Chapter 33: Selection

In the afternoon, the official website of the film festival announced the first batch of films selected for the main competition section.

Led by the opening film *Legend of the Savage*, a total of twelve films appeared on the official website's list.

Among them, *Peacock* by Gu Changwei was ranked at the forefront.

*Mental Hospital*, *Ghost*, *The Life Aquatic*...

Seeing the end, Lin Nan jumped up with joy; the second to last one was none other than *Return to Dust*.

Just as Lin Nan was excitedly at a loss for what to do, a call from Li Yang came in.

"Lin Nan, congratulations, you've been selected for the competition section."

According to the time difference, the sun had just risen in Berlin; Li Yang had truly kept this matter in mind for Lin Nan.

"Thank you for your help, Brother Li. See you in Berlin in a few days, we'll have a good get-together then."

Hanging up the phone, Lin Nan held his mobile and hesitated for a moment.

In the end, he chose to send a text message: "*Return to Dust* has been selected for the competition section. I'm going to Berlin with the main cast and crew. Remember to cheer for me."

He wanted to call Liu Yifei, but was afraid Liu's mother would answer, which would be quite awkward. *The Return of the Condor Heroes* was still in intense filming, and the phone was mostly in Liu's mother's hands. A text message was fine; even if she saw it, it was nothing, just communication between classmates.

He turned and sent a message via Penguin; she would reply when she saw it.

After sending the message, Lin Nan started making calls again. Since they had been selected for the competition section, it was necessary for the leads to go.

He called Li Baotian and Jiang Wenli one after another. Both were very happy; being selected meant there was a possibility of winning an award. As the male and female leads, they certainly wouldn't miss it.

That evening, news about the Berlin Film Festival appeared, with both Gu Changwei and Lin Nan entering the main competition section.

"Lin Nan's first attempt at an award, entering the final round."

"Best Cinematographer Gu Changwei directs his first film, selected for the Berlin competition section."

"Hundred-million-yuan director Lin Nan marches toward Berlin."

"The *Peacock* crew, behind-the-scenes dirt..."

Originally, he was prepared to go to Berlin with the China Film Group people, but now Lin Nan had to change his plans; he had to go with Li Baotian and Jiang Wenli.

Since *Return to Dust* was invested in by Lin Nan himself, he had to put in more effort for this trip to Berlin.

From the moment the official list of selections was posted, film distributors from all over the world would focus their attention here.

Lin Nan needed to rush to Berlin in advance.

Although it was winter break, the department leadership still called Lin Nan to praise and encourage him, looking forward to him having some success.

They even joked, "If you can win an award, we'll hang a banner for you."

During the time he was on the phone, text messages and Penguin messages didn't stop. Liu Yifei couldn't get through, so she sent a text. Shu Chang, Zhu Yawen, Yan Danchen... they were all acquaintances.

There were also Tang Yan, Bai Baihe, Wen Zhang, and others from the Drama Academy; whether they were close or not, at this moment, everyone was close!

The close ones were all text messages, while the less familiar ones were mostly on Penguin.

After finally getting the leader to hang up, Zhu Yawen called again. Lin Nan decisively hung up and called Liu Yifei.

"The school leader's call wouldn't stop, so you couldn't get through." Lin Nan explained first; fortunately, the person on the other end was sensible and polite.

"It's okay, it's okay, I won't blame you. If the crew wasn't so rushed, I would have wanted to go to Berlin to see. I haven't participated in a film festival yet, and it's Berlin at that."

Liu Yifei sounded in a very good mood; perhaps Lin Nan's attitude made her very satisfied.

"Mom and my godfather said they are going to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for me this year," Liu Yifei said to Lin Nan, her tone revealing playfulness.

Lin Nan recalled her appearance when they first met, "When I first saw you, you still had a bit of baby fat. It's been three years already..."

"If you keep talking, I'll definitely beat you up next time I go back."

"I'll stop, I'll stop." Lin Nan laughed and conceded.

"Still the same thing: don't be too stubborn when filming. If you're tired or hurt, rest. Your health is the most important thing, you know?"

"I know." Liu Yifei answered crisply, but Lin Nan knew that when it was time to give her all, she would still give her all. No matter what the outside world said, she just wanted to film her own scenes well, even if she suffered grievances or injuries.

Reluctantly, he hung up the phone; they were urging her to get her makeup done on that side...

Lin Nan, Li Baotian, and Jiang Wenli prepared to set off on the 27th. The China Film Group had miraculously moved their schedule up as well, so the two parties happened to set off together.

The Berlin International Film Festival is one of the three major European film festivals and also one of the three major international film festivals in the world.

Known for its focus on politics and social reality, the Berlin Film Festival attracts a massive number of filmmakers and works to exhibit every year. The two-week duration aims to strengthen exchanges among filmmakers from various countries and promote the improvement of film art standards.

Actually, to put it more realistically, this is a place where art gathers, and also a place where fame and fortune are born.

Lin Nan and his group laughed and talked on the plane, full of expectations for this trip to Berlin. Although they all said "do one's best and leave the rest to fate," the excitement in their hearts could not be hidden.

Han Dong was not far from truly taking the top spot, and this time he was leading the team again.

Lin Nan and Gu Changwei could be considered the only two seeded players from the country, so the hope was not small.

Lin Nan initially suggested letting Li Yu come along, but was rejected by Li Baotian, who said that rather than coming out for a stroll, it was better to run around the set more and polish his acting skills.

Jiang Wenli didn't say much, squinting her eyes to rest. Lin Nan and the others tried their best not to disturb her.

*Peacock* was selected for the competition section, and the female lead was Zhang Jingchu. *Return to Dust* was also selected for the competition section, and the female lead was Jiang Wenli.

And the gossip about Jiang Wenli causing a scene on the *Peacock* set was spread far and wide at the time. This time, with both films competing in the competition section, this news was dug up again by unscrupulous media.

It was conceivable that Jiang Wenli was not in a very good mood.

A husband bringing a rumored mistress to compete in the same arena in Berlin as his original wife—Lin Nan could imagine how the domestic entertainment news would write it; they would definitely love to stir up trouble.

This was Lin Nan's second time coming to Berlin. The last time was rushed, mainly because Li Yang called him to come and play, as an investor in *Blind Shaft*.

This time, Lin Nan was bringing his own work, and his mindset was completely different.

Every year during the film festival, it is the busiest time for hotels and other accommodation and tourism venues.

The relevant departments of the China Film Group had been hanging around various film festivals for years. This time, they even said they would help Lin Nan and the others book a hotel, but were refused by Lin Nan because Li Yang had already booked it.

Li Baotian and Jiang Wenli both brought assistants; after all, they were going abroad.

After leaving the airport, Lin Nan saw the people picking them up: three black Mercedes-Benz cars. The one in the lead was none other than Li Yang, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Teacher Li, Sister Wenli, this is Director Li Yang."

"I know. I've seen *Blind Shaft* at school; it's very good," Li Baotian said.

Jiang Wenli smiled and shook hands.

"Teacher Li, Ms. Jiang," Li Yang greeted.

He then gave Lin Nan a hug, "Let's get in the car. I'll take you to the hotel where you're staying."

Lin Nan got into Li Yang's car, while Li Baotian and Jiang Wenli got into the two cars behind.

The three cars drove away from the airport.

Li Yang looked at Lin Nan, feeling very emotional, "Two years ago, you were still a fledgling newcomer actor. Two years later, you are already a famous director. I feel like my last two years have been lived in vain."

Being banned from directing for five years in the country had indeed made Li Yang very uncomfortable. For these two years, he had stayed outside almost the whole time and hadn't gone back.

"Brother Li, you're being too modest. Aren't you working quite smoothly here? In two years, when the time is up, it will be fine. Didn't Jiang Wen also spend five years as an actor? Recently, his time is up, and I heard he is preparing a new film."

Listening to Lin Nan's comfort, Li Yang nodded, "Let's not mention this. Let's talk about you this time."

Li Yang paused, "I've seen your film. It's very good. It's the flavor Berlin likes. Although it's a film that passed censorship, it's hard to say whether it can be released on a large scale, right?"

What Li Yang said was the truth. A film isn't finished just because it has been approved for production; being able to film and being able to be released are two different things.

"The China Film Group promised to help. If that doesn't work, I'll go find the teachers and leaders at school. Besides, the policies are slowly opening up..."

Lin Nan said it nonchalantly, but in his heart, he was already making plans.

Li Yang gave a bitter smile, "Perhaps you are luckier than us."

Arriving at the hotel and settling their luggage, Lin Nan and Li Yang headed to the relevant departments of the film festival.

As one of the works in the competition section, the *Return to Dust* crew needed to sign in with the organizers. Lin Nan had to be in the film festival's directory; otherwise, if there was any news or notification, it would be hard to contact him.

Filmmakers from all over the world gathered here. Film posters were densely posted, and there were also film festival brochures.

"Are you feeling a bit face-blind? You'll get used to it slowly. They feel the same when they look at us."

Seeing Lin Nan's awkward look, Li Yang smiled.

"Those blond-haired and blue-eyed ones are from Hollywood, right?" Lin Nan asked, unimpressed.

"You only recognize those few," Li Yang teased.

Lin Nan indeed only recognized those few faces, and that was only from seeing them in films.

"Should I also get a standee to put in the exhibition hall?"

Lin Nan saw that many films had promotional standees here.

"For films that have been selected, the organizers will help promote them. These are all here to sell films, so promotion has to rely on the producers. This is also a place where film distributors like to wander around."

There were a great many films on display. If Lin Nan were a film distributor, he would definitely be dazzled.

Films from various countries, different customs and cultures, different skin colors, and languages could all be seen here.

"If I had known, I should have come out and wandered around more with you back when we did *Blind Shaft*," Lin Nan regretted.

This time, he would learn his lesson; in the future, when participating in foreign film festivals, he must do the preparatory work well.

Lin Nan didn't arrive in Berlin too late. In the following days, many more crews and filmmakers would arrive in Berlin.

Many of the exhibited films rented screening halls. During this time, Lin Nan was "mooching" off films. Li Baotian and Jiang Wenli also joined the team; the former learned the camera work and thinking of other directors, while the latter two observed the acting techniques of actors in excellent films. It was all very fulfilling.

The China Film Group held the power of import and had also been frequently visiting various exhibition halls recently.

Among the domestic media that came to Berlin, besides the official media, Lin Nan also saw the presence of internet media.

Sohu interviewed the *Peacock* group. Gu Changwei frankly admitted that there were too many good films this time, and fierce competition was inevitable; he would treat it with a normal heart.

Gu Changwei was a cinematographer by trade, having helmed *King of Children*, *Red Sorghum*, and *In the Heat of the Sun*. He had won Best Cinematography at the Golden Rooster and Golden Horse awards and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography for *Farewell My Concubine*.

Following in the footsteps of Zhang Yimou, the first film Gu Changwei directed was *Peacock*, and the industry also had high hopes for this film.