Chapter 97: Venice

The filming of *Lucy* is beginning to wrap up.

Tang Mu has already taken people to Venice in advance.

News from back home has arrived.

The Huabiao official side expressed understanding for Lin Nan's absence and hopes he will continue to contribute to the domestic film industry and achieve success in Venice.

"The only one that can be this reasonable is the Huabiao hosted by the Administration. Director Tong thinks highly of you.

If you're counting on the Golden Rooster or Hundred Flowers, that's impossible; those are run by the association."

Han Sanping told Lin Nan that although he cannot attend the Huabiao, the gala will still feature his standee and personal honor resume for display.

"Those are no problem. However, Chairman Han, I must be honest with you: I will not be staying in the Film Association anymore."

Han Sanping on the other end of the phone froze for a few seconds, then sighed.

"Suit yourself. Those few people are indeed going a bit too far. What era is this, yet they still slap those kinds of labels on people..."

Don't look at Han Sanping as the boss of China Film Group; in the association, it's all about seniority. He truly has no decision-making power, let alone someone as young as Lin Nan.

As the end of the month draws closer, in order to ensure the film wraps before the final day, the shooting of *Lucy* has become compact.

During the day, Lin Nan stays at the set almost the entire time, and Liu Yifei's state while filming is getting better and better.

The crew members are not fools.

Before the start of filming, Tang Mu from Crystal Pictures was very... ingratiating toward this girl.

Now everyone basically understands why.

Cake, snacks, and a bowl of longevity noodles.

The birthday was very simple, celebrated right in the villa; including the assistant, there were only four people.

"Here, try it."

Liu Yifei knows that Lin Nan can cook.

Relatively speaking, she is a "freeloader" in this regard.

"Hee hee, I'm digging in."

Liu Xiaoli is cutting the cake on the side. Watching the lively Liu Yifei at this moment, a touch of warmth appears on her face.

Her daughter's stubbornness back then seems correct now. She is luckier than she herself once was.

…………

Today is Liu Yifei's final scene, and also the final fight scene where she transitions from human to god.

"Action."

For this scene, Lin Nan decided to direct it himself, and the director gladly agreed.

On the monitor is the scene in the hallway. Liu Yifei is cold and frosty, devoid of a shred of human emotion, highlighting a sense of decisive killing...

……

Perhaps because Lin Nan is directing, Liu Yifei is striving to make no mistakes; she would sometimes NG before.

One take, very good.

"Cut."

With Lin Nan's soft call, the more than a month of filming for *Lucy* is officially declared over.

"Everyone, *Lucy* has wrapped.

Crystal Pictures will host a reception to celebrate; remember to arrive on time."

Cheers and expressions of gratitude rose one after another; in Hollywood, a reception is an indispensable part of a film wrapping.

"How did I do?" Liu Yifei asked with a smile.

"Very well. Rest for a day, and we'll set off."

"Mm, okay." The girl nodded slightly.

……

Just as Lin Nan, Liu Yifei, and the others were preparing to set off for Venice.

Back home, the Huabiao Awards gala began.

Although Lin Nan did not arrive, he still had his award.

"Outstanding Director Contribution Award!"

This gives Lin Nan a headache. Although the Huabiao doesn't have high gold content, it is indeed much more inclusive than the Golden Rooster or Hundred Flowers.

This also shows that the Huabiao didn't take Lin Nan's absence to heart at all; to them, this is just a small matter.

It's just that the people in the association are making a mountain out of a molehill to stir up trouble.

"When I go back, I really must treat Director Tong to a meal, right? Mm, preferably at China Film Group." Lin Nan muttered to himself.

It was Han Sanping who went on stage to accept the award on Lin Nan's behalf and took the opportunity to deliver an acceptance speech.

"Director Lin Nan entrusted me to accept this award for him.

Everyone knows his *The Hunt* needs to be screened in Venice, so he had to prepare in advance. He is also very grateful to the Huabiao..."

Han Sanping thought quite thoroughly.

"Another favor."

Lin Nan smiled and shook his head. Unknowingly, his interpersonal relationships have reached this point.

There are many who want to knock him down or manipulate him, and many who want to promote or help him...

The last day of August.

Lin Nan, Liu Yifei and her mother, the assistant, and Matt Damon's group boarded a plane to Venice.

Everyone is very excited.

The flight is not long; five hours later, the group landed in Venice.

Tang Mu was waiting early to pick them up.

"Lin, the promotional venue and screening hall are all ready; we can start at any time."

"Mm, let's go back to the hotel first. We'll rest for a while, and in the afternoon, we'll go to the film festival official check-in."

"Okay."

……

In the afternoon, in the film festival's massive exhibition hall, there was one more *The Hunt*.

Ang Lee specifically called over; because he is the jury president, it is indeed inappropriate to meet, so he only expressed his welcome over the phone.

Film distributors always like to chase after big directors and famous directors, and Lin Nan satisfies their requirements.

Last time, it was also here that he sold *The Martian*.

Liu Xiaoli and Liu Yifei took the assistant to browse the screening halls.

Whether it is Liu Yifei or the young Liu Xiaoli, they are both literary young women at heart.

Venice is just right for them.

"Oh, God. Lin, we meet again. This time you have finally brought a work to Venice to compete."

Lin Nan is a bit dumbfounded; twice in Berlin, once in Venice—this is already the fourth time.

"Are you going to buy my rights this time? Haha..."

"Lin, I will only be less and less able to afford your films, who told me I'm just a small distributor. However, I still want to wish you success in winning an award..."

"Thank you. You can go check out the screening hall for *The Hunt* later."

As he spoke, Lin Nan handed over a ticket. He only plans to screen *The Hunt* five times; no more.

Not long after, a reporter from Sina found Lin Nan.

Now that they can be considered "their own people," Lin Nan cooperated and accepted the interview.

Soon, the domestic news was updated.

"*The Hunt* appears at the Venice Film Festival, favored by a large number of distributors."

"Director Lin's first expedition to Venice, *The Hunt* has considerable popularity..."

Many industry insiders cast their eyes over.

……

It's simply hellish.

Lin Nan saw Huang Bo; that guy is winking at him, and goosebumps instantly rose.

"Director Lin, you shouldn't be this surprised to see me, right? Come, let's have a hug, haha."

"Why are you here?"

"That's a funny thing to say. *Cow* was shortlisted for the Orizzonti section, so of course I came. Director Guan Hu and Yan Ni are here too.

Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of a big shot in the competition section, looking down on us in the Orizzonti section, didn't even notice, right?"

Huang Bo joked with a smile at the end.

Lin Nan really had nothing to say; he truly hadn't noticed.

Hearing Huang Bo say this, Lin Nan only then learned that there are four Chinese films in the Orizzonti section.

Even Cui Jian brought a 30-minute short film to Venice for promotion.

"Alright then."

Huang Bo smiled, "How about we get together tonight? I don't understand the language here; it's driving me crazy."

Lin Nan shook his head; he plans to watch a movie with Liu Yifei at night after finishing the promotion during the day.

In Venice, there is never a shortage of romance films.

This left Huang Bo a bit stunned; he never thought Lin Nan would refuse.

"Do you have something else? I was thinking of calling Yan Ni over to meet you; she's a fellow countrywoman of yours."

"There is something else. Before the closing ceremony, there is plenty of time; no need to rush these two days."

Lin Nan gave out two tickets for *The Hunt*; Huang Bo and Yan Ni, just right.

"Good stuff. I will definitely go and study Director Lin's masterpiece; who knows, it might just be this year's Golden Lion."

"Then I also wish you win Best Actor..."

Huang Bo was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood, "I'll take your kind words."

For many "carpet stars" without works, the easiest place to sneak into is the opening ceremony red carpet.

Lin Nan did not go.

He and Liu Yifei spent three consecutive nights watching three art films, all of which were romance films.

Lin Nan couldn't quite handle it; Liu Yifei was too emotional, often tearing up while watching, and he was the one who suffered for it.

After the first screening of *The Hunt*, the general plot leaked out.

Sina's speed was very fast.

On the portal website, there were already reviews of the film.

"This is a work of realism that strikes directly at the weaknesses of human nature..."

"There is a Longquan sword on the tongue; it kills without shedding blood."

"Director Lin Nan's *The Hunt* talks about the hunting of human nature; you and I are both prey."

The netizens were discussing it quite a bit.

The graduate department of the Directing Department at the Beijing Film Academy could finally speak up when accepting interviews at this point.

"Yes, we gave Lin Nan's graduation feature the highest score.

Real society is a hunting ground, and everyone is constantly shifting between being the hunter and the prey..."

"This is very realistic and also very satirical. The Directing Department is proud that Lin Nan could film such an excellent work."

There were more and more film distributors, many of whom were acquaintances he had worked with before.

They knew Lin Nan's habit: he would always bet on the final award results.

So before the closing ceremony, they just came to greet him and express interest in the film, and would make offers after the awards ceremony.

People from China Film Group also came to see Lin Nan.

How to put it, Han Sanping truly regarded Lin Nan as one of his own.

"What did Chairman Han say? Import or buyout?"

"Director Lin, there aren't many quotas left for imported films. What do you think about a flat-fee purchase?

Chairman Han said that the situation with *Buried* back then will not happen this time.

Besides, you know what kind of films generate box office in the domestic market..."

Lin Nan understood the meaning. If *The Hunt* were released domestically, the box office might not necessarily be very good; this kind of film is too depressing.

"Make an offer."

"Thirty... thirty million."

Lin Nan thought about it; this price should be considered decent for the domestic market.

If he took it back as an imported film, to get this amount, excluding distribution costs, the box office would need to reach around one hundred million.

"Fine." Lin Nan nodded in agreement.

One knows one's own business; this type of film doesn't sell well at the box office domestically.

The people from China Film Group were very happy.

In the hands of other companies, *The Hunt* might not be easy to profit from.

But the theater chain under China Film Group is quite large, and with Lin Nan's reputation plus Matt Damon from *The Bourne Identity*, they definitely wouldn't lose money!

Over the next few days, the five screenings of *The Hunt* concluded, and it was no longer shown.

Even more distributors came to inquire for news.

Lin Nan took some time to see Huang Bo and Yan Ni. Manager Tong is indeed an actress with very high emotional and social intelligence.

"Director Lin, you're not being authentic. If I hadn't bumped into Yifei, I wouldn't have known she came to Venice with you."

Huang Bo said with a mischievous grin.

"Everyone says the Little Dragon Maiden is very pretty; I've finally seen the real person this time, she really is beautiful..." Yan Ni added with a smile.

"You big mouth, you're just like Ning Hao."

"That's slander," Huang Bo retorted.

Lin Nan ignored him and instead kept Yan Ni's contact information.

There aren't many good actors, and as a director, who knows when a role might come up that needs someone like Yan Ni.

"Director Lin, see you on the closing ceremony red carpet..."

When the three parted ways, Huang Bo waved his hand.

Lin Nan was a bit speechless; he didn't even know if he would win an award yet.

However, even without an award, he still had to attend the closing ceremony; the minimum level of respect had to be maintained.