Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 399 Small Circle

Three days before the opening of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival, a small gathering of directors and producers was organized in Berlin.

Not all directors and producers currently in Berlin are eligible to participate.

This small group of people rarely gathers; there are fewer than twenty people.

The directors attending the party had all won Best Director awards at at least one of the three major European film festivals.

The few producers they have produced are either those who have won the top prizes of the three major European film awards, or those who are seasoned producers who have produced several films that have won the three major European film awards.

Those who are very powerful, such as producers who are very rich or can raise a lot of funds, and directors who have only won Oscars but not the three major European awards.

I'm sorry, but these are people who are looked down upon by this small circle, so they definitely don't deserve to be invited.

To put it simply, whenever Cao Yang is in Europe, any small circle or literary gathering will try to invite him to attend.

Just kidding, Cao Yang has two Venice Golden Lions, produced a film that won a Venice Golden Lion, won the Cannes Palme d'Or, and also won Best Director at Cannes, Best Director at Venice, and the Berlin Jury Prize.

Such achievements would make even those extreme white male directors in Europe subconsciously overlook Cao Yang's skin color.

In fact, many directors in the European art scene believe that, given Cao Yang's age advantage, he is likely to become a Grand Slam director, though this requires time, opportunity, or the support of the country behind him.

Even if Cao Yang never wins the Berlin Golden Bear, as long as he remains in the industry, the Berlin Film Festival will surely be eager to award him a Lifetime Achievement Award when he turns fifty.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is also the Golden Bear.

Even if winning the Golden Bear isn't considered a true Grand Slam, having the Golden Bear, Golden Lion, and Golden Palm certainly makes it a Grand Slam to some extent.

Although this is a weaker version of the Grand Slam.

In fact, many Europeans in this circle have this idea—if they can't stop you from winning a Grand Slam, then give you a weakened version of a Grand Slam, a Grand Slam that people will criticize.

As for whether Cao Yang's current success in Hollywood, which is generally despised in their small circle, will lead to his exclusion by these people, that's wishful thinking.

Directors in this small circle certainly despise Hollywood, both verbally and in their actions. However, if they had the opportunity to develop their careers in Hollywood, no one would say no—earning money from those nouveau riche Americans is giving them face, okay?

Cao Yang has attended such obviously "high-class" gatherings more than once or twice. Every year, whenever he attends one of the three major European film festivals, he always makes sure to attend a small-circle gathering before returning to China.

Don't underestimate this small circle. To put it simply, the jury presidents invited by the three major European film festivals every year are most likely to be from this small circle.

For example, Costa Gavras, the president of the jury at this year's Berlin Film Festival, is a veteran figure in this small circle.

Costa-Gavras is a very senior figure, and he's over seventy years old.

However, his resume is still very impressive.

He won the Palme d'Or at the 35th Cannes Film Festival in 82, and later won the Golden Bear at the 40th Berlin International Film Festival in 90.

Costa-Gavras is just one Venetian Golden Lion away from achieving his goal.

The surname "Gavras" immediately evokes images of a Russian surname.

Indeed, although Costa-Gavras is French, his father is a Russian immigrant, and he also has a typical Russian temperament.

Earlier in his career, he also actively participated in the Venice Film Festival.

However, with both of his films rejected, not even making it into the main competition, the hot-blooded young Costa-Gavras directly attacked the Venice Film Festival, accusing it of being rife with corruption, lacking vision, and being rubbish…

He even declared that he would never bring his work to the Venice Film Festival in his lifetime.

He did it.

They also lost their chance at a Grand Slam.

"Costa, it's been a long time."

Cao Yang, holding a wine glass, approached Costa and raised it to him in a gesture of respect.

Costa-Gavras, who was sitting with his legs crossed, looked up and saw Cao Yang. He stood up from the sofa, picked up the wine glass next to him, clinked it with Cao Yang's, took a sip, and gestured for Cao Yang to sit down.

“My friend, sit down and talk.”

A few directors and producers, some standing and some sitting not far away, smiled and nodded in this direction, and then consciously moved a little further away.

"I've seen your film 'Love in a Seaside City,' and it's an exceptionally outstanding work. It has a very accurate grasp of human nature and many interesting visual expressions."

At this point, he smiled and looked at Cao Yang, saying, "But to be honest, I really don't like it; it's too depressing!"

Then he spread his hands and said in a self-deprecating tone, "You know, people my age can't stand things that are too depressing. I'm too easily affected by emotions. If my emotions fluctuate too much, I might not see the sun rise tomorrow."

Then, shaking his head, he said, "At my age, I've become more awe-inspiring and afraid of death, so I like to hang out with young, beautiful, and energetic actresses, even if we can't do anything together, haha..."

Cao Yang smiled, then suddenly remembered a phrase and expression that were particularly suitable for this situation. So, mimicking the host's tone and expression, he said, "Really? I don't believe it."

Costa-Gavras paused for a moment, then burst into laughter again.

He thought Cao Yang's answer was brilliant. It was a double entendre, showing that he neither believed he disliked Cao Yang's movies nor that he couldn't do anything with young and beautiful actresses. No wonder he was a world-renowned director.

"Cao, congratulations. You have once again proven to the world that you are the best director in the world at training actors. Even if the other party is a kung fu superstar who has left a stereotype on the world, you can still make him into the most artistic actor."

Costa-Gavras picked up his glass from the side and clinked it with Cao Yang's. This wasn't just politeness; it was a sign of respect for Cao Yang's ability to train actors.

"Thank you."

Cao Yang took a sip, and without exchanging pleasantries with Costa-Gavras, asked directly, "What are President Dieter's thoughts on this year's film festival?"

Although the film festival director Dieter Kosslick personally picked Cao Yang up from the airport when he first arrived in Berlin, and the two chatted afterwards, they both tacitly avoided discussing awards.

Some things still need to be done superficially.

Besides, if this kind of thing is discussed openly, it can easily make both of them feel awkward, so it's better not to mention it.

"Returning to the original purpose of the Berlin Film Festival, we focus on films with prominent political and social attributes, emphasizing their critical nature and concern for reality."

Costa-Gavras replied.

Is it a critique of realpolitik?

Cao Yang frowned; this theme didn't fit "Love in a Seaside City" at all.

As is well known, the Cannes Film Festival emphasizes both art and commerce. However, this emphasis on commerce does not mean prioritizing commercial films. Rather, it means that the Cannes Film Festival excels in marketing and commercial promotion, making it one of the top three film festivals in Europe.

The Venice Film Festival emphasizes artistry and innovative expression, which is why they dared to award Cao Yang's "Nine-Tailed Fox" the Best Director award, calling it an experimental film.

With the Venice Film Festival's endorsement, no one questions the experimental and artistic merit of "Nine-Tailed Fox," at most saying that its exploration of human nature isn't very deep. The Berlin Film Festival, on the other hand, is most notable for its social and political themes.

Perhaps due to historical reasons, the Berlin Film Festival is the film festival that places the greatest emphasis on political correctness. Almost any film about World War II that is of decent quality is likely to win an award.

Of course, this was before.

In recent years, the Berlin Film Festival has gradually changed, no longer placing so much emphasis on politics, but unexpectedly, it will emphasize politics and social issues again this year.

Is this targeting me?

Cao Yang couldn't help but think of it.

"Love in the Seaside City" can be categorized as a film that delves into and explores human nature.

Besides their respective focuses, the three major European cinemas share a common thread: they all emphasize in-depth exploration and discussion of human nature in their films.

Seeing Cao Yang's thoughtful expression, Costa-Gavras didn't say much.

Some things are best left unsaid; they can only be understood implicitly and not explicitly stated.

Because things can change until the very last moment. If you make a definitive statement and things change, others might be disappointed, which would offend them.
Cao Yang could actually glean some insights from Costa-Gavras's words, such as Jackie Chan's Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award being almost a certainty.

Costa-Gavras didn't mention the Golden Bear at all. If he had said "there's a chance," Cao Yang would definitely have made arrangements, such as sacrificing some benefits in exchange for support, or exchanging benefits with others.

But that's all Costa Gavras said. Does that mean "The Seaside Town" can only win a Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award?

The day before the opening of the Berlin Film Festival, after learning that the crews of "In Love We Trust" and "Sparrow," which were in the main competition, had arrived in Berlin, Cao Yang organized a get-together for everyone that evening.

Wang Xiaoshuai called over the main creators and producers who had come to Berlin together and asked with a smile, "I just received a call from Director Cao, who said we should get together tonight. Does anyone have time?"

The producer of "Left Right" is Huang Bin, a very young man who used to be a reporter. He was very familiar with Lao Chen and Sister Hong. Sister Hong thought the young man was eloquent and made him the marketing director of "The Promise".

And so, Huang Bin officially entered the film industry.

You might not be familiar with the name Huang Bin, but he was quite a big shot later on, serving as the marketing director for films like "The Promise" and "Forever Enthralled".

He then switched careers to become a producer, producing Wang Xiaoshuai's "Left Right", as well as the films "The Best of Us", "Forever Young" and "Journey to the West: The Land of Women".

She was also the producer of the TV series "Princess Agents".

He also became a director; he directed the film "My Sunshine".

He was Huang Xiaoming's agent after he left Huayi Brothers, and also the agent who made Zhao Liying famous.

However, right now, he is just a fledgling producer.

Upon hearing Cao Yang's invitation for everyone to get together, Huang Bin's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "Director Wang, I have time."

"I have time too."

Zhang Jiayi, one of the lead actors in "Left Right", also chimed in.

"I have time too."

Liu Weiwei, the lead actress who came to Berlin with the film crew, quickly added.

"I have time too."

Another male lead, Cheng Taishen, said something, then jokingly teased Liu Weiwei, "Didn't you say you wanted to rest early tonight so you'd be in top form for the red carpet tomorrow? The party tonight might go very late, are you still going?"

Liu Weiwei rolled her eyes at Cheng Taishen. "Look at what you're saying. Even if it's late, I'm definitely going."

That was Director Cao inviting everyone to get together. This was a great opportunity to get to know Director Cao. Although I also graduated from Beijing Film Academy, there are many people who graduated from Beijing Film Academy, but how many of them actually know Director Cao?
Once you know Director Cao, you'll have at least more opportunities to act in his films than if you don't. It's a very simple principle.

Just as Wang Xiaoshuai had predicted, no one wanted to leave.

Wang Xiaoshuai smiled. Opportunities to meet Director Cao are rare. To put it bluntly, it's only because we're all Chinese and attending a film festival abroad that we get together.

Otherwise, these people would never have had the chance to get to know Director Cao in the country.

Wang Xiaoshuai was somewhat emotional. He believed that he had a good relationship with Cao Yang, and that they had known each other since they were both struggling.

Back when Cao Yang's first film, "Alone on the Beach at Night," was submitted to the Berlin Film Festival, his film "Beijing Bicycle" was also submitted to the same Berlin Film Festival.

Even more coincidentally, Cao's "On the Beach at Night Alone" won the Jury Prize, while his "Beijing Bicycle" won Best Director.

However, in recent years, Cao Yang's films have all become hits, and his status and influence have made him the number one Chinese director, while Wang Xiaoshuai...

To say I've stagnated is an understatement; I've simply become more senior.

Wang Xiaoshuai reunited with Cao Yang in Berlin once again, and both of their films were selected for the main competition. He hoped that this time they would both have a good result, just like last time.

This gathering was attended not only by the entire crew of Wang Xiaoshuai's "Left Right" but also by the entire crew of director Du Qifeng's "Sparrow" from Hong Kong who came to Berlin.

In addition, Shu Qi, a jury member at this year's Berlin Film Festival, learned that Cao Yang had called everyone together, so she took the initiative to call Cao Yang and asked him with a smile if he had forgotten about her.

Cao Yang knew that Shu Qi was a judge on the judging panel, but he was afraid that calling her would put her in a difficult position.

After all, Shu Qi still values ​​her reputation quite a bit after successfully leaving the mainland. For example, when attending the three major European film festivals, she dresses very conservatively, and every time she dates, she is always aiming for marriage, as she herself said in an interview.

Since Shuqi offered to come, then let's go.

The gathering was quite lively.

The cast and crew of "Sparrow" also came to Berlin quite a bit, including director Du Qifeng, lead actor Ren Dahua and his wife, and another very interesting person, Lin Xilei.

Anyway, when Lin Xilei saw Shu Qi arrive, her originally smiling face suddenly became unnatural.

They are the same age, both were made famous by Wong Jing, both have the nickname "Crystal Girls", and both became famous through erotic films.

However, Shu Qi has now successfully transitioned to a more artistic lifestyle, becoming a regular at film festivals, winning Best Actress awards, and serving as a jury member at this year's Berlin Film Festival.

And what about Lin Xilei?
If we don't compare her to Shu Qi, her career has been doing quite well in recent years.

But everything is subject to comparison.

Shu Qi has put on her "clothes," but Lin Xilei is still being called a "sexy star" by the Hong Kong and Taiwanese media.

Lin Xilei couldn't be happy to see Shu Qi.

(End of this chapter)