[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu":3,"chapter-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-66":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Stealing the Role in 1995 Huayu",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2321055,4540,"Chapter 66: The Big Event After the Film Festival (Seeking Follows)","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-66",66,"\u003Cp>In fact, I’m still a college freshman. I’d like to thank my school, Huaxia Jingcheng Film and Television Academy, for lending us equipment—without it, we wouldn’t have had enough budget for filming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I also thank actors Jiang Qin, Duan Long, Sun Honglei, and others for their outstanding performances!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many people have helped me along this journey, and I sincerely thank them all—thank you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, Wu Yuchen bowed slightly, then held up his award plaque for display, smiling with pride as he walked offstage amid applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at his seat, Jiang Qin’s face glowed bright red with excitement; after Wu Yuchen handed her the plaque, she held it in both hands, staring at it endlessly, as if memorizing every groove of the little golden bear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the awards ceremony, the short film segment was merely an appetizer—the real highlight lay in the main competition section that followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Best Actor award went to Sean Penn for his role in “Convict on the Road,” and as Wu Yuchen remembered, Best Director went to the mainland production “The Sun Has Ears,” while the Golden Bear for Best Picture naturally went to Li An’s “Sense and Sensibility.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chinese productions truly became the big winners of this edition, securing the Golden Bear and a Silver Bear in the main competition, plus Wu Yuchen’s short film Golden Bear—Chinese directors had claimed half the spotlight at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That evening, at the festival’s celebratory reception, all the Chinese attendees gathered together, including judges Xu Anhua and Chen Chong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone’s attitude toward Wu Yuchen had improved significantly now—he’d actually won an award, which made all the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Xu Anhua and Li An asked whether Wu Yuchen had considered developing his career outside mainland China, offering to help if he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen recalled Huang Bo’s words: after becoming famous, everyone around you becomes good. Though he’d only won a short film award, his demonstrated potential was already enough to earn him widespread favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen didn’t refuse outright; he said he was only a first-year student and still needed to learn, but that once he’d gained sufficient skill, he’d consider going abroad to gain experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li An, Xu Anhua, and others smiled, then gave Wu Yuchen their business cards and contact details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Berlin Film Festival had ended, for the films participating in the awards ceremony, it wasn’t over—the real highlight, no less significant than the awards, still lay ahead in the following days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, Wu Yuchen sat across from a white middle-aged man in a café.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations, Wu! I knew ‘Car 44’ could do it—it’s fantastic!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Mr. Hafetz.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu, I know your purpose here. Name your price—I want it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Hafetz, what price are you willing to offer?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hafetz clearly had a prepared offer: “Eighty thousand U.S. dollars—for global television and theatrical rights.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The price was double what it had been before the ceremony; Wu Yuchen silently thought that awards truly could be converted directly into real money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen paused, then said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Hafetz, did you know that during the screening of ‘Car 44,’ I spoke with audiences from many countries—Europe, the Americas, Asia, even Australia—and they told me similar incidents of bus bandits and collective silence happen frequently in their own communities, sometimes even to people they know. True heroism is rare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hafetz said nothing, waiting for Wu Yuchen to continue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think you understand what this means. My short film ‘Car 44’ is deeply international—no matter where you show it, audiences will feel a personal connection, because it could be happening right next to you, right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Wu Yuchen meant: my short film has far broader appeal than other genres—want it? Pay more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“OK, Wu, then tell me your expected price,” Hafetz said, spreading his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One hundred fifty thousand U.S. dollars.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no no no, that’s clearly an impossible price!” Hafetz reacted sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen calmly stirred his coffee with a spoon and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax, Mr. Hafetz. This price is reasonable—the Berlin Best Short Film Golden Bear alone is worth a hundred thousand in publicity. And this covers both television and theatrical channels—I know your revenue streams are extensive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Europe and America, short films aren’t just sold to TV networks—they’re also compiled into collections and screened in independent theaters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t assume no one watches: an international short film company executive once told me that short film collections perform exceptionally well at the box office—earning millions in the U.S. alone, ranking as high as 27th among independent theater revenues. And that’s just the U.S. box office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Wu, I admit ‘Car 44’ is an excellent short, but we won’t pay one hundred fifty thousand for a short film—that’s way too high!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll give you a hundred thousand at most—that’s already the highest I’ve ever paid for a short!” Hafetz exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen knew Hafetz was lying, but he also understood this was an era ruled by distribution channels—those who controlled channels made the most money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After prolonged negotiation, they settled on one hundred twenty thousand U.S. dollars for the global television and theatrical rights to “Car 44.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, this price already exceeded Wu Yuchen’s original expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finalizing the deal, Hafetz smiled at Wu Yuchen and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu, you’re very different from the many Chinese people I’ve dealt with—you’re confident, and you understand the Western world better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen smiled slightly: “Maybe because I’m younger—young people are naturally confident, aren’t they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When their coffee was finished, Wu Yuchen casually asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hafetz, are you interested in the adaptation rights for ‘Car 44’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hafetz smiled and replied: “Oh? Hasn’t anyone approached you about adaptation rights yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen gave nothing away, only smiled: “Someone has—but I’m checking if there’s a better buyer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hafetz shook his head: “Wu, I’m sorry, our company only handles short films. We have no interest in adaptation rights.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s a shame.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen sighed, then asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From your perspective, how much would you say the adaptation rights for ‘Car 44’ are worth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hafetz narrowed his eyes, thinking he couldn’t get the rights anyway, so he might as well speak honestly to win favor with this young director.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu, I can’t give an exact figure. But personally, I think if you changed the setting to the American West and turned it into a cult film, some audiences would find it fascinating.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Yuchen nodded, then offered a sincere smile: “Thank you for your advice, Hafetz!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1077,"2026-06-20T16:09:29.273Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f45a01edb1f5099906385a6a247cb87787f935e392ffd72ef262599f3149c853","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-67","starting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-chapter-65",335,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-stealing-the-role-in-1995-huayu-cover.jpg"]