Chapter 213: The leader of Chinese cinema!

The Great Hall of the People, a wide red carpet, stars gathered from all directions, but most of them couldn't even sit in the front row. Because those in the front were seats reserved for some real big shots. But no one cared; coming here was just to rub off on the heat of this Oscar and get a bit of the Oscar's joy. It is no exaggeration to say that this scene had much more style than the Golden Rooster Awards a few months ago!

Today was the day *Love* was released. Actually, *Love* had already held a premiere before, so logically speaking, there was no need to do this again. But now *Love* had won an Oscar, so could it still be the same?

This had to be held again. Even if quite a few people who had come to watch it at the time requested to come again, Wu Yuchen couldn't refuse such kindness and could only fulfill the wishes of everyone up and down!

Actually, Wu Yuchen didn't have any expectations for the box office of *Love*. This film could be said to have no box office potential. In terms of drama and the twists and turns of the story, it was far worse than *Mr. Donkey*. Unless they were some art film enthusiasts, most audiences wouldn't like to watch this kind of movie.

But didn't this just happen to catch up with China's first Oscar? Even those who were originally uninterested in this theme walked into the cinema for the sake of the Oscar.

The plot of the film *Love* was actually very simple, and basically everyone could understand it. It was impossible for the situation to appear where quite a few audiences were confused after *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* was released in his past life. To put it bluntly, *Love* just simply appeared boring. If it were normal times, many young people might not be able to watch it halfway through and would want to leave. But now, when it added a layer of Oscar halo, no one had this kind of thought anymore.

Although many people in later generations knew that the Oscar itself wasn't actually that artistic, in this day and age, the public opinion in China basically shaped the Oscar into the undisputed number one in the world. Under such circumstances, even if some people felt it was boring, they thought it was their own problem.

What's more, for some audiences with life experience, especially those who were a bit older and had elderly or sick people at home, watching this film made them feel even more deeply moved. Some emotional audiences, watching the film and thinking of their parents' experiences, even couldn't help but shed tears.

Worthy of being a big director's film, worthy of being an Oscar; it really had depth!

And in the Great Hall of the People, the applause was already thunderous. Seeing Wu Yuchen go on stage, this long-lasting applause slowly fell.

Wu Yuchen picked up the microphone:

"Thank you all for your support. Actually, what I wanted to say has already been expressed in the film, but everyone wanted to hear me come up and say a few more words."

Hearing this, the people below immediately burst into kind laughter.

The more it was this time, the more one had to grasp the measure and not be too carried away by success. The praise was already enough; he didn't need to go and show off himself.

Jiang Wen had already come to the premiere before and had called Wu Yuchen. He was currently miserable; *Devils on the Doorstep* had finally been completed, but it was stuck by the big scissors. Now he ran to the big scissors every day, trying every possible way to protect his child.

"Thank you all teachers for your blessings~"

A thin old man with his hands behind his back smiled upon hearing this: "I actually really want to praise him, but if I really write it, you all shouldn't say I'm killing him with praise."

Actually, before this, it wasn't that no one had said these words, but a year or two ago, when various media evaluated Wu Yuchen as a leading figure, they all had to crown him with a "Sixth Generation" in front to distinguish him from Chen Kaizi and Old Mouzi's generation. But now, this article didn't emphasize any Fifth Generation or Sixth Generation at all; it was directly Chinese cinema!

Many people in the circle were shocked or surprised after seeing this title, not because they felt Wu Yuchen wasn't worthy, but because they felt he was too young. Everyone still vaguely felt that it was too early to rate Wu Yuchen as the leading figure of Chinese cinema now.

And leaving aside the box office results, Wu Yuchen's awards weren't leading Old Mouzi either. But this time was different; this time it was an Oscar!

Old Mouzi actually had exchanges with Wu Yuchen as early as the Venice Film Festival last year and had also called to congratulate him. He was busy with his new film *Happy Times*, and it had been confirmed that Uncle Benshan would play the male lead, while Dong Jie was chosen for the female lead, also making her the new generation of "Mou Girl."

Originally, Zhang Ziyi had volunteered to act in it, but unfortunately, Old Mouzi didn't pay any attention to her at all. The two had some friction at the Berlin Film Festival in February this year. That was when they went to the awards ceremony; in order to grab attention, Zhang Ziyi went wearing a red bellyband.

"Yes, it's rare that little Wu has reached this position and still has this heart to specifically film a movie focusing on our elderly group!"

Several people were elderly, and they all expressed empathy and deep understanding for what *Love* expressed, discussing it enthusiastically.

After *Love* was released, it naturally caused quite a bit of topic and discussion, and various film reviews and analyses all came out like rain.

"Back then, when *Together* was released, one could see his insight and delicate emotions, depicting the old lady's emotional changes very well. Although the style of this *Love* has become cold, it is even more delicate and even more incisive!"

Ge Cunzhuang waved his hand at his son with annoyance, wanting to drive Ge You to the side. An old friend pointed at them and laughed: "You two father and son are really something!"

After the few people left the scene, they were still chatting while walking: "When I first met him, I just felt he was a very talented young man. I didn't expect that in just over 4 years, he had walked to this step!"

"Little Wu, the movie you filmed is really good!" An old lady said, giving a thumbs up.

But now look at the signature of this article: Luo Yijun.

"Alright, little Wu, we old guys won't delay your time. Keep up the good work in the future!"

"Look at you, old He, at such a big age, you still have so many tricks,"

A few days ago, after Wu Yuchen won the Oscar, and it was two statuettes, someone already wanted to write this, but didn't dare to publish it. Especially since many media outlets had to consider Chen Kaizi's feelings; after all, everyone had praised Kaizi before. Who knew if the first person to stand up and shout that Wu Yuchen had surpassed Chen Kaizi would be hated and then retaliated against by him?

As for Chen Kaizi? Don't ask; if you ask, it's that his wife is going to give birth to Arthur, so he can't come!

He was the former president of the Film Critics Association and an old senior who had been engaged in film industry research for decades. Others considered Chen Kaizi, but he didn't need to consider him at all.

Before Ge Cunzhuang could speak, Ge You smiled and said: "Uncle, don't praise him anymore. My dad often educates me to be humble and prudent, and to guard against arrogance and rashness!"

At this time, several old people were surrounding Wu Yuchen. They were none other than the old comrades who had cooperated with Wu Yuchen in the *Wu Zhi Wu* documentary.

Wu Yuchen hurriedly said: "Teacher He, you must not say that. In front of you, I will always be little Wu~"

With this ability to sweep awards, ask who else among domestic actors can compare with her? Lonely as snow!

Huang Lei was always smiling, his mouth never closing. From the time he flew to America to attend the Oscars, he felt that this period of time was like a dream. Originally, he only played a male supporting role for a few minutes. When he won the Golden Lion Award last year, it already made him quite happy. He didn't expect that after a few months, he would actually win an Oscar!

When he returned to school yesterday, the teachers and classmates in the school had already called him an Oscar actor. The male second lead of China's first Oscar—did it matter if the role was big or small? This was something that would be recorded in Chinese film history!

However, Jiang Wen, Old Mouzi, and Chen Kaizi didn't come today.

Not only Wu Yuchen, but the two old actors Ge Cunzhuang and Wang Danfeng were also constantly socializing. Ge Cunzhuang also had Ge You accompanying him. A friend who had a good relationship with Ge Cunzhuang teased the father and son:

"A few years ago, Youzi, you won the Cannes Best Actor, and old Ge still told us that his son had surpassed his master. As a result, in just a few years, he himself had brought the Oscar back!"

"Wu Yuchen: Blooming in both commerce and art, the leader of Chinese cinema!"

This naturally added fuel to *Love*. But this was also within everyone's expectations; after all, having won an Oscar, having this treatment was normal.

Everyone saw it; what did this mean? It meant that the older generation had completely recognized the fact that Wu Yuchen was capable of bearing this title!

And two days later, a newly released article in the *China Film News* made those who saw it feel a shock in their hearts.

Gong Li was also constantly receiving envious gazes from surrounding actors, both male and female. But in terms of awards, she, Gong Li, could be said to be the number one person among domestic actors. She had won all three major European awards: the Jin Xiong for *Red Sorghum* and *Mr. Donkey*, the Golden Lion for *The Story of Qiu Ju* and *Love*, and the Golden Palm for *Farewell My Concubine*. Now *Love* had won an Oscar again. Although she only participated as a supporting role, it could be considered participation.

"The Oscar is, of course, a good thing, especially for the film itself. It's not that it can make my film how amazing or how high-end, but it lets more people see this *Love*, and it can also let more people pay attention to the problems of the elderly.

The article not only talked about this recent *Love* and the Oscar, but also counted the various achievements Wu Yuchen had made since his debut, analyzing in detail from the three aspects of artistic achievement represented by awards, commercial and audience preference represented by box office, and international influence, finally landing on the title of the article: Wu Yuchen had now become a banner of Chinese cinema, a leading figure!

When it was time to leave, people constantly came to congratulate Wu Yuchen. Even these first-line domestic actors were all queuing up one by one.

When it was almost time to part, the old lady smiled and said: "Old Luo, aren't you going to move your pen this time? Publish some thoughts?"

Another person next to him interjected: "Don't call him little Wu in the future; he has become an international big director!"

"Haha, now that little Wu has brought the Oscar back, no matter how you praise him, it's not excessive!"

I just wanted to express my personal views on aging, death, and love through the film. If it can arouse more people's thinking on these aspects and arouse everyone's attention to the elderly around them, then I think my film is successful.

At the same time, the topic of caring for the elderly was also brought up, and the leader among them was the official *Guangming Daily*:

"Caring for the spiritual and cultural needs of the elderly and improving the well-being of the elderly must be implemented and done in detail!"

Thus, under the banner raised by the old seniors, how could these media outlets have any more scruples? They began to wave flags and shout one after another.

Thank you!"

Old Mouzi was unhappy at the time, saying what was she wearing like that? He even specifically told Zhang Ziyi not to go on stage with him to receive the award later. As a result, Zhang Ziyi didn't listen. When *The Road Home* won the award, she stubbornly followed Old Mouzi onto the podium, raised the Silver Bear trophy with him, and smiled like a flower. This matter made Old Mouzi furious, and he scolded her severely after getting off the stage.

"China's number one director, well-deserved!"

"Leading figure of Chinese cinema—Wu Yuchen"

"On Wu Yuchen's influence in the world."

"How solid is the gold content of Wu Yuchen's *Love* Oscar?"

"How high is Wu Yuchen's status in Hollywood?"

"Wu Yuchen's attraction to actors."

In an instant, these articles popped up like bamboo shoots after rain. And there was also a media outlet that went to find quite a few actors to conduct an anonymous survey, which was to select the director they most wanted to cooperate with. The survey results showed that the votes Wu Yuchen received were at the top of the list, far ahead!

Compared to the circle, the ordinary people outside the circle actually accepted it even faster.

This was an inevitable result. Just say that Chen Kaizi and Old Mouzi's films, good as they are, and artistic as they are, but is the popularity and dissemination of their works as wide as Wu Yuchen's?

Not to mention those award-winning works, just *My Sassy Girl*, *Classic*, and *My Siblings*, that high box office represented whose films the general public liked to watch more!

Therefore, for this big director Wu Yuchen who could win awards and get their love, the general public highly identified with his status as China's number one director!

Chen Kaizi looked at the content in the newspaper, and the bright "leader," "leading figure," and "China's number one director" were all exceptionally dazzling. His hand unconsciously squeezed the newspaper until it creaked. These titles used to be used to describe him, Chen Kaige!

But now, they had already been snatched away by others...

Thinking of this, Chen Kaizi couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. What was all this because of?

Oscar! Oscar! Oscar!

Chen Kaizi only felt a fire burning in his bitter chest. It was time to set off to Hollywood to make a foray. He, Chen Kaizi, wanted to go to Hollywood to personally take back everything that belonged to him!

Quite a few reporters wanted to interview Wu Yuchen, but they didn't catch him. Instead, they ran into Cai Yinong. Cai Yinong said lightly:

"Wu Dao has always been relatively low-key and humble, not paying attention to these empty names. If he has this leisure time, he is thinking about scripts and creation!"

Cai Yinong wasn't lying. After Wu Yuchen returned, if he had leisure time, he was writing scripts, determined to intercept all the valuable scripts related to Disney within a few years first.

However, some interviews could be pushed away, but some were hard to push away, such as CCTV.

The host came up and asked about this popular topic recently:

"Wu Dao, now many people call you China's number one director. How do you view this title?"

Wu Yuchen hurriedly waved his hand:

"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. I am very grateful for the love of all the seniors for me, grateful for the support of all my colleagues, and grateful for the fans' love and support for my films. But I have always believed that there is no such thing as high or low in the field of art. The so-called literature has no number one. If you have to argue about who is high and who is low, and rate who is number one, it is really unnecessary."

The host smiled and then changed the topic:

"Then can we talk about how you embarked on the path of a director? Or how did you think about becoming a director?"

"Actually, it's not that complicated; it's the desire to express. My father is an editor and writer, so I was influenced by him since I was a child and would also carry out some creation. And later, I found that the form of film and television could better stimulate my personal desire to express, so I applied for the Beijing Film Academy."

"Did the Beijing Film Academy provide great help to your path as a director?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Yes, without the Beijing Film Academy, there would be no me today. My first work, from equipment and crew members to actors, all came from the school."

"According to our understanding, your first work, the short film *44th Street* that won the Jin Xiong, was completed two or three months after you entered the school. How could you manage to pull together a crew and film such an amazing work when others were still learning theoretical knowledge? Did you feel it was difficult at the time?"

Hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled, pondered for a while, and said:

"That's how it is. Difficulties must have existed, mainly coming from the funds and equipment at the time. Fortunately, classmates, teachers, and the school were all very supportive and gave great help.

Speaking of the filming process, I actually felt it was quite smooth. I, as a person filming movies, generally have already gone through all the scenes in the script in my mind before filming, and just follow it to film."

The host was stunned for a moment: "You mean all the scenes?"

Wu Yuchen nodded: "Pretty much."

"When did you discover this talent of yours?"

Wu Yuchen made an innocent expression: "I actually always thought everyone filmed movies like this..."

In a CCTV interview, Wu Yuchen talked about quite a lot, from things when he was a child to the process of filming movies, and then some stories about winning the Oscar. After his processing and polishing, it became what the audience loved to watch and hear.

He also threw out his "talent" in this, to satisfy the audience's curiosity, which was that having this kind of talent fit everyone's cognition!

Actually, Wu Yuchen didn't deliberately fight for the title of "China's number one director," otherwise he would have had the ability to find people to market himself before. He believed that awards and box office were placed there, and everyone's eyes were still sharp. When it reached a certain level, this thing was a matter of course.

However, he didn't expect that it was the few old seniors he met at the beginning who lifted him up and brought out this topic.

Thinking of this, Wu Yuchen couldn't help but smile. Since this was the case, he wouldn't live up to the good intentions of the few old seniors and would just wear this title for a few decades first.

Actually, it wasn't just the Mainland; places like Hong Kong and Taiwan had also thrown out this topic, directly calling Wu Yuchen "the number one Chinese director."

A few years ago, this title was crowned on Wu Baige, but since Wu Yuchen's two Hollywood films exploded in box office in the past two years, there had gradually been controversy. And now, *The Sixth Sense* box office was against the sky, all rushing toward 800 million, and Wu Yuchen had won two Oscars. Then what controversy was there?

Wu Baige was directly squeezed down, and Wu Yuchen succeeded in taking the position. Even if some fans in Taiwan who supported Wu Baige were still unwilling, they couldn't be stubborn and could only pray that *Mission: Impossible 2*, which Wu Baige cooperated with Tom Cruise on, would explode with a super high box office after its release, and then they could compare again.

Wu Yuchen actually knew about this matter. After all, Tom Cruise's fame was very big, and he even went to the Oscar scene this time. The box office performance of *Mission: Impossible 2* was indeed quite good, over 500 million globally, which made Wu Baige reach the peak of his life.

However, this box office was a bit insufficient compared to *The Sixth Sense*!

Wu Yuchen didn't care much about Wu Baige. He certainly had the level, but it could be said that he had never made much progress, and that set of things was constantly being repeated. Hollywood and the audience's tastes were constantly changing. If you don't keep pace with the times, you can only wait to eat dust!

The experience of Wu Baige in his past life completely proved this truth. Many people thought he couldn't mix anymore after one *Windtalkers*, but in fact, he still had one chance later, filming a 60-million-USD *Paycheck*, which flopped again, and only then was he kicked out by Hollywood. The key was that after he returned to the Chinese-speaking region, not only did he have no progress, but he kept regressing, living to make himself a joke.

And in sharp contrast to Wu Baige was Ang Lee, who was in front of Wu Yuchen at this time.

"Wu Dao, it's a pity that I couldn't witness you winning the first Oscar for Chinese-language cinema at the Oscar scene this time!"

Hearing this, Wu Yuchen smiled: "Director Lee, it doesn't matter. Next year, I'll go witness you winning~"

Ang Lee smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Wu Dao is too complimentary to me. This *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* really exhausted my heart and soul. I don't even know if everyone will like it..."

*Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* was finished filming at the end of last year, and now the post-production had also been completed. Ang Lee came to find Wu Yuchen this time to discuss subsequent arrangements.

At this time, Bill Kong asked: "Mr. Wu, you just won an Oscar this time and have more experience. How is Disney's public relations team? If possible, could you trouble yourself to introduce them?"

With the successful experience of *Love* this time, Bill Kong and Ang Lee naturally wanted to cooperate with Disney.

Hearing this, Wu Yuchen showed a mocking smile: "Disney's team is very good, so good that they handed over my Best Director to someone else!"

The two were shocked upon hearing this and hurriedly asked what had happened.

Wu Yuchen didn't hide it either. This kind of thing wasn't suitable to be said with great fanfare, but chatting privately was no problem.

Bill Kong was stunned upon hearing this, and Ang Lee also sighed deeply:

"Wu Dao, it's really a pity! At that time, I heard you won the guild award and thought you were stable. Later, seeing the results, I thought the vote difference was very small and you were overturned. I didn't expect it to be like this behind the scenes. The first Best Director for a Chinese-language film! Sigh..."

Bill Kong immediately expressed his stance to Wu Yuchen: "Mr. Wu, rest assured, this time we will absolutely not cooperate with Disney!"

Wu Yuchen smiled upon hearing this and turned to say: "I have cooperated with Sony and Fox before, and I can introduce you to them. Next month, you should go to Cannes first. It's mainly concentrated in the second half of the year. Rest and recuperate well; public relations is a not-small consumption for both body and mind!"

Actually, Ang Lee, who had been mixing in Hollywood for so many years, understood this, but he still accepted Wu Yuchen's kind suggestion with a smile.

And by comparison, Han Sanping's reaction was much bigger. ===== CHAPTER 214 =====