Chapter 163

Before entering the internet era, domestic film enthusiasts' impressions of international film festivals mostly came from official television programs.

Mainly CCTV and the Movie Channel.

These two were not in a subordinate relationship; the Movie Channel's superior department was the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, and it was on the same level as CCTV.

The Movie Channel's exploration of live broadcasts for international film festivals originated from the previous Oscars.

In this later generation, because Chinese-language films were on the decline at this Cannes, the station's original live broadcast plan was changed to a recorded production for broadcast.

But because of Seeing Lu Kuan's sudden emergence, the two films in the main competition section, "Purple Butterfly" and "Shoplifters," gave the Movie Channel sufficient reason for a live broadcast.

Early morning of May 25, 2003, Beiping time, backstage at the Movie Channel building studio.

"Director Yu! I cannot thank you enough!"

Hu Fei had been transferred from CCTV's Western Channel to the Movie Channel through Yu Dong's connections, and he was one of the members of the editorial team for tonight's live broadcast program.

Yu Dong had grievances he couldn't voice; this time he had lost both his girl and his soldiers, and he didn't know where he had offended Boss Lu.

"Alright, we're all brothers, no need for thanks."

"I've helped you out again today; this is my first time doing a live broadcast on TV!"

Yu Dong was a boss in the first tier of private distribution companies, and having previously collaborated with Seeing Lu Kuan, he was called by the leader he was familiar with to participate in the live recording.

"I know, I know, don't worry. I'm very familiar with the dance troupe; if there are any good prospects, I'll definitely keep an eye out."

The Western Channel connected with cultural performances in Northern Xinjiang and several major ethnic minority provinces, equivalent to these dance troupes' "Beijing Office" at CCTV.

It had the convenience of being close to the water for beautiful team members like Tong Tong Liya.

"Hmm... we'll see. I'm going to get my makeup done."

Yu Dong felt very depressed mentioning this, but he had one advantage: he was thick-skinned.

The inquiry realm had previously released signals of accelerated development in the industry; it wasn't just Seeing Lu Kuan's film, he could do other films too.

Tonight, during the live broadcast, he had to quietly suck up a bit first, to send a token of allegiance to Boss Lu far away in Cannes.

I, Fatty Yu, admit my mistake, take the beating, and stand at attention!

6:00 PM Cannes local time, May 25th, Seeing Lu Kuan arrived at the awards ceremony with the "Shoplifters" crew, and CCTV's live broadcast officially began.

"Hello, dear viewers, thank you all for staying up late to watch the Movie Channel's live broadcast of the Cannes awards ceremony. I am your host, Jin Wei."

"Today, our live broadcast has invited three guests: the well-known musician Mr. Ai Ai Dajin, the Golden Lion Award-winning director Jia Jia Kezhang, and the chairman of Poly Bona, Mr. Yu Dong."

"The three of you, please say hello to the audience."

Ai Ai Dajin slumped on the sofa, his belly protruding, holding a folding fan in his left hand to appear cultured, an earpiece clipped to his collar, his expression reserved.

Jia Jia Kezhang wore a low-key administrative jacket, and looking at his expression, he didn't seem very willing either, likely forced by his superiors.

Yu Dong was the most enthusiastic; he was a businessman, after all, and his emotional intelligence and methods were higher than the other two guests who claimed to be intellectuals.

"Alright, thank you to the three of you. Today, the Movie Channel is broadcasting the whole process. We have sent a 15-person reporting team to the front lines of the festival. Please, viewers, don't go away."

"Teacher Ai, they are currently waiting on the front lines in Cannes, and we will soon enter the red carpet segment. Why don't you chat with the viewers about this year's Cannes Film Festival first?"

Ai Ai Dajin nodded: "Actually, this year's Cannes has invited me several times. Everyone knows that my film 'Flying with My Heart' has basically completed post-production, but it just couldn't make the submission deadline."

Money strengthens the courage; with an additional 5.8 million USD in income, Seeing Lu Kuan decisively chose to place the special effects in Australia.

Jia Jia Kezhang and Yu Dong exchanged a glance; this fat guy was bragging again.

Ai Ai Dajin showed off a little, his interest in talking growing.

"Speaking of the films we have participating this time, I am still relatively optimistic about Seeing Lu Kuan's 'Shoplifters'."

"Why? Because I think Seeing Lu Kuan is a rare director in the country who understands Hollywood production processes and filming techniques."

"Everyone knows about Hollywood, viewers. That is the most developed region for world cinema right now. It's no exaggeration to say that domestic films still need at least 50 years to catch up with Hollywood!"

"This gap is equivalent to the current technological strength gap between the two countries. We need to reflect!"

Jin Wei had a dark expression. If it weren't for the leaders' requirements, she really wouldn't want to work with such a guest; he was too worshipful of foreign things.

Ai Ai Dajin was cursed for his stance in later generations.

In 2012, because of the popularity of talk shows, he opened a column called "Xiao Shuo," which looked quite impressive, but upon closer inspection, it was unwatchable; it was all biased rhetoric.

Jia Jia Kezhang was the first one who couldn't listen anymore; he really couldn't stand these second-rate laymen pretending to understand and pointing fingers.

"Teacher Ai, why didn't your film 'Flying with My Heart' participate in Cannes' surprise section?"

Yu Dong chimed in: "Right, just like Director Lu's 'Whiplash' last year, which was also a late submission."

Ai Ai Dajin's face darkened. What the hell is a surprise section?

Jin Wei was curious: "Can the two of you introduce the surprise section you mentioned to everyone?"

Jia Jia Kezhang smiled: "Some film festivals, in order to wait for certain directors' films, will introduce a surprise section before the festival opens. It doesn't conflict with the main competition section, and films in the surprise section can also participate in the main competition."

"If this director's film can make it in time, then they use this director's film; otherwise, they switch to another one. Anyway, the film title isn't announced in advance."

"That's why it's called a surprise section. This is generally equivalent to the film festival opening a back door for directors they have a good relationship with."

Ai Ai Dajin's face was very ugly. Why were these two tearing him down?

"Oh, that's how it is. My film 'Flying with My Heart' really hasn't been finished yet. I'm going out there representing my countrymen; I can't take a crudely made film, right?"

It was just that there were no bullet comments at this time, but many viewers in front of their TVs had already started cursing.

"You worshipful thing! If the US is so good, why don't you get lost over there!"

Ai Ai Dajin had always been a big mouth, considering himself high and aloof, but he was very smart and used to flattering the high and stepping on the low. The ones he stepped on were usually the small characters he targeted together in his little circle.

For example, Dao Lang in 2010.

In later generations, Dao Lang used animals to satirize four people in "Luo Cha Hai Shi": the chicken was Ying Zi, the donkey was Yang Kun, the dog was Pi Ku, and the pig was Ai Ai Dajin.

Liu Liu Yifei and her mother were watching the live broadcast together at Mei Mei Yanfang's Hengange mansion in Hong Kong; they had arranged for publicity in Hong Kong this month.

Her first EP had sold over 40,000 copies in nearly three months, which could only be described as average compared to other singers in the same period, but it was already quite impressive for a newcomer.

"Sister Mei, why does this person talk like he's bragging?"

Mei Mei Yanfang didn't know Ai Ai Dajin either; she was purely here to watch Seeing Lu Kuan win an award today.

"TV programs are all like this. Hong Kong TV programs are even more exaggerated than this."

Liu Liu Xiaoli looked at the figure of Seeing Lu Kuan walking on the red carpet with Zhou Xun and Fan Fan Bingbing, and thought of her daughter's charming demeanor in Venice.

She didn't know when the next time would be.

Liu Liu Yifei saw Seeing Lu Kuan and his two female companions stopping and taking photos on the red carpet on TV, surrounded by actresses competing in beauty, and she really hoped she could appear on TV too.

"I hope Xiao Lu can win the Palme d'Or today!"

Mei Mei Yanfang looked at the young girl noncommittally; with her experience, she had naturally long since seen the clues of the young girl's feelings.

It was just that, setting aside her relationship as Seeing Lu Kuan's sworn sister, this young director really couldn't be considered a good match, and the feelings between these two would be far from as smooth as a beautiful story.

Especially in Hong Kong, where there are no directors who aren't dissolute or unfaithful, and Seeing Lu Kuan was even more so.

Jin Wei on TV guided the three guests' speeches and regained control of the situation.

"Alright, everyone can see that the red carpet process has basically ended. Our domestic actresses Zhang Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun, and Fan Fan Bingbing are also stunning at Cannes, blooming with their own brilliance on the international stage."

"Jia Dao, you are also a director who often participates in film festivals. What do the several awards that 'Shoplifters' has won, which are displayed on the subtitles, mean? Can you explain it to our viewers?"

"This doesn't seem to be the main competition award for 'Shoplifters' tonight, right?"

Jia Jia Kezhang was familiar with the process: "Oh, these are called side awards, awarded to films by organizations outside the festival."

"For example, this one called the Catholic Culture Award is an award given by foreign Protestant and Catholic film organizations, generally awarded to films that depict human nature well."

"And the second line, this is called the Humanitarian Spirit Award. These are all awards given to films by some non-official foreign institutions in cooperation with Cannes."

Jin Wei asked the question in the viewers' hearts on their behalf: "Are the more of these side awards, the better? Does it mean that the possibility of this film winning the main awards like the Palme d'Or is very high?"

Jia Jia Kezhang deliberated and explained: "To a certain extent, yes!"

"Generally speaking, the more side awards, the more it definitely means your film is favored and recognized in different dimensions and thematic depth, but this doesn't have much to do with the final winning situation; the judges don't really look at these things."

Jin Wei asked again: "Chairman Yu, you worked with Director Lou when you were at China Film Group, and Bona is the first distribution company in the country to cooperate with Director Lu. What do you think about the award prospects for these two films tonight?"

"From my personal perspective, I am relatively optimistic that Director Lu will at least be able to win the heavyweight Palme d'Or and at least one of Best Director, Best Actor, or Best Actress!"

Jin Wei: "What do Teacher Ai and Jia Dao think?"

Ai Ai Dajin: "There are many things about this year's Cannes that have been criticized by the media, just like the red carpet ceremony earlier, which was delayed by more than 20 minutes because of the strike in France."

"From the perspective of award prospects, I think 'Shoplifters' is slightly inferior to 'Purple Butterfly' because Seeing Lu Kuan's art films always carry the flavor of commercial films, and the temperament of the European Big Three is diametrically opposed to Hollywood."

Jia Jia Kezhang seemed to be targeting Ai Ai Dajin today: "I don't think so."

"Teacher Ai is talking about the European Big Three from a few years or even a dozen years ago. Starting from these past few years, the European Big Three have increasingly merged with Hollywood to seek an increase in their own influence."

"Take Venice last year, for example; Deharden's various reforms are the most obvious evidence."

"But this year's Cannes, because it is troubled by terrorist attacks, has been given more political factors, and this will also become a major variable in the final awards."

"Regarding this issue, I just communicated with Chairman Yu backstage, and it is indeed worthy of attention."

Yu Dong took over the conversation.

"I have been in contact with Director Lu and Director Jiang in Cannes during this period. From the current market ratings and word-of-mouth, the best films this year are 'Shoplifters' and 'Elephant'."

"But the subject matter of 'Elephant' is relatively sensitive; it talks about the US shooting incident, and the director, Gus, is also particularly good at hype. He has always promoted his anti-gun views to the media."

"Everyone can consider the reasons behind this on a deeper level. Now the whole world is anti-war, and the current US President Bush launched the war under the banner of anti-terrorism, and a large part of his votes also come from states where the US Rifle Association has a deep influence."

"So his intensive voicing is very conducive to winning the favor of the judges and the audience. Anti-war and anti-gun is political correctness in Europe."

At this stage, domestic speech was relatively open, far from the taboo of later generations.

Jin Wei was also surprised: "Does such hype and the creation of a personal image have such a big impact on awards? Aren't film festivals all about art as the primary consideration?"

Jia Jia Kezhang smiled: "When the quality is uneven, of course, art is the priority, but when everyone is evenly matched, these side factors inevitably play a role."

"After all, the awards are all judged by the judges. Everyone has their own political views and artistic views, and these are unavoidable."

Yu Dong and Jia Jia Kezhang were insiders. Seeing Lu Kuan's flashy operations at the previous film festival had many aspects worth savoring, and now this director of "Elephant" was doing exactly the same thing.

It belonged to the reverse of "learning from the barbarians' techniques to control the barbarians."

"Alright, dear viewers, the awards ceremony has officially begun. We see that the positions of the two crews are quite mysterious, haha. Director Lu is sitting in the aisle of the third row, and Director Lou is sitting in the middle of the fourth row, both relatively forward."

"Three of you, can the seating reflect the award trend?"

Jia Jia Kezhang explained: "Generally speaking, inviting you to the scene means you can win an award, but it's not absolute. Sitting forward and on the side means the same thing."

The European Big Three awards ceremonies are very different from the Oscars. The Oscars are all about singing and dancing, a big show.

The European Big Three are relatively plain; they just announce the awards directly, and there are very few gimmicks.

Some impatient film fans were already a bit restless, waiting for the birth of the first batch of heavyweight awards: Best Actor and Best Actress.

"It's a pity that the Palme d'Or Best Actor and Best Actress have missed out on domestic films."

Ai Ai Dajin commented proudly: "This is not surprising. 'Shoplifters' is an ensemble play, and neither the male nor female lead has a particularly distinct image or label."

"As for 'Purple Butterfly,' I can only say that Zhang Ziyi is still a notch behind the previous generation's 'Mou Girl,' Gong Li."

The atmosphere in the studio was a bit dull. Everyone seemed to have become onlookers, and except for one Golden Camera Award, Chinese-language films had come up empty-handed.

Yu Dong cheered up a bit: "Best Director is starting. Let's see if Director Lou and Director Lu have a chance to win."

Liu Liu Yifei and Mei Mei Yanfang were watching drowsily in Hong Kong, but now it was as if they had been injected with a stimulant, and their palms were faintly sweating.

Those who care about you are not necessarily relatives and friends; they could also be enemies.

At this time, Liu Liu Zeyu and Wang Wang Xiaolei were also colluding together, just wanting to see Seeing Lu Kuan make a fool of himself.

"Brother Lei, I heard that Director Feng caused some trouble over there recently?"

Wang Wang Xiaolei sipped his drink depressedly: "It's not just that Cui Cui Yongyuan caused trouble. It's just a script, without naming names, what is he in such a hurry for!"

The "Cell Phone" crew had previously rushed to Qingdao to film, just to race against time for the New Year release.

Now, because of Cui Cui Yongyuan's interruption, although the General Administration had not explicitly rejected or modified the filing documents, it had already faintly given a warning.

Some things are not pursued by officials if the people don't report them, but if someone keeps voicing their opinion and makes a big deal out of it, this matter must inevitably go through official channels.

It's true that your Yanda Huayi has people, but hasn't Xiao Cui been mixing in "CCTV" for all these years for nothing?

Cui Cui Yongyuan was the veritable "Big Brother of CCTV" at this time. He pioneered a new form of TV program, and his humorous and sharp hosting style was also very popular with viewers.

In an era where entertainment mostly relies on TV and watching TV mostly relies on CCTV, what kind of national popularity is this?

Now it's you, Feng Kuzi and Liu Liu Zhenyun, who are being dishonest, using the guise of chatting and drinking to get words out of Cui Cui Yongyuan, and then turning around and writing him into the script, still as a negative image.

After receiving anonymous materials, Cui Cui Yongyuan was furious and went directly to the leaders of the main station, asking them to communicate with the Film Bureau; the script must be modified!

Otherwise, I'm going to get depressed!

"By the way, you said you were going to pit that real estate developer to death. Can you start now? I see that leaders in the city are already making an issue out of that piece of land."

Little Little Yanei looked mysterious: "Hmm, soon."

Soon, soon, soon he would be able to appreciate Seeing Lu Kuan's incredulous eyes and appreciate Liu Liu Yifei's submissive posture.

Speak of Seeing Lu Kuan, and Seeing Lu Kuan arrives.

A voice in English saying "lu" came from the TV screen; this was the English name he used to register for international film festivals.

He learned it from Sister Gong Li; she is called "li."

"Damn it! How did he really win Best Director!?"

Liu Liu Zeyu knocked his cup heavily on the table, and a piece of crystal glass shard flew out.

"Brother Lei, didn't you say you had talked it over with Jiang Wen? He?"

Wang Wang Xiaolei's face was gloomy. On the TV screen, it was the scene of Jiang Wen beaming with joy as he presented the award to Seeing Lu Kuan.

This shouldn't be!

Jiang Wen was the lead actor in "Warriors of Heaven and Earth." Didn't he want the box office to be better himself?

Furthermore, Jiang Wen was in the Beijing circle; there was no reason for him to strike up a friendship with this kind of bumpkin with no background!

Something went wrong. Wang Wang Xiaolei's first thought was whether Jiang Wen had betrayed his own circle!

He was in the Beijing circle and was also a Manchu; these were two buffs that made him proud.

How proud was he?

The previous core of the Beijing circle, Wang Shuo, once wrote a passage in his novel "Fierce Animals."

【We all have status and have never looked at bumpkins even once. There was once a young man who was very handsome, and many big beauties were staring at him. He said he was from the "North Artillery," and we all thought his family was in the artillery unit. Finally, we found out it was the Beiping Light Bulb Factory, and no one ever paid attention to him again.】

Liu Liu Zeyu couldn't help but gloat: "Brother Lei, it seems I'm not the only one who's been hit. Your team has also produced a traitor!"

He wanted to add fuel to the fire. Seeing Lu Kuan's strength was getting stronger and stronger, and it just so happened that Yanda Huayi and Seeing Lu Kuan also had some small disagreements. It would be better to pull them into the same camp to target the inquiry realm.

Wang Wang Xiaolei also felt a surge of evil fire in his heart.

He already had opinions about Jiang Wen. He originally didn't agree with his brother investing in "Devils on the Doorstep," and the result was, as he expected, it was banned and flopped.

It's just that Jiang Wen's qualifications were too old, his status was transcendent, and his relationship with the Ying family was close; he couldn't easily do anything to him.

Liu Liu Zeyu kept adding fuel to the fire: "Brother Lei, do you think Cui Cui Yongyuan's matter could be Seeing Lu Kuan's doing?"

Wang Wang Xiaolei's action of raising his glass to drown his sorrows paused, his mind racing.

Jiang Wen tipped him off, Seeing Lu Kuan retaliated, Xiao Cui reported it.

This logic works!

Looking at the mutual appreciation between Jiang Wen and Seeing Lu Kuan on the TV screen, in his eyes, it was no different from colluding!

"Damn! I said how did Cui Cui Yongyuan come smelling the scent; it really might be him who instigated it."

He was in a fit of anger and couldn't care about considering how Seeing Lu Kuan knew the inside story of the "Cell Phone" script, so he immediately took out his phone and left the private room.

Jiang and Lu, 8,400 kilometers away from Beiping, both wanted to sneeze on stage at the same time, not knowing that they had already become the leftovers for the two's drinking.

Seeing Lu Kuan calmly finished his acceptance speech and returned to his seat.

He hadn't painstakingly lobbied for awards on this trip to Cannes; being able to win a Best Director award was not returning empty-handed.

Colleagues far away in China like Jia Jia Kezhang and Yu Dong could see the intentions of "Elephant" director Gus in public opinion and political hype, and he, who was at the center of the storm, was even clearer about it.

It's just that an ensemble play like "Shoplifters" really didn't have much competitiveness in individual awards, and the Palme d'Or and Best Director could only be left to the choice of the jury.

He believed that Jiang Wen, who could fight for it, would help him fight for it.

As the awards ceremony progressed, more and more results reflected the commentators' and media's judgment on this year's Cannes.

The most mediocre year in history.

The Turkish film "Uzak" won Best Actor, but the male lead was actually too shy to go on stage...

The French and Canadian co-production "The Barbarian Invasions" won Best Actress, but the actress had already returned home early because she thought she had no hope.

The whole process was very awkward.

If it weren't for the appearance of Seeing Lu Kuan's butterfly wings, the mediocre Cannes would have given three "two birds with one stone" awards because there were really no good films.

Immediately following was the Grand Prix, which is equivalent to the second-place Palme d'Or.

If "Shoplifters" didn't win the Grand Prix, there was still some hope for the Palme d'Or.

Heaven didn't follow human wishes. The award presenter and this year's film festival judge, Spielberg, announced the film name "Shoplifters" on stage. Seeing Lu Kuan knew that this trip to Cannes had also come to an end.

The guests in the Movie Channel studio also sighed heavily; falling short of success!

Seeing Lu Kuan let Cao Yu go on stage to receive the Grand Prix to express his recognition of this photography DP.

Jin Wei in the live broadcast room also noticed this and brought up a new topic.

"Jia Dao, what is the usual mode of interaction between a cinematographer and a director in a crew?"

Jia Jia Kezhang was familiar with the process: "To be honest, a well-matched cinematographer and director are like a married couple. For a shot, they might be in harmony, or they might argue endlessly."

"But a director with very high cinematography techniques, lighting attainments, and aesthetic levels can help a cinematographer grow, such as our domestic top cinematographer Zhao Fei."

"I am also very familiar with Old Zhao. The films viewers are familiar with, like 'Horse Thief,' 'The Emperor and the Assassin,' and 'Raise the Red Lantern,' were all shot by him."

"In '99, he felt he had reached a bottleneck, so he went to the US and found director Woody Allen, and followed the master to shoot works like 'Sweet and Lowdown'."

"The film 'Warriors of Heaven and Earth,' shot by him, will be released domestically in September. Everyone will see the difference in cinematography style compared to previous works. This is the training and promotion of a cinematographer by a good director!"

In an era when internet information was not very developed, viewers in front of their TVs listened thirstily to these professional comments.

Although winning Best Director and the Grand Prix was not a failure, it was clearly just one step away from the Palme d'Or, but in the end, it was missed.

The story of "Elephant" director Gus is adapted from the famous "Columbine shooting," a case that has received much attention from European film festivals.

It was also at Cannes last year that a film called "Bowling for Columbine" won the Cannes 55th Anniversary Special Award.

Whether intentional or unintentional, Gus followed the old path Seeing Lu Kuan took in Venice.

The subject matter fits, the quality is solid, it's politically correct, and the hype is appropriate.

It's only natural that he won the Palme d'Or.

Jin Wei watched Gus excitedly showing off the Palme d'Or on stage, also quite regretful.

"This Cannes cannot be considered a failure. After all, 'Shoplifters' also won two awards, and Director Lu's Best Director is well-deserved!"

Viewers in front of their TVs were also beating their chests.

Seeing Lu Kuan's fans regretted that his second film lost to "Elephant" at Cannes;

Seeing Lu Kuan's haters regretted that he still won Best Director after all, and they wanted to spray but had nowhere to start.

The guests in the studio had been sitting for two hours, and the time was approaching midnight, when they suddenly heard Jin Wei's puzzled voice.

"Viewers, you can wait a little longer. Director Lu seems to be accepting an interview with Hollywood star Tang Mu Cruise."

The Movie Channel's front-line reporting team handed the microphone to Tang Mu Cruise. They were extremely excited; if it weren't for Seeing Lu Kuan's introduction, this person would have taken several days just to make an appointment.

And it would cost money! 5,000 Euros!

Seeing Lu Kuan introduced: "Tang Mu, you have many fans in China. This is our domestic film media. Say hello to them."

Tang Mu Cruise smiled: "Hi, Chinese friends, hello everyone. Thank you for your attention and support!"

Movie Channel's dispatched reporter Ju Ju Wenpei: "Hello, Mr. Tang Mu Cruise. May I ask if you and Director Lu are friends? What is your evaluation of him and this film 'Shoplifters'?"

"Yes, we are friends. Although we haven't known each other for long, his film talent amazes me."

"This film reminds me of my grandmother. It's a very moving film with great depth."

Yu Dong in the studio was just about to take off his earpiece when he heard Tang Mu Cruise on the screen say lightly a piece of news that would drive the domestic film circle crazy.

"In addition, Director Lu and I are discussing a cooperation on a film project. Everyone, please look forward to it!"

Yu Dong was dumbfounded: "Holy crap!"

(End of this chapter)