Chapter 197: Chinese-Language Film Package!

"Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, it's a cause for celebration!" Three glasses clinked together.

In a restaurant in Venice, three fellow disciples from the Beijing Film Academy sat together chatting and laughing. There was Zhang Yimou, born in the 50s; Zhang Yuan, born in the 60s; and Wu Yuchen, born in the 70s.

Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige are the leaders of the directors born in the 50s. In terms of achievements, Zhang Yimou is actually above Chen Kaige, but his ability to mix in circles is far inferior to Chen Kaige.

Wu Yuchen doesn't even need to be mentioned. No one born in the 70s can compare to him. Not to mention those who can stand shoulder to shoulder with him, even those who can see his back don't exist.

And this Zhang Yuan in front of him, in fact, before Jiang Wen filmed *In the Heat of the Sun*, had always been considered the leader of the directors born in the 60s.

Zhang Yimou put down his glass and smiled at Wu Yuchen:

"The waves you stirred up in America this time are not small, and they are spreading wildly in the country!"

It is now September, and the North American box office of *The Sixth Sense* has exceeded 300 million. This result is sought after in Hollywood, and spreading back to the country makes people even crazier!

The country actually doesn't lack directors who can film art films, such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, etc., but it hasn't produced a great director like Wu Yuchen who can stir up trouble in Hollywood, on the old American turf, and conquer America again and again!

Wu Yuchen was slightly humble: "This result also exceeded my expectations, there is some luck involved. The film market and audience taste are always changing, and it is also hard to fathom~"

Zhang Yuan smiled and said: "If someone else said this, it would be fine, but you have had three consecutive films explode in America, one better than the other, so don't be humble anymore! I think the school will have to invite you back to give a special lecture, let you teach your experience well, and we will all go to the scene to learn!"

But how to say it, first of all, Zhang Yimou filmed a beginning and didn't want to film it anymore, because whether it was the big environment of the domestic literary and artistic circles at that time or Zhang Yimou's personal pursuit, he valued artistry more, hoping to be more profound and thoughtful. In the end, Zhang Yimou barely finished filming in more than 20 days, and it was almost filmed into an MV at the end, which was quite tiger-headed and snake-tailed.

Zhang Yimou hasn't filmed commercial films, *Code Name Cougar*, released in 1989, starring Ge You and Gong Li. The theme was very novel and advanced at that time. The film fictionalized a terrorist hijacking incident, involving international relations in the two shores and three places, America, South Korea, and other regions. Finally, multi-party cooperation successfully eliminated the terrorists who hijacked the plane. This script is a standard Hollywood commercial blockbuster structure, and at the same time, it has the portrayal of individual heroism and international-style grand narrative.

"Many people in our country look down on commercial films, but commercial films are really not something anyone can film if they want to. I filmed a *Code Name Cougar* 10 years ago, and I was really filmed to the point of vomiting. After filming for two days, I felt awkward, and I felt wrong everywhere. If I didn't want to let other people's money go to waste, I really wanted to quit at that time!"

"Zhang Huike! Where have you gone!"

Wu Yuchen asked: "Brother Zhang Yuan, what theme do you plan to film for your next film?"

Zhang Yimou looked at Zhang Yuan with admiration. This junior brother is truly the number one director of marginalized groups!

When he graduated in 90, he self-funded the filming of the film *Mama*, targeting families with mentally disabled children. This film was the first independent film in mainland China and won awards at foreign film festivals, but it was banned; in 92, he directed *Beijing Bastards*, focusing on this group of underground musicians, which was considered the first rock film in China, reflecting the spiritual state of contemporary youth, and won an award at the Locarno Film Festival, and was also banned. He was also forbidden to engage in film work again;

After the release, it also attracted a lot of scolding. The literary and artistic circles in the 80s couldn't accept a director who had just won the Berlin Jin Xiong producing such an entertaining, non-serious work. And the audience felt that such a thing as a terrorist hijacking happening in the country was too fake, so they scolded him, plus his affair with Gong Li was exposed, Zhang Yimou was almost autistic at that time, hiding in Hong Kong, and acted in a film *A Terracotta Warrior* with Gong Li.

"Transsexual?" Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou said in unison.

Zhang Yimou sighed upon hearing this:

In 97, he directed the earliest gay-themed film in China, *East Palace, West Palace*, and the male lead was Hu Jun. Later, the reason *Lan Yu* looked for Hu Jun was because director Stanley Kwan saw his performance in this film. This year, Zhang Yuan brought the newly completed *Seventeen Years* to participate in Venice, and the protagonist is a female prisoner about to be released from prison. It can be said that the protagonists of every film are marginalized groups, and they are not repeated!

Zhang Yuan became interested as soon as he heard this topic: "I don't know if you have heard of it, transsexual!"

Wu Yuchen also called out "good fellow," it turns out you filmed a documentary for Jin Xing. Your eye for digging out marginalized figures is really something!

The shouting that is earthy to the home, the documentary-style perspective, on the rough land, culture and knowledge appear useless and out of place. When Zhang Yimou projects his perspective onto the vast rural people, it always appears so gentle, simple, direct, plain, but contains a force.

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this: "Brother Zhang Yuan, if someone else said this, I would believe it. Even if I really said it, you might not be willing to film it as I said!"

Wu Yuchen is really curious about this, because those who can be favored by him are basically marginalized groups, and they haven't been repeated. I don't know what theme his next film will take.

"Yes, when I was preparing for *East Palace, West Palace*, I met a person named Jin Xing. He was the first transsexual in our country, and he had the surgery in Beijing. Then I filmed a documentary with him as the protagonist at that time, and I have been following him for 4 years now. After I go back this time, I will film a closing, and the film will be almost done! It's called *Miss Jin Xing*!" Zhang Yuan introduced his results to the two.

Zhang Yuan nodded and said: "Our film creators still have to film things that they are comfortable with. Otherwise, it is really filming with shackles, and it is uncomfortable no matter how you film."

After watching *Not One Less*, as one of the judges of this session, Maggie Cheung was deeply touched in her heart and praised that Zhang Yimou was indeed well-deserved. This is a film that is plain, traditional, commonplace, and even very old-fashioned from content to form, but it films a truth and power in the commonplace.

Zhang Yuan didn't make a sound upon hearing this, just smiled and waved his hand at Wu Yuchen. Many people say that Jia Zhangke loves to film marginalized figures, but in fact, this Zhang Yuan is the first person in the country to film marginalized figures.

Maggie Cheung looked at the expressions of several judges around her and felt that there were quite a few who were deeply infected like her, especially the jury president of this session, Kusturica, who praised it endlessly:

"The worry and love for the nation and the land embodied in this film really move people!"

This Kusturica is a film master in Yugoslavia, and he is also one of the few members of the Double Palme d'Or Club. Chen Kaige ate the Palme d'Or for a lifetime, and people have two, and he has also brushed the Silver Bear Award and the Silver Lion Award for Best Director. This gentleman particularly appreciates national films, and *Underground*, which won him the Palme d'Or, was filmed for his motherland Yugoslavia.

Maggie Cheung looked at this posture and felt that there was a good chance that the Golden Lion Award of this session would be won by Director Zhang Yimou. At the same time, she also sighed at the high quality of Chinese-language films in this Venice session. Yesterday, Zhang Yuan's *Seventeen Years* was also favored by quite a few judges. I don't know what surprise Wu Yuchen, this big director's *Love*, will bring them tomorrow.

Thinking of Wu Yuchen, Zhang Manyu also felt a great sense of regret in her heart. Last year, when Wu Yuchen was filming *Getting Home*, he had personally called to invite her, but unfortunately, because she had already promised to do Wong Kar-wai's *In the Mood for Love*, she had to turn down the role of Zhang Yiman.

When she saw *Getting Home* bring back the Jin Xiong from Berlin and Gong Li crowned as the Berlin Best Actress because of it, Zhang Manyu couldn't help but feel regret. Speaking of *In the Mood for Love*, Wong Kar-wai's old bad habits had flared up again; it had already been filming for a year and still wasn't finished, which caused Zhang Manyu to suffer quite a bit. She was now so tormented that she was starting to lose the distinction between herself and her character.

Next time she chooses, she will definitely choose Wu Yuchen!

The next day, when the lights in the cinema hall turned on, Maggie Cheung pulled herself out of the immersion in the film. She stroked her face, not knowing when it had been wet by tears.

Another female judge also covered her mouth and shouted: "God, Director Wu Yuchen's lens is too cold, making me unable to summon the courage to watch it a second time!"

Maggie Cheung didn't speak, but she completely understood her meaning. The reason is very simple: *Love*, this film, it is too real, too heavy, just like those things we have always been afraid to face—killing and sucking blood, unforgettable.

"Watching this film uncovered the most terrifying things in my heart. Aging means slow movement, slow reaction, memory decline; aging means skin like gullies, teeth falling out, face becoming hateful; aging means being plagued by diseases, lingering on..." "Grief is nothing greater than aging, but I will eventually have a day of aging! The performance of the two old actors is really too shocking!"

Ichiyama Shozo from Japan let out a long breath. This is a fear that no horror film can bring him, because horror films are all fake, and this film, it is so real that it is suffocating!

No one can escape the fate of aging and death. Isn't life crueler and more terrifying than movies?

The oldest judge in this session, Jean Douchet, who is over seventy, sighed and said:

"Life and death are like the pigeon in the film, which can't be caught or left behind. Only the love of growing old together is eternal. Perhaps fulfillment is the most rare. Minimalist and restrained, profound internal strength, many images, desperate and oppressive, and also delicate moving that is hard to recount. No other film in this film festival will move me more than Wu Yuchen's *Love*!"

The jury president of this session, Kusturica, shook his head slightly. To be honest, he still prefers Zhang Yimou's *Not One Less*. It's not that *Love* is bad, but this *Love* is too cruel, and the image style is cold to the point of almost cold-blooded, which is completely opposite to the enthusiasm and madness in his personal works. But he also had to admit that this film can be said to have brought realism to the extreme, and it is not an exaggeration to call it a representative work of realism.

This Venice Film Festival, because of the participation of two big Chinese directors, Wu Yuchen and Zhang Yimou, also attracted extra attention in the country. On the day of the awards ceremony, not only *China Film News* and *Film Weekly*, but also Sina, NetEase, and Sohu sent reporters to squat here, just to get the final award attribution for the first time.

Wu Yuchen walked on the red carpet, waving to fans and reporters in a relaxed and comfortable manner. He wasn't pretending, but the pressure was indeed not so great. After winning a Berlin Jin Xiong Award at the beginning of the year, he felt that the desire and urgency in his heart for similar things in the European three major film festivals were invisibly reduced.

It's not that he doesn't want to win the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, but after being satisfied once, the inner desire and urgency for similar things will decrease.

And for this *Love*, to tell the truth, his real goal is the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. He doesn't seek to win the Golden Lion in Venice, as long as he can get an important award, it will be considered a goal achieved. Any jury, Best Director, or Best Actor/Actress, he can accept, which is convenient for subsequent Oscar public relations promotion.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen's relaxation really wasn't pretending. After all, it's impossible to give him a consolation prize and let him return empty-handed, right? If that were the case, he would never come to Venice again in his life.

"Best Actress... *The Pornographic Affair*, Nathalie Baye!"

Clap clap clap clap, Wu Yuchen applauded.

"Best Actor... *Topsy-Turvy*, Jim Broadbent!"

Clap clap clap, Wu Yuchen followed with a burst of applause, but he was also thinking in his heart that he felt that whether it was Ge Cunzhuang or Wang Danfeng, they both acted very well. Especially the old lady Wang Danfeng, she is worthy of being awarded a Best Actress trophy.

At the same time, he was also thinking in his heart that there were only three awards left. He hadn't received the award yet. Which one would fall into his hands?

"Best Director... *Seventeen Years*, Zhang Yuan!"

Zhang Yuan stood up in high spirits. This is considered the highest honor and award he has ever won so far.

Wu Yuchen also sent applause. In his past life, Zhang Yuan also won this award, but he wasn't affected by him. And as Zhang Yuan won Best Director, there were only two awards left, and he and Zhang Yimou hadn't received the awards yet!

Since the Venice organizer notified them both to participate in the awards ceremony, they shouldn't have stood up these two big directors. That means the three most important awards tonight are going to be wrapped up by Chinese-language films!

"Special Jury Prize..."

Venice is different from the other two major ones. It has both the Jury Grand Prize and the Special Jury Prize. Before 2012, the Special Jury Prize was for the second place, and its gold content was higher than the Jury Grand Prize, second only to the Golden Lion. After 2012, this award and the Jury Grand Prize were swapped. Wu Yuchen also didn't understand why the organizer played like this.

"*Not One Less*!"

Zhang Yimou grinned and stood up upon hearing this. Being able to win this second-class award in Venice this time is considered satisfactory. He didn't know at all that he had won the Golden Lion in his past life.

And Wu Yuchen was also mechanically applauding, looking at Zhang Yimou who walked onto the stage. This means, shouldn't it be...

As his heartbeat accelerated, the last award presenter who took the stage pulled the slip of paper out of the envelope and shouted:

"The 56th Venice Film Festival, the winner of the Golden Lion Award for Best Film is..."

"*Love*!" ===== CHAPTER 198 =====