Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 344 Award Ceremony
At present, there is a specific term in China called "aiming for the Olympics".

This "Oscar push" has nothing to do with the Olympics; it specifically refers to Chinese films aiming for the Oscars.

Every year, each of the three regions (Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan) selects one film to represent the mainland, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the Oscar race.

Of course, the primary target is still the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Before Cao Yang went to Hollywood to make movies, whenever his films won the three major European awards, the Film Bureau would routinely ask if he was willing to represent mainland China in the Oscar competition for Best Foreign Language Film.

If Cao Yang agrees, with the huge advantage of winning the three major European awards, there will be no chance for other directors. They won't need to go to great lengths to secure this spot.

However, Cao Yang has never been particularly interested in the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and has never agreed to represent China in the competition for this award.

After Cao Yang entered Hollywood and won numerous awards, including the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, the Film Bureau stopped questioning him even after "Black Swan" won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

People know that Cao Yang has even less regard for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film—although the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film is still something that domestic directors are scrambling to achieve.

Last year, two highly influential Chinese films were released, both directed by renowned directors: Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower" and Xiao Gangpao's "The Banquet".

Both films are eligible to represent mainland China in this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. However, mainland China only selects one film each year, so what the media and reporters were happy to see happened.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" and "The Banquet" started fighting each other.

The media reporters egged them on, as if afraid it wouldn't be exciting enough; this is considered a "reserved item" of the annual media extravaganza in China.

In terms of influence among the general public, or ordinary viewers, Xiao Gangpao is actually similar to Zhang Yimou; both are widely recognized as top directors in China.

However, in terms of official influence, it's on a completely different level. In China today, the only one who can compete with Zhang Yimou is the great poet Chen Kaige.

Of course, Cao Yang is now in a league of his own and does not compete with others; this is acknowledged by both the official authorities and the media in China.

The official influence of "Little Steel Cannon" is at least one level lower than that of Zhang Yimou, not to mention that the box office of "The Banquet" was not as good as that of "Curse of the Golden Flower".

So, with almost no suspense, the little cannon was eliminated.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" is the only film representing mainland China in this year's Oscar competition for Best Foreign Language Film.

However, nearly half of the investment in "The Banquet" came from Hong Kong's Media Asia Films, and given that Hong Kong's film industry is practically dead now, there are really no decent films to show for it.

Therefore, by changing the competition, "The Banquet" became the best choice for the Hong Kong Film Producers Association to represent Hong Kong in this year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

This really caught us off guard, but thinking about it, it makes perfect sense.

If "The Banquet" were to beat "Curse of the Golden Flower" in the Oscar race, even if it didn't win Best Foreign Language Film, it would be interesting to see it even make the nomination list.

At least for Xiao Gangpao, it's an inspirational story and a satisfying read; he probably dreams of such a plot happening.

such a pity.

Regrettably, neither "Curse of the Golden Flower" representing mainland China, nor "The Banquet" representing Hong Kong, nor "Deep Sea" representing Taiwan, were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

It's not necessarily a bad thing that none of them made it onto the nomination list.

The key point is that "Curse of the Golden Flower" is somewhat special.

Because of the investment from American International Bank and Hong Kong banks, and because the North American copyright was still a collaboration with Sony Classics, it was qualified to compete for other Oscar awards.

What really broke my nerves was that, although "Curse of the Golden Flower" didn't get an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, it did get an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.

The fiercely competitive young man has once again lost to Zhang Yimou.

This is also why Xiao Gangpao seemed somewhat happy after hearing Cao Yang say that "Inception" had received many nominations but was unlikely to win any major awards—it can't be just my little heart that gets hurt, it can't always be me who breaks down.

Although Xiao Gangpao broke down again after hearing Cao Yang's explanation that it was difficult to win major awards because the box office was too high, his original intention was to find self-comfort and balance.

In China, Cao Yang's "Inception" received nine Oscar nominations, which was also a major topic of coverage before the Lunar New Year.

However, even though everyone considers Inception to be a classic film, even one that could be recorded in film history, the industry is not too optimistic about how many awards it will win.

As the famous film critic Zhou Liming said during his appearance on the groom's show:

"The Oscars are actually similar to most film festivals, like our Golden Rooster Awards. If a film has too high a box office, it will be automatically classified as a commercial film, even if the film has very high artistic value."

Undeniably, Inception is a classic film, possessing exceptional entertainment value, innovative storytelling, and a blend of exploration and humanistic concern.

I checked the ratings on IMDb, a well-known American movie review website, and Inception still has a high score of 9.0, ranking in the top ten of the movie charts.

However, it is undeniable that Inception's box office was so high that many Oscar judges unconsciously categorized it as a commercial film.

So I think everyone shouldn't have too high expectations, just take it with a normal attitude.

Regardless of whether "Inception" wins an award, it did receive nine Oscar nominations, and the media still gave it extensive coverage.

That means Cao Yang. His film "Despicable Milk" received ten Oscar nominations, "District 9" received seven Oscar nominations, and now nine nominations are not surprising.

If it were any other Chinese director, and their film received nine Oscar nominations, it would be a major event that would shake the entire Chinese entertainment industry.

It's probably because of a glitch in CCTV's broadcast last year, which made the groom's live stream attract too much attention. Sohu got envious and also did a live stream this time.

Unlike the groom, they didn't ask guests to objectively analyze and guess who would win the award; instead, they focused on the "grudges and rivalries" between the two families.

This kind of gossip is actually quite interesting, attracting a lot of attention from netizens.

Sohu also invited three guests, each representing one side, to "debate" who could be the biggest winner of this year's Oscars.

The Oscars were a major factor in Sohu's success, allowing them to capitalize on the trending topic.

Just look at the nomination list for the 79th Academy Awards to see how deep this "grudge" goes.

Cao Yang's "Inception" received nine nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Sound Effects, and Best Sound Editing.

Martin Scorsese's remake of the Hong Kong film "Infernal Affairs," titled "The Departed," received four Academy Award nominations at the 79th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing.

Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" received four award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Sound. Does this scene seem familiar?
At the 77th Academy Awards, Cao Yang competed against Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood for major awards such as Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.

Cao Yang's "District 9" won three awards: Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" won three awards: Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor.

Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" won the most awards, five in total, but they were all "minor awards" and couldn't compare in significance to those of Cao Yang and Eastwood.

The most important awards—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress—were split between Cao Yang and Clint Eastwood.

The fact that these three are meeting again at the Oscars, and competing for major awards like Best Picture and Best Director, is naturally a major highlight.

Cao Yang guessed that this might be the reason why Oscar president Sid Garnier called him and insisted that he attend the Oscars.

Before running for president of the Academy and the Academy Awards, Sid Garnier was a senior executive at Columbia Pictures and served as executive producer of District 9 when Cao Yang was filming the movie.

The two worked well together and had a good relationship.

Cao Yang felt that since it was difficult for him to win a big prize, Sid Garnier should give him some "compensation" in terms of other "smaller prizes".

The Oscars did indeed make Cao Yang's "feud" with Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood one of the highlights of this year's Oscars, and many American media outlets reported on it.

Whether we Chinese or Americans, we all enjoy watching a spectacle; this is probably one of the common traits of human beings.

It's quite an achievement that three directors met at the Oscars and were all nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, so the media used many exaggerated terms when reporting on it.

Things like "Martin's Revenge", "Clint's Determination to Win Best Director", and "Cao Yang's Solo Battle Against Two Veteran Hollywood Directors".

They just go for whatever is eye-catching.

The reason for the topic of "Cao Yang taking on two veteran Hollywood directors" is that "Inception" received nine nominations, while "The Departed" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" each received four nominations.

The two movies combined don't even amount to as much as "Inception".

美国当地时间2月25日下午5:00，京城时间26日上午9:00，第79届奥斯卡金像奖，在洛杉矶柯达剧院举行。

The red carpet at this year's Oscars was still incredibly star-studded.

Johnny Depp received another Best Actor nomination for his role in Inception. Even though he knew he had almost no chance of winning, he was still going to attend.

Leonardo DiCaprio is also here; he has also received a Best Actor nomination.

Interestingly, although he was the male lead in "The Departed," he did not receive a Best Actor nomination for the film.

The film that earned Leonardo DiCaprio a Best Actor nomination was similar in genre to "The Departed," also a crime film called "Blood Diamond."

It's strange how things work out sometimes. Where Leonardo DiCaprio is, Kate Winslet is also there. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role in "Mothers".

In this movie, Kate Winslet wasn't yet "Fat Winslet," but she looked noticeably older.

But we can't blame someone who's willing to sacrifice for art. Those scenes with no clothes and passionate scenes were all done by her own hands. Before becoming "Fat Wen," she had a very good figure.

Gu Changwei, that old fellow, has been nominated for Best Cinematography again. He's become somewhat "numb" to the Oscars these days. Well, that's what he told the domestic media.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, they've been nominated for the Oscar for Best Cinematography time and time again, and even won the award.

He said he was "numb," but everyone knew he was just trying to show off.

But even though you know this old guy deserves to be scolded, you can't say anything. Gu Changwei has been nominated for the Oscar for Best Cinematography for the fourth time. No matter who disagrees, they have to keep quiet.

He arrived earlier than Cao Yang, and he brought his wife Jiang Wenli with him.

Family members are allowed to attend the Oscars ceremony.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Cao Yang rarely brings his girlfriend along.

Sometimes having too many people can cause a lot of trouble, and it's not appropriate to bring anyone along.

Of course, there are some special circumstances where bringing someone along won't cause trouble. For example, this time, he walked the red carpet openly with Fat Bing, and no one will say anything.

After all, Bingbing is the female lead in "Inception," so even if she didn't get an Oscar nomination, there's no problem for her to attend the Oscars.

Fan Bingbing is not as high-profile as before, and she no longer buys articles to "outshine" others.

With different identities and mindsets, different reliance on others, their behavior will inevitably change as well.

Fan Bingbing wore a white belted evening gown with a strapless design featuring pearl embroidery outlining classic vine patterns. It wasn't deliberately low-cut or fitted at the chest, and the waist was adorned with tiny diamonds, as if a galaxy had fallen to her waist.

The skirt is made of three layers of tulle, creating a cloud-like, fluffy feel, and the train stretches like a snowfield, making each step feel like stepping on silent shattered silver.

This made Fat Bing appear exceptionally radiant and elegant.

Fortunately, the temperature in Los Angeles in February is not bad, with daytime temperatures reaching the teens or twenties, otherwise these female guests wearing skirts would have had a hard time.

After walking the red carpet, guests entered the first floor of the theater auditorium, where two rows of aisles clearly divided the seating area into three rows.

Interestingly, Cao Yang and the cast and crew of "Inception" were sitting in the middle row.

Martin Scorsese and his "The Departed" crew are sitting in the left row.

The crew of Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" were sitting in the row on the right.

Furthermore, all three film crews were seated in the first to third rows, and the camera would frequently pan across them, showing the people from all three crews on the big screen.

Oscar has learned to pull off some funny stunts too.

With Ellen DeGeneres taking the stage, the 79th Academy Awards ceremony officially began.

(End of this chapter)