Chapter 107: Tug-of-War

After hearing this "award prospects" from the visitor, Wu Yuchen's heart stirred. He led him into the room, and after the two sat down, he said with a smile:

"Mr. Harris, I am very interested in chatting about the topic you mentioned."

He knew that these large local European film distribution companies actually had intricate relationships with the three major film festivals. It couldn't be said that they could manipulate the film festival award results, but they could certainly find out information, and even influence the choices of one or two judges.

After all, the three major festivals didn't have as many voters as the Oscars; the judges for the three major festivals were within 10 people, sometimes as few as six or seven, which greatly increased the maneuverability.

Harris was in his forties and looked quite scholarly. He smiled slightly:

"Wu, do you know? After seeing this 'Run Luo La Run' of yours, it reminded me of Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction'. It's also an innovation to traditional narrative methods. He used a circular narrative, you used a three-act structure. Neither of you takes the usual path, but the overflowing inspiration in the film is overwhelming!"

Listening to the other party's praise, Wu Yuchen said modestly:

"Hehe, Mr. Harris, you flatter me~"

"Wu, this is the praise your talent deserves!"

But Harris changed the subject: "However, I think you made a mistake."

Wu Yuchen remained calm and asked: "Oh? May I ask what it is?"

"Wu, you should have sent 'Run Luo La Run' to Cannes; it's more to Cannes' taste. If it were at Cannes, 'Run Luo La Run' might not necessarily fail to achieve the success of 'Pulp Fiction'. But in Berlin, which leans more towards politics and social issues, I think it's possible it might encounter the tragedy of a pearl covered in dust."

Wu Yuchen knew about the film festival style compatibility. A film like "Run Luo La Run" that combined both commercial and artistic elements might indeed be more to Cannes' taste, but there was no absolute in such matters; it mainly depended on the aesthetics and tendencies of the judges for that year. If many award-winning films had a different set of judges, to be honest, the awards for that year might not have been theirs.

And the reason Wu Yuchen chose Berlin was, on one hand, because he had won the Jin Xiong for Best Short Film at the Berlin Film Festival last year and had the Berlin label on him, so he would receive a certain amount of favor in this situation; on the other hand, looking at the three major European festivals, Chinese-language films had won the most in Berlin. Therefore, after considering it, he didn't wait another three months to participate in Cannes.

Wu Yuchen didn't speak for a moment, just looking at Harris opposite him, wanting to see if he was bluffing him to take the opportunity to drive down the price. After a while, he said:

"Mr. Harris, is this what you meant by award prospects?"

"Of course not. I already have inside information that among the 8 judges, 3 have already expressed their love for the film 'The People vs. Larry Flynt'. It is currently the film closest to the Jin Xiong."

"The People vs. Larry Flynt" was an American film that told the story of a multimillionaire who relied on publishing erotic magazines and his confrontation with forces standing on the moral high ground, such as the American government and the church. This film exposed the dirty dealings of the American judicial system and the authorities, perfectly hitting Berlin's G-spot.

If, as Harris said, 3 out of 8 votes had already been cast, then the probability of winning the Jin Xiong was already very high.

This couldn't help but make Wu Yuchen frown. He hoped to win at least one important award, and the best would naturally be the Jin Xiong, although he knew it might be a bit difficult. But now that this hope had directly shrunk so much, he naturally didn't feel very comfortable.

However, Wu Yuchen soon relaxed his frown:

"Mr. Harris, I think before the award results are announced, everything is still hard to say, isn't it?"

"Of course, the judges' thoughts might change, just like they like to eat grapes today, but like to eat apples tomorrow~" Harris smiled.

Wu Yuchen looked at Harris. Generally speaking, a judge's aesthetic is difficult to change in a short period of time. If a judge's thoughts change, it can only be influenced by external forces. The implication in this guy's words was that he could do something. Although it was said a bit obscurely, Wu Yuchen could naturally taste it in this situation.

"Mr. Harris, can you make apples the most liked?"

"My dear Wu, I dare not give this guarantee. I can only say, perhaps Mr. Lang would like apples." Harris smiled faintly.

Wu Yuchen pondered. The Lang the other party mentioned, full name Jacques Lang, was the president of the jury for this Berlin Film Festival. He was from France, so it was indeed very possible that he had a close relationship with Pathé.

Although the jury president's vote didn't count for more than an ordinary judge's, his influence was quite significant.

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but think of two examples.

One was in '93, when Zhang Yimou served as the president of the Berlin Film Festival and awarded the Jin Xiong to both Xie Fei's "Woman Sesame Oil Maker" and Ang Lee's "The Wedding Banquet", creating a "double-yolk" Jin Xiong for Chinese-language films.

The other was in 2006, when Wong Kar-wai served as the president of the Cannes Film Festival. This guy suddenly produced 5 Best Actors and 6 Best Actresses. The 11 Best Actors and Actresses set a record for the three major festivals, unprecedented and probably never to be repeated. He was just that whimsically outrageous. The originally smoke-filled, heart-pounding award ceremony was directed by him into a "happy reunion" comedy full of warmth and smiles.

This could fully reflect how much say and influence the jury president had at a film festival.

If President Lang really supported him, not to mention the Jin Xiong for now, the chance of winning an important award was still very high.

And at this time, Harris suddenly asked: "Wu, can we talk about the price of 'Run Luo La Run' now?"

Wu Yuchen gestured: "Mr. Harris, how much is Pathé willing to offer for 'Run Luo La Run'?"

Since they had already talked to this point, he didn't mind chatting a bit more.

"2 million US dollars." Harris stated the price, which was double the offer Wu Yuchen had just sent away.

This time, Wu Yuchen didn't make any excuses about talking after winning an award, and directly stated:

"Mr. Harris, it's too low. Since you mentioned 'Pulp Fiction' earlier, you should also know that the European distribution rights for 'Pulp Fiction' sold for 12 million US dollars. And you only offer 2 million US dollars for 'Run Luo La Run'..."

Speaking of this, Wu Yuchen shook his head, indicating it was too low.

"Pulp Fiction" made a lot of money back then. The European distribution rights sold for 12 million US dollars, and the box office in the United States alone exceeded 100 million. Plus the DVD revenue, this film made at least tens of millions of US dollars for Miramax, and the long-term revenue must have exceeded 100 million.

Harris also smiled: "Wu, 'Run Luo La Run' is indeed great, but it hasn't won any awards yet. Secondly, 'Pulp Fiction' has big stars with appeal like Bruce Willis, while you don't. Finally, it's an Oriental story. Although Europe is very inclusive, it is inherently flawed compared to 'Pulp Fiction'."

"Mr. Harris, the awards are not yet decided. If we want to talk about awards, we might as well wait until the award ceremony ends in a week."

"Although 'Run Luo La Run' doesn't have big stars, its subject matter and the entire creative form are more to the taste of the 'audiovisual generation' of young people. This can be seen from the scene at the film festival, and I believe you know this."

"Finally, 'Run Luo La Run' is a female-led film, which is extremely favored by women. The current feminist movement is a trend. In this regard, it has more advantages than 'Pulp Fiction'."

Wu Yuchen said unhurriedly. If the other party wanted to pick faults, he would emphasize the advantages. Negotiation was originally a tug-of-war. It depended on who could pull harder and to what extent they could pull in the end. Anyway, it was impossible for him to show weakness.

Then Wu Yuchen said again: "Mr. Harris, I can tell you that I shot 'Run Luo La Run' for 4 months, and the cost was 2 million US dollars. The price you mentioned is impossible to trade."

The other party didn't know the specific figures for shooting time and cost, so wasn't it up to Wu Yuchen to say?

"Farewell My Concubine" cost 4 or 5 million US dollars. What's wrong with me saying my "Run Luo La Run" cost 2 million?

Harris frowned upon hearing this. He knew that the shooting cost in the East should be relatively low. According to his estimation, this film should have cost between 1 and 1.5 million US dollars. His plan was to use the temptation of helping him win an award, plus 2 million US dollars, to take it down. And what the two were talking about now was only the screening rights; the other party could make a fortune by selling DVD rights again.

But now it seems that the temptation of winning an award doesn't seem to be as great to this young director in front of him as imagined, which doesn't quite match his impression of Chinese filmmakers.

Actually, 2 million was just a probe of his. He really liked the film "Run Luo La Run". Just as Wu Yuchen said, it is very popular with young people. In the words of young people, it is cool from beginning to end. And it caught up with the feminist wave, hitting the G-spot of many women.

Although this film is avant-garde, it is still very commercial. It won't be like those obscure films that people can't watch. In terms of story, it is easier to understand than "Pulp Fiction".

"Wu, then what is your psychological expectation?" Harris didn't want his offer to be leaked, so he simply asked directly.

Wu Yuchen smiled faintly and spat out a number: "8 million US dollars."

Harris was stunned, but didn't refuse directly, instead asking: "Does it include DVD rights?"

"Screening rights. I want to talk about DVD rights after the release."

"Wu, this price is impossible. We have no profit at all!" Harris refused flatly.

"Mr. Harris, my offer is already much cheaper than 'Pulp Fiction'. And it's impossible not to make a profit. A box office of 20 million in Europe can make a profit. But I believe the box office will be far more than 20 million."

Harris glared at Wu Yuchen. Even if there is a box office of 30 million, we bought it for 8 million, and the bulk of it is still earned by you. Are you making us work for you? How is this possible?

"3 million, Wu, our Pathé is already very sincere."

Wu Yuchen smiled in his heart. You see, if the price isn't reported higher, how can people add one million by one million? If he reported 5 million, then the price increase would be 300,000 or 500,000.

However, he still shook his finger: "Mr. Harris, it's still low. Since the gap between our two sides is too large, why not end this conversation first."

Harris thought for a while and nodded, then took out a business card and left it for Wu Yuchen:

"Wu, if you change your mind, come to me anytime. Our Pathé is your most suitable partner."

Wu Yuchen smiled, understanding that this cooperation didn't just refer to film distribution, but also to winning awards.

After sending away this Harris from Pathé, Wu Yuchen rubbed his chin. Actually, as for distributors, it's not necessarily Pathé. For example, Pathé's old rival, Gaumont. Pathé already offered 3 million, do you want to come and raise the price?

Besides these two, distributors in the UK are also fine. Although British distributors don't have a perfect distribution network in Europe themselves, they have established cooperative relationships with the Big Eight in Hollywood and can distribute through their channels.

But for now, his first choice is still Pathé. After all, he still pursues awards, not as indifferent as he appears on the surface. If what Harris just said about having a close relationship with jury president Lang is true...

Wu Yuchen thought for a while and immediately picked up the phone and dialed. The reason he temporarily interrupted the negotiation was also to collect more information. They Chinese also have people on the jury!

"Hello, Young Master Rong, there is something I want to ask you. Can you introduce Maggie Cheung to me? There are some things I want to consult with her. Okay, thank you, Young Master Rong!"

The judges of the jury are actually very free during the screening period. The organizers cannot control them in this regard. However, in order to avoid suspicion, most of them will not meet people in public. But things like communicating by phone cannot be controlled.

After the call was connected, it was Maggie Cheung on the other side who spoke first: "Lei hou ah (Hello), Wu Dao..."

"Hello, Miss Cheung, if you don't mind, can I call you Maggie? You speak English, I can understand it." Wu Yuchen said with a smile.

Maggie Cheung, whose Mandarin was struggling, breathed a sigh of relief and switched directly to fluent English:

"Of course no problem, my friends all call me that. Very happy to meet you, Wu Dao. The 'Run Luo La Run' you shot is great!"

"Thank you for the praise, Sister Maggie!"

After Wu Yuchen and Maggie Cheung exchanged a few pleasantries, he asked:

"Sister Maggie, someone came to talk to me about copyright matters, so I called you presumptuously, wanting to know how the award prospects for 'Run Luo La Run' are."

Maggie Cheung actually understood in her heart that calling at this time was naturally for the awards. She smiled and said:

"The current situation is best for 'The People vs. Larry Flynt'. David Hare from the UK, Humberto Solás from Cuba, and Hark Bohm from Germany are all inclined towards it."

Wu Yuchen nodded upon hearing this, thinking it matched what Harris said. He really didn't fool himself.

"Your 'Run Luo La Run', the French female judge Marianne likes it very much."

Wu Yuchen understood. It seems that this time he really stood on the basic plate of women. There are two women among the 8 judges, Maggie Cheung and this Marianne. As for whether Maggie Cheung will vote for him, he didn't ask, otherwise it would be a bit tactless. In terms of relationship, Maggie Cheung is definitely closer to Hong Kong filmmakers. Even if she voted for "Sex and Zen", no one could say anything. If she is willing to vote for "Run Luo La Run", then he has to thank her.

"What about jury president Lang?" Wu Yuchen asked.

"Mr. Lang hasn't revealed any inclination yet. He did say that the cinematography and editing of your 'Run Luo La Run' are eye-catching."

Wu Yuchen thought of this Lang. He himself was a photographer by origin, so he naturally paid more attention to this aspect. However, since he didn't express an inclination, it's hard to say.

After Wu Yuchen roughly understood the current situation, he said: "Thank you, Sister Maggie!"

"It doesn't matter, actually these are not secrets, many people can probably find out. But Wu Dao, these are all just inclinations now, not yet at the voting stage. Perhaps something will change during this period, and in the end, it must be based on the voting results."

"Hmm, I know, Sister Maggie." Wu Yuchen also knew that changes might occur during this period.

After he hung up the phone, he fell into thought. According to the current situation, "Run Luo La Run" should have one vote, but it is far from the Jin Xiong, and even the Jury Grand Prix might be hanging.

As for other awards like Best Actor and Best Actress, on one hand, it is not easy to inquire, and on the other hand, "Run Luo La Run" has no hope. Fu Dalong's acting is good, but this male lead's role is small and not likable. Li Xiaoran's Luo La has too many dynamic shots of running this time. If you really want to talk about the acting shown, it's just passable, but winning Best Actress is a bit far.

Looking at it this way, if you want to win an award, it is best to cooperate with Pathé. Even if you can't get the Jin Xiong, getting a Jury Silver Bear Grand Prix is not bad. ===== CHAPTER 108 =====