Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 312 Whimsical
At 9:45 p.m. local time in Venice on September 3, "The Banquet" began its first screening in Venice amidst the anticipation of numerous foreign media outlets and film distributors from various countries.

The Palalido Hall, which can accommodate around 700 people, was about 70% full, which is not bad.

You could call Xiao Gangpao a big mouth, or you could call him arrogant. He actually has quite a few flaws, but one thing is certain: he's a smart man.

In Europe, Little Cannon still clearly understands who the selling point of a movie is.

Apart from Ge You, who was absent due to his fear of flying, Zhou Xun and Wu Yanzu also made their way to the screening.

However, in external advertising, Xiaogangpao unhesitatingly placed Li Xiaoran in the center position, and almost all the posters featured Li Xiaoran.

Although Li Xiaoran is a Berlin Film Festival Best Actress winner, she is still highly regarded by the media and film producers in European art circles.

Many people came here today specifically for her.

As Xiao Gangpao's "good friend," Cao Yang naturally came as well.

However, this kind of screening section is essentially a film screening event, with the purpose of promotion and film sales, so there is no need to hold a red carpet. Even if there were, not many guests would come, as it would be too late.

When Cao Yang heard quotes like "Our great nation upholds integrity," "You are the Empress, a model of virtue for the world, yet you still kick off your blankets while sleeping," and "Even if everyone else abandons him, I won't, love won't," he felt a little embarrassed.

At the same time, he also felt that Li Xiaoran's hand, which was secretly holding his, was trembling slightly.

"It's hilarious, isn't it?"

Li Xiaoran said softly.

"is a bit."

Cao Yang suppressed a laugh and said.

A period epic that claims to incorporate elements of Hamlet, Little Cannon has indeed managed to make the film a "hybrid" of sorts.

"Look, the foreigners didn't laugh because the translation used the simplest words, which certainly couldn't achieve the precision of Chinese, and they wouldn't understand it either."

During the preview screenings in Guangzhou and Shanghai, there was laughter at every show, which infuriated Director Feng, and he even argued with reporters about it.

Li Xiaoran explained softly.

After the movie ended, the applause was not enthusiastic, and the media's reaction was somewhat lukewarm.

"Aren't you disappointed?" Cao Yang asked.

Li Xiaoran had already stood up, ready to go on stage to be interviewed with Xiao Gangpao and others.

She rolled her eyes at Cao Yang and said softly:
"Brother, this is a commercial film. Don't be fooled by how much Director Feng praises it, saying it's an adaptation of Hamlet, based on a true story from ancient times, and that it's going to be made into a Chinese opera. It's essentially a commercial film."

This is Venice, the temple of art films; it would be strange if these media outlets and journalists gave it such a warm response.

Okay, it's good that you can let it go.

The following day, local media reported that "The Banquet" was a rather mediocre film; the story was told clearly, but it was unremarkable.

Furthermore, most critics believe that the film is too Westernized and its blending with the ancient Chinese background is rather strange. If the ancient Chinese background were removed, it would be impossible to tell that this is a Chinese film.

The only highlight was Li Xiaoran's performance. The media believed that Li Xiaoran perfectly captured the aura of the "Empress," making people feel as if they were seeing Elizabeth and Catherine II.

Clearly, Li Xiaoran was pleased with the media's praise, so she truly transformed into a noble queen, charging into battle and trying to conquer Cao Yang.

Unfortunately, in the end, they always failed at the last minute, and were instead counterattacked by Cao Yang, who routed them, leaving them panting and exhausted, and only able to weakly beg for mercy.

Li Xiaoran only stayed in Venice for three days before returning to China with Xiao Gangpao and the others. They still had to go to Chang'an for a preview screening and to promote the film, so they would be very busy from then on.

On the 6th, David Lynch's new film "Inland Empire" premiered at the film festival. Many people attended, including the president of the Venice Film Festival, the chairman of the organizing committee, the artistic director, and all the members of the jury.

Of course, Cao Yang also came; he stayed specifically for this day to present the award to David Lynch.

In addition, many directors and celebrities came. Cao Yang also saw Jia Zhangke and Liu Jie, who came over to greet him.

Both of them are from the Beijing Film Academy. Although one graduated from the photography department and the other from the literature department, they both became directors after graduating from the Beijing Film Academy, and their relationship with Cao Yang seems very close.

Before the film premiere, Marco Müller spoke first, praising David Lynch's contributions to world cinema and announcing that David Lynch would be awarded the Venice Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

Then Cao Yang came out and presented David Lynch with the Golden Lion and a certificate.

It was obvious that David Lynch was very excited, and he kept thanking Cao Yang while holding his hand.

Cao Yang was somewhat moved. Old Ma really went all out for the Venice Film Festival, using all sorts of methods to try and increase its influence.

David Lynch is only 60 years old this year, and he is also the youngest recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in the history of the Venice Film Festival.

After all, there are only so many influential directors, especially Hollywood directors. If you want to give a lifetime achievement award, you can't just give it to a commercial film director, can you? Nor can you give it to some independent filmmakers who don't have much influence, can you?

Therefore, it is necessary to "grab" people.

Old Ma was quick to act.

Since we're here, we definitely have to watch David Lynch's new film, "Inland Empire." This is his first film in five years, and according to Lynch, it took him more than three years from conception to filming.

Cao Yang and the guests were all looking forward to seeing what kind of masterpiece David Lynch had created after more than three years.

Then, everyone was stunned.

For three whole hours, to sum it up in one sentence, it was utterly incomprehensible!
Anyway, Cao Yang didn't understand it.

Three hours! A stream-of-consciousness movie! Do you know how painful those three hours were?
After the movie finally ended, the lobby erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Cao Yang felt that the applause didn't seem to be for David Lynch, but rather a cheer for the movie finally being over.

The most representative example is what the media said in a post-event interview with the lead actress, Laura Dern.

Laura Dern said, "In fact, I was not sure what Inland Empire was about, and I had no idea who I was playing. I still don't know until I watched the film for the first time in Venice and then I understood what I was doing."

Okay, I guess this is art.

Then, Cao Yang took Jia Zhangke and Liu Jie to have a meal together.

From the conversation, it was clear that Jia Zhangke was quite confident that he could win an award in the main competition, while Liu Jie in the Horizons competition was a bit insecure, humbly saying that just being able to come to Venice was already a great achievement.

Liu Jie is a photography major, and she came to Venice alone this time. After all, it's a less important award like the Horizons section, not the main competition, so there's no need for too many people to come.

Before he directed his own films, he worked with Wang Xiaoshuai as Wang Xiaoshuai's cinematographer.

Liu Jie was the cinematographer for Wang Xiaoshuai's films "The Days of Winter and Spring," "Dreamy Countryside," and "Beijing Bicycle."

After finishing their meal, Liu Jie went home first. Before leaving, he hesitated for a moment and whispered to Cao Yang, "Director Cao, is there any hope for an award in the Horizons section?"

Cao Yang thought for a moment and said to him, "The competition for this award isn't too fierce. I'll ask around; there shouldn't be any problems."

Liu Jie smiled sincerely and grasped Cao Yang's hand, "Director Cao, thank you for your trouble."

"We're all on the same side, it's only right." After Liu Jie left, Jia Zhangke said with a smile, "Director Cao, how about we go for a walk?"

"it is good."

The two walked for a while without saying a word, and when they reached the street corner, they turned back in tacit agreement.

"Mr. Marco told me that the chances are very high this time, but he also told me to keep a low profile."

Jia Zhangke spoke first.

"The money he transferred to your company in Hong Kong has been discovered by someone with ulterior motives, and he may be afraid that this matter will become the focus of public opinion."

Cao Yang didn't hide anything and said it directly.

In his previous life, Jia Zhangke did not keep a low profile after obtaining the Golden Lion.

"Still Life" was released in the same period as "Curse of the Golden Flower." When Jia Zhangke gave a speech at Peking University, he said, "Now people only know about gold, not good people..."

Furthermore, he made sarcastic remarks about "Curse of the Golden Flower" on different occasions.

His actions angered Zhang Weiping, the producer of "Curse of the Golden Flower".

Zhang Dazui then launched into a tirade in front of the media, directly pointing out the sources of funding for the film "Still Life," including investment from Venice Film Festival President Marco Müller.

Old Jia immediately panicked and quickly denied it.

However, he did not deny the source of the funding, but said that his winning the Golden Lion had nothing to do with Marco Müller. He said that the decision-making power for the award was made by the jury, not the president of the Venice Film Festival, and that if you don't understand, you shouldn't spout nonsense.

At the time, Mark Müller was in the country, and when the media wanted to interview him and ask for his opinion, he refused to be interviewed.

In short, everyone was in a very passive position at the time, including those who opened their mouths wide.

Marco Müller, as the president of the Venice Film Festival, is very supportive of Chinese films, and it could even be said that he has made a significant contribution to bringing Chinese films to Europe and the world.

This is just one aspect.

On the other hand, Zhang Dazui denied Jia Zhangke's Golden Lion, meaning that the Golden Lion was "illegitimate" and lacked authority, which was tantamount to denying the authority of the Venice Film Festival.

This is a huge deal; it's equivalent to rejecting all the awards won at the Venice Film Festival, especially considering that Zhang Yimou also holds the Golden Lion.

Therefore, when the media interviewed Zhang Dakou, he flatly denied what he had said a few days earlier, blatantly lying and saying that he had never said those words and that the media had taken his words out of context and reported them haphazardly.

"I see."

Jia Zhangke remained silent for a moment, neither denying nor defending himself.

We're all on the same side, so if he tries to explain or defend himself, Cao Yang will definitely stop caring about it.

"If 'Still Life' wins a major award, you can check the release schedule and choose accordingly. There's no need to compete with blockbusters. The domestic market can't accommodate two box office hits at the same time."

Cao Yang continued.

"Okay, I know."

Jia Zhangke nodded, then hesitated for a moment before saying, "Director Cao, do you think Mr. Marco can decide who wins the grand prize all by himself?"

I thought you were really sitting on your laurels, but it turns out your confidence was just a paper tiger.

Cao Yang patted Jia Zhangke on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Before becoming the president of the Venice Film Festival, Lao Ma worked in Venice for decades, from film selector to artistic director. He's long been rooted here."

Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to start supporting Chinese-language films in the second year after becoming chairman, just like last year when he gave all the opening and closing ceremony films of the film festival to Chinese-language films.

This year also saw so many Chinese-language films nominated for various categories.

They even dared to award the Golden Lion to Chinese people for three consecutive years.

Without a certain foundation and background, how could one possibly achieve these things?

Jia Zhangke stopped talking and walked all the way back to the intersection before solemnly saying to Cao Yang, "Thank you, Director Cao."

With things settled in Venice, there was no need for Cao Yang to stay.

He greeted Marco Müller, and although the old man tried his best to persuade him to stay and attend the closing ceremony, Cao Yang refused. He had promised Lao Hou that he would go back to attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Film Academy, otherwise it would be too late.

Back in Beijing, Cao Yang rested for a day, and the next day he went to the Beijing Film Academy to find Lao Hou and ask him how to make arrangements.

In Lao Hou's office, Cao Yang noticed that Lao Hou seemed a little unhappy.

"What's wrong, Lord Hou? You look so worried."

Old Hou roused himself, smiled, and waved his hand, "This isn't our area of ​​expertise; talking about it will only cause trouble."

Cao Yang became even more curious. "The more you say that, the more curious I become. Tell me what's going on."

Since Cao Yang wanted to hear it, Lao Hou gave a brief explanation.

He went to a meeting at the Ministry of Education yesterday and saw several university presidents in the aerospace field looking indignant. After inquiring about what had happened, he learned what was going on.

In March 2002, the 15 member states of the European Union met together and announced that they were going to do something big—launch the Galileo project!

To put it bluntly, they want to develop their own satellite navigation system instead of always relying on the American GPS.

After the Galileo project was launched, our country was also quite interested. After all, having more navigation systems means having more security, and no one wants to be held back by others all the time. The "Galaxy" incident is a lesson from the past.

On September 18, 2004, representatives from China and Europe signed a cooperation agreement, followed by several more specific agreements in October.

According to the agreement, our country will invest 2.3 million euros to participate in the construction of the Galileo project and will own 20% of the Galileo system and have 100% of the right to use it.

In 2006, which is this year, the EU suddenly changed its mind!
They started finding various reasons to refuse to provide key technologies, and even said they were worried that we would use these technologies to develop our own navigation systems.

Our country naturally objected, as that wasn't what was said when the agreement was signed! But the EU completely ignored them, unilaterally tearing up the cooperation agreement and excluding our country from the Galileo project.

2.3 million euros have gone down the drain.

You should know that when the EU launched the Galileo project, they didn't have the money, so they brought us in.

To put it bluntly, they never genuinely wanted to cooperate with us in the first place; they just wanted to freeload and use our funds to develop their navigation system.

Cao Yang was furious when he heard this. These people from the EU were clearly bullying us. They set this up because they saw that we wanted to develop a navigation system.

But as Lao Hou said, this isn't something that happens in our field, so there's nothing we can do even if we're anxious.

Do you really expect a filmmaker to develop the key technologies for a navigation system out of thin air?
Huh?
Cao Yang suddenly had a brilliant idea: "If I were to make a movie, like 'Gravity,' the premise would be that rescuing the female lead would require using satellite positioning."

If the person in charge of this matter is an expert in navigation satellites, and I were to play that expert myself, and add a few more people to the role, would I temporarily become an expert in navigation satellites?

When the time comes, take advantage of your memory to write down the key points and say that you obtained them from other sources. Wouldn't that be another layer of protection?
Isn't that a bit of wishful thinking?
Well, that's definitely a bit of a pipe dream.

(End of this chapter)