, as one of the European Big Three, the Venice Film Festival's attribute as a global film copyright trading market would not be significantly affected.

Basically, from late August until the end of mid-September, for a full month or so, a massive number of participating films would complete copyright transactions here.

After three o'clock in the afternoon, Wei Jin and Liu Yifei headed toward the exhibition area, accompanied by the Assistant, bodyguards, and Chen Xi.

Teacher Tian Zhuangzhuang and Chen Daoming were older and were still resting at the hotel, preparing for tomorrow's premiere.

As soon as Wei Jin and the others arrived, they saw a giant poster for *Nomadland* occupying the largest advertising space outside the exhibition area.

Looking from afar, one could see the silhouette of Frances McDormand walking forward with a lantern amidst the desolation.

Although there weren't many eye-catching gimmicks on the poster, the four words "Director Wei Jin" on it were exceptionally conspicuous.

Many passing tourists, film distributors, and filmmakers would stop and stare, then walk into the seemingly endless film exhibition area with curiosity.

"Oh, Brother, Miyazaki Hayao's *The Wind Rises*."

Not long after walking into the exhibition area, Liu Yifei shouted with some surprise, as if she had discovered a new continent.

"Hmm, this is the only animated film shortlisted for the Main Competition Section this year." Wei Jin's tone was somewhat emotional.

You know, this year's Venice Film Festival had just changed its rules, fixing the number of films shortlisted for the Main Competition Section at 20.

Compared to the usual 24-26 films, that was a reduction of about 20%.

Under such fierce competition, for an animated film to still be shortlisted for the Main Competition Section, one can only say that Miyazaki Hayao is already an undisputed The Grandmaster in the field of animation, which is quite impressive.

"Brother, shall we go in and watch this movie?"

Liu Yifei looked back at Wei Jin, her eyes shining with anticipation; she was a true fan of animated films.

"Of course, as long as you're happy."

Wei Jin replied with a smile, then looked at the staff at *The Wind Rises* exhibition area and asked, "Can you give me two tickets?"

"Of course, Director Wei Jin."

Hearing this English with a Japanese accent, the group was a bit stunned; could it be someone they knew?

Perhaps noticing the surprise of Wei Jin and Liu Yifei, the other party smiled and said, "Director Wei Jin, I saw you at the wrap party when you were filming *Lucy*."

Wei Jin looked at the distributor column on the poster, at the words "Toho International," and only then did he realize it was indeed possible they had met.

But this memory was just too good, wasn't it?

Liu Yifei, on the other hand, didn't care about that; she happily took the movie tickets and politely expressed her thanks.

However, the next screening time was an hour away, and there was no reason for Wei Jin and the others to wait here, so they continued along the exhibition area.

Looking around, there were many great films.

But the one receiving the most attention was still *Nomadland*; the booth could be described as packed.

Many filmmakers and tourists were inquiring about the premiere time and subsequent screening arrangements, and the employees of Summit Entertainment were also handing out brochures and patiently explaining.

As for the film distributors, they all tacitly avoided asking for prices at this time; they all knew Wei Jin's personality well and were certain he was betting on the closing ceremony.

Without lingering there too long, Wei Jin continued toward the exhibition area for *Big Shot*.

He saw a bearded white foreigner in a suit and leather shoes talking to Chen Zhiming.

It seemed the conversation was going smoothly; the two shook hands and then parted ways.

"President Wei, Yifei, you're here." Chen Zhiming waved at them with a smile.

Liu Yifei smiled sweetly: "President Chen."

"Lao Chen, how is the situation?"

Hearing Wei Jin's words, Chen Zhiming put down the brochure in his hand and walked up.

"President Wei, the situation is better than expected. The European distributors are actually quite interested; perhaps they haven't seen a Chinese film with such a large scale before, haha."

"Heh, that's a pleasant surprise."

Wei Jin nodded, then raised his wrist to check the time.

"Alright, Lao Chen, thank you for your hard work these past few days, we're leaving now."

"Okay."

(End of chapter)