Chapter 34: Closing Ceremony

Gu Gu Changwei was very modest in his interview, but the female lead of *Kong Que* was a different story.

When asked about her confidence in winning awards, Zhang Zhang Jingchu openly praised Gu Gu Changwei and proactively brought up *Return to Dust*, which also came from China.

"I don't think this film poses a threat to *Kong Que*. Director Gu has long worked with great directors like Director Zhang and Director Chen, and several of his films have won international awards. Even if there's competition, we're competing with other foreign films."

Lin Nan thought this woman wasn't all there in the head—what was she doing dragging him down for no reason?

The domestic portal sites had already run the story.

"*Kong Que*'s Lead Actress Unfavorable Toward *Return to Dust*, Implying It's Not Qualified."

"The Grudge Between the Two Films' Female Leads…"

Jiang Teacher Wenli didn't leave her hotel room that afternoon, but seemed to be yelling into the phone for quite a while.

Whether Gu Gu Changwei warned Zhang Zhang Jingchu is unknown, but afterward the latter never gave another interview.

Lin Nan had been refusing interviews the whole time, slipping away a step ahead on several occasions and dodging the situation of being cornered by portal-site reporters at his door.

The film festival's opening ceremony was drawing closer, and all the films entering the competition section had been announced.

The parallel Panorama section, Forum section, and others simply couldn't compare with the competition section in popularity.

As the director of *Return to Dust*, Lin Nan was invited to watch the opening film *Wild Man Legend*. Being chosen as the opening film meant this picture had strong competitive appeal.

The film depicted the collision of two civilizations—the contact, communication, exchange, and trust between humans and the wild men—showing the wild men's clear sense of love and hate, and ultimately returning to the themes of human nature and the soul.

Lin Nan knew the nature of the Berlin Film Festival. Most of the works that came here to compete had a heavy side; he just hadn't expected to be hit with an educational film on human nature and beastliness right off the bat.

As jury president, Roland Emmerich gave a speech thanking the filmmakers who had gathered here from around the world, pledging that over the next ten days the jury would give absolutely fair scores to every entered film.

According to the prior communication with the organizers, *Return to Dust* would have its world premiere in Berlin along with more than a dozen other films.

When the opening ceremony ended, the jury would begin watching films, while outside the trade fair was in full swing.

Three distributors had already made offers to Lin Nan, from Europe, North America, and Asia.

Any work that entered the competition section had no trouble selling; only the prices differed.

Of the three offers, Asia's was the lowest, while Europe's was the highest at 2.2 million US dollars, buying out the rights across all of Europe.

Filming had only cost three million back then, which converted to less than four hundred thousand US dollars. If he agreed to the offer, that alone would be roughly five times the cost—and that was only the European portion.

The film festival still had ten days to go, so Lin Nan was definitely going to wait.

They had already reached the jury voting stage. If luck held and they took some award, wouldn't that be a killing?

Day after day passed. The films that could be sold in the festival's exhibition halls were sold; those left over had to find another way.

Films from the other sections had also sold more or less, leaving only the competition section.

The big distributors were all watching this side, some even placing early bets.

Someone leaked a bit of news: Gu Gu Changwei's *Kong Que* was highly praised by the jury and was a strong contender for the Jin Xiong.

Domestic media were instantly thrilled, running one report after another; anyone who didn't know better would have thought *Kong Que* had already won the Jin Xiong.

Lin Nan met with distributors every day. Most of the works entered in the competition section still hadn't been sold—everyone was waiting.

He paid no attention to the domestic media reports. Setting aside the two blockbuster commercial films, his credentials admittedly couldn't compare with Gu Gu Changwei's—he acknowledged that.

If he remembered correctly, *Kong Que* did win an award, but as for which one, Lin Nan didn't have a strong impression—though it probably wasn't the Jin Xiong.

Now he only cared whether *Return to Dust* could bring home something, so he could slap these media in the face.

The art exams were about to start registration, and Lin Nan in Berlin was also one of the focal points of attention at his school.

Even Liu Liu Yifei would text him encouragement every day, and occasionally call.

The jury was engaged in heated debate. Every award was decided by vote, but some films inevitably tied, and a double win was something that seriously damaged a film festival's reputation.

When a tie occurred on an award and it was the highest vote count, the jury had to rewatch that film and vote again—another time-consuming matter.

Time came to the eighteenth. That day Lin Nan was in his hotel emailing Tang Mu when an official call from the film festival came through, inviting him and his crew to attend the closing ceremony and awards.

After confirming the news several times, Lin Nan leaped up excitedly.

After quickly replying to Tang Mu's email, Lin Nan left his room.

He knocked on Li Li Baotian's and Jiang Teacher Wenli's doors in turn, telling them the good news.

Generally, films entering any of the sections could attend the awards ceremony, along with well-known filmmakers and media from various countries.

But there was a default unspoken rule: if a film was specifically notified to attend the awards ceremony before the closing, it meant there was an award waiting for you.

Even Li Li Baotian, steady as he was, showed his delight. Jiang Teacher Wenli swept away her earlier gloom and waited for the awards ceremony.

China Film had sharp ears. Within hours of Lin Nan and Gu Gu Changwei being invited to the closing ceremony, they already knew.

That evening, President Han organized a dinner, inviting the two crews—mainly the two directors.

Li Li Baotian didn't like socializing, and Jiang Teacher Wenli flatly refused.

When Lin Nan arrived, he happened to run into Gu Gu Changwei; oddly enough, he was also alone.

"Hello, Director Gu." Lin Nan stepped forward and greeted him first.

Gu Gu Changwei was no longer young and already looked old, so seeing Lin Nan he seemed warm: "Young Director Lin."

With a smiling face, he perfectly fit the image of an elder.

Lin Nan was puzzling over how this generation of directors took care of themselves—each one bursting with energy in a way that didn't look right, some having kids, some sneaking around.

Lin Nan and Gu Gu Changwei went in together, Lin Nan trailing by half a step, with someone leading the way ahead.

President Han and two China Film middle managers were discussing the gains of this film festival and the films they had their eye on.

Gu Gu Changwei and Lin Nan were led in. President Han wasn't surprised that both had come alone, without their principal cast.

The gossip about the grudge between the two films' female leads during this period had been quite the talk, and Gu Gu Changwei was at the center of it.

"First of all, I must offer my early congratulations to the two of you. Being invited to the awards ceremony, a trophy is certainly guaranteed."

Once the two were seated, President Han ordered the food to be served—and it was Chinese food, of all things.

*Kong Que* and *Return to Dust* were different. The latter had only passed the project review, and after filming was completed it never applied for a release permit, while *Kong Que* was being released domestically on the eighteenth—today was its first day.

The distributor was certainly China Film; they only hoped that good news on the twentieth would boost the box office.

When Lin Nan filmed "Disappearing into the Dust," he didn't calculate his director's fee or screenwriting fee, so the budget was kept at three million, while "Kong Que" exceeded ten million; for films of this type, box office returns are hard to break even—revenue must come from copyright sales.

At the dinner table, they discussed "Kong Que"'s domestic release; if it had been delayed just a few more days, things would have been different.

Gu Gu Changwei had no regrets—he valued awards more than box office; as long as he won, he wouldn't lose money.

The conversation turned to Lin Nan: "Disappearing into the Dust" had its world premiere in Berlin, with not a single second cut.

Gu Gu Changwei had watched it too; the filming was truly excellent, the story selection sharply clever, and the jury would love it—but getting past the General Administration's review wouldn't be easy.

A few days ago, Lin Nan reached out to a professor from the Directing Department, hoping the school could lend a hand during the review process, since some committee elders still had close ties with the academy.

"When you apply for the screening permit, I'll take a look too," Han Han Sanping promised.

The domestic distribution of "Disappearing into the Dust" naturally fell into China Film Group's hands—a form of deep cooperation, essentially an exchange, but ultimately Lin Nan got the better end.

After the awards ceremony ends and he returns home, Lin Nan will apply for the screening permit for "Disappearing into the Dust," then decide on the release date.

At the dinner table, Lin Nan and Han Han Sanping settled the matter of "Disappearing into the Dust"; as for Ren Zong's inquiry, he could only apologize.

This dinner was also Lin Nan's first meeting with Gu Gu Changwei; he asked the master about techniques in cinematography, composition, and color, and gained immensely.

By the 20th, Jiang Teacher Wenli had several endorsements; she didn't need to worry about her gown—the sponsor even gave her a free red carpet appearance.

Li Li Baotian was calm and casual, dressed simply in a Zhongshan suit.

Lin Nan had never taken endorsements; he also declined several brand sponsorship offers for this red carpet, finding Li Li Baotian's Zhongshan suit impressive, so he got one too.

The China Film Group team would also attend the closing ceremony; as a major studio backed by the massive domestic market, they held high status.

The red carpet began at 2 p. m., with entries from each competition section's films, guests, producers, and social organizations; even though each appearance lasted only minutes, the sheer number of people required the entire afternoon to complete the red carpet procession.

"Disappearing into the Dust" was a main competition entry, scheduled for the latter half of the red carpet; though art knows no hierarchy, it cannot be denied that the most thrilling part of the festival is the competition section.

Everyone spoke of art, but their eyes kept glancing toward the trophies.

No matter when one walked the red carpet, one had to arrive early.

Only vehicles designated by the organizers' sponsoring brands were allowed entry today.

Lin Nan, Li Li Baotian, and Jiang Teacher Wenli rode together in a stretched limousine, traveling from the hotel to the closing ceremony venue.

The distance wasn't far; along the way, they saw many media vehicles and fans.

When Lin Nan's group arrived at the waiting area, the red carpet was about to begin; the host was introducing the festival's achievements: how many films were screened, how many countries and regions were represented, and some notable nominees.

In the waiting area, Lin Nan spotted the crew from the same competition section—the Taiwanese film "A Cloud at the Edge of Heaven"—and nodded in greeting.

Several European directors spoke to Lin Nan in English, praising the sincere emotion and human insight in "Disappearing into the Dust," then abruptly shifted to talking about Zhang Zhang Yimou, leaving Lin Nan embarrassed.

Far off, Lin Nan saw the "Kong Que" crew arrive; Gu Gu Changwei led his core team into the waiting area.

Zhang Zhang Jingchu entered in a long gown, holding Gu Gu Changwei's arm, radiant and full of spirit.