Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 460 Incredible
Cao Yang's debut film, "Alone on the Beach at Night," was shown at the Berlin Film Festival.

Due to the time difference, the Berlin Film Festival awards ceremony took place at around 2 or 3 a.m. in China.

At that time, Cao Yang was not famous at all, and the Internet in China was not yet developed, so there was very little online reporting, and no other portal websites or communities would report on the Berlin Film Festival in the early morning.

Besides the groom's entertainment.

When Hu, the editor-in-chief of Xinlang Entertainment, had just taken office, he wanted to make some achievements, so he stayed in the office at night and became the first media outlet to report on Cao Yang's "blitzkrieg" in Berlin.

Correspondingly, Sina Entertainment saw an unprecedented surge in views for this news story, ranking first.

Editor-in-Chief Hu tasted the sweetness of success.

From then on, whenever Cao Yang participated in a film festival, Xinlang Entertainment would stake it out immediately.

In recent years, with Editor-in-Chief Hu's promotion, Singer Entertainment has adopted different reporting methods.

They not only send reporters to the scene to report, but also combine information from the reporters on the ground with information from well-known film critics or filmmakers to conduct live broadcasts online. Although they do not have broadcasting rights, it is not illegal for the hosts and guests to talk about the film festival's awards in a chat-like manner.

At last year's 48th Berlin International Film Festival, Cao Yang achieved the first-ever grand slam of Best Director awards at the three major European film festivals, making this year's performance even more anticipated.

Therefore, two important figures were invited to the live broadcast room of Xinlang Entertainment this time.

Lu Wei is a famous screenwriter whose representative works include Chen Kaige's "Farewell My Concubine" and Zhang Yimou's "To Live".

The other one is Wang Xiaoshuai.

Cao Yang's debut film, "Alone on the Beach at Night," and Wang Xiaoshuai's "Beijing Bicycle" were both shown at the Berlin Film Festival in the same year. That year, one of them won the Jury Prize, and the other won Best Director.

Just last year, the two met again at the Berlin Film Festival.

Cao Yang won Best Director, and Wang Xiaoshuai won Best Screenplay for "Left Right".

Wang Xiaoshuai and Cao Yang are quite destined to meet.

Therefore, Xinlang Entertainment invited Wang Xiaoshuai.

When Wang Xiaoshuai first heard that it was going to be a live stream online, he was very resistant and refused without hesitation.

He is a quiet and reserved person who doesn't like to interact with people or appear on camera, let alone live stream online.

However, when he learned that it was a live broadcast of the Berlin Film Festival awards ceremony, with a focus on Cao Yang, Wang Xiaoshuai considered it for a moment and then agreed.

"The Best Screenplay award went to the American film 'The Messenger,' which also won a Peace Film Award off-screen. As the previous winner of the Best Screenplay award, what are Director Wang's thoughts?"

"This is what the host, Zeng Zixing, asked."

"I learned about the general plot of this movie beforehand, and it should be considered an anti-war film."

A soldier who was seriously wounded in the Iraq War but was not yet due to be discharged was assigned to the army's casualty notification center upon returning home, becoming someone who delivered notifications to wounded and injured soldiers...

This creates a high level of dramatic conflict, offers a wealth of material for filming, addresses very real issues, and allows for exploration and reflection on morality and ethics.

Wang Xiaoshuai analyzed slowly and methodically.

Lu Wei wasn't as polite as Wang Xiaoshuai. He directly replied, "There are 'shortcuts' to winning awards at the top three European clubs, or to getting a nomination for one."

For example, the Berlin Film Festival's biggest characteristic is its focus on politics over commerce, with artistic merit being secondary. This is also why the Berlin Film Festival has reached a plateau in recent years.

The host, Zeng Zixing, immediately noticed that inviting Lu Wei was the right decision; this topic was sure to generate a lot of discussion and attention.

"Politics? Professor Lu, could you elaborate?"

Lu Wei pushed up his glasses and said, "There's not much to say about this. As many people know, Germany was reflecting on the situation because of World War II, which affected the Berlin Film Festival."

Therefore, the Berlin Film Festival places great emphasis on anti-war films, which has become a major characteristic of the festival.

"So, besides the good plot, the subject matter might have been a plus for 'The Messenger' to win Best Screenplay?"

After Zeng Zixing finished speaking, he looked at Wang Xiaoshuai, hoping that Wang Xiaoshuai could add a few words on this topic.

However, Wang Xiaoshuai disappointed him, seemingly unwilling to say anything more.

What is Director Wang's opinion?

Zeng Zixing asked directly.

Since you don't want to talk about it, as a qualified host, he certainly doesn't want to "let go" of Wang Xiaoshuai.

"My films, 'Beijing Bicycle' and 'In Love We Trust,' are not anti-war films, yet they won awards at the Berlin Film Festival."

Wang Xiaoshuai also pushed up his glasses and spoke slowly.

Zeng Zixing immediately became excited. He could tell that Wang Xiaoshuai didn't quite agree with Lu Wei's point of view. As the host, he loved this kind of scene the most.

refute!

Keep it up, Teacher Lu!

Rebut him forcefully!
Zeng Zixing wished the two of them could start arguing in the live broadcast room... well, fight.

However, Lu Wei disappointed him.

The screenwriter simply smiled and said nothing.

Zeng Zixing was somewhat disappointed.

The director reminded him that it was time to move on to the next topic, because the Berlin Film Festival was about to award the Best Actor prize, and the live broadcast should follow the awards ceremony.

Zeng Zixing was extremely disappointed, but as a well-mannered host, he still steered the conversation by saying, "We all know that at last year's film festival, Director Cao helped Jackie Chan win the Best Actor award at Berlin. Will Wu Qihua have a chance this time?"

"Many factors can influence a film's chances of winning an award, and many factors can also influence an actor's chances of winning an award. Sometimes, even if an actor performs exceptionally well, a poor subject matter, a bad story, or a film lacking artistic merit can all affect an actor's chances of winning an award."

Conversely, with similar stories, exceptional acting can greatly enhance a film. Even a story that might not have initially resonated with judges can be made compelling by a good actor.

Lu Wei said.

"Yes, I agree with Professor Lu's point of view."

Wang Xiaoshuai nodded, speaking slowly and in a low voice:

"Actors are indeed extremely important, but perhaps everyone has seen that Director Cao is good at directing actors. If you observe carefully, you will find that Director Cao is very good at telling stories."

All of his films tell a great story. As Mr. Lu said, if a film can't even tell a basic story well, then no matter how well the actors are trained, it's not very meaningful.

It's like a race; if you're on the wrong path, no matter how fast you run, you'll never reach the finish line.

Lu Wei clearly agreed with Wang Xiaoshuai's words. He smiled and nodded, saying, "We had discussed before that if 'Mei Lanfang' hadn't been preserved, this year's Berlin Film Festival would have been even more interesting."

I actually have reservations. The biggest problem with "Mei Lanfang" is that it didn't tell the story well. If the story isn't told clearly, how can the audience see the film's deeper meaning and think about something more profound?

If you want to express something deeper in your film, the most important thing is to design the story around what you want to express, and let the whole story serve these deeper themes. That's the right approach.

But as I said before, if you can't tell your story clearly, the things you want to express will remain superficial, shallow, and chaotic, leaving the audience confused and bewildered. How can such a film possibly impress the judges?

Zeng Zixing clicked his tongue inwardly. This wasn't just veiled criticism of a particular person; it was a direct naming.

That means Lu Wei, as the screenwriter of "Farewell My Concubine," he is qualified to speak about Chen Kaige.

Zeng Zixing was excited at that moment. He saw the real-time feedback, and the netizens and celebrities watching were also excited and discussing it enthusiastically.

now it's right!

That's it!

Immediately, Zeng Zixing turned his gaze to Wang Xiaoshuai. He knew Wang Xiaoshuai's personality somewhat and knew it would be difficult for him to speak up. So he asked directly, "Director Wang, do you have anything to add?"

Wang Xiaoshuai pondered for a moment and said, "As the title of the movie, 'Like Father, Like Son', you can tell from the title that this is a movie where the male lead has a lot of screen time. I have faith in Cao Yang's storytelling ability, and even more so in his ability to train actors."

Furthermore, given that the theme of this year's Berlin Film Festival is the rediscovery and expression of human emotions, and "Like Father, Like Son" perfectly aligns with the festival's theme, therefore…

He adjusted his glasses, looked at Lu Wei, then at Zeng Zixing, before solemnly saying, "I believe Director Cao can produce another Berlin Film Festival Best Actor and also win the Berlin Film Festival Best Director award again."

Zeng Zixing was taken aback. What Wang Xiaoshuai said was clearly different from what he had asked. He wanted Wang Xiaoshuai to talk to Lu Wei about Chen Kaige, but it was obvious that Wang Xiaoshuai did not want to talk about it.

This is an irrelevant answer.

However, Wang Xiaoshuai unexpectedly shared a whole bunch of "practical information"... Well, he did a very successful shift in topic.

Lu Wei smiled at Wang Xiaoshuai.

He is a senior figure, famous, and a member of Xi'an Film Studio. He was also one of the biggest contributors to Chen's Palme d'Or win at Cannes, so he can speak ill of Chen without any reservations.

But Wang Xiaoshuai is clearly not up to the task.

As a student in the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy, class of '85, he was Chen's junior in terms of status, but unlike Chen, he didn't have the highest awards like the Palme d'Or at Cannes, so it was clear that he couldn't easily speak ill of Chen. "I generally agree with Director Wang's statement."

Lu Wei said, "Director Cao Yang is so good at teaching actors how to act that many people overlook his storytelling ability."

I've seen all of Cao Yang's films, starting with his first one, "On the Beach at Night Alone." The plot of this film seems very simple and straightforward, but after watching it, we at least know what the film is about, which is the power of storytelling.

Then there's Inception. The story of this movie isn't actually complicated, but both its creativity and its ability to tell a mundane story in a captivating way are remarkable.

What we lack in China is precisely directors who can tell stories and tell them in an incredibly engaging way.

If we're talking about storytelling ability alone, the world film industry, especially Hollywood, has quite a few directors like that.

However, as I said before, presenting something deeper that I wanted to express through a wonderful story is rare in the world of cinema.

Director Cao Yang, however, can do it with ease. This is the kind of film he made: *The Dirty Milk*, *District 9*, *Black Swan*, and *Joker*.

After saying so much in one breath, Lu Wei pursed her lips and said in a very serious tone, "More importantly, in addition to these abilities, Director Cao has another well-known ability, which is his ability to train actors."

Directors who possess all these abilities are extremely rare in the world of cinema; aside from Director Cao, there are practically no other like him.

Zeng Zixing was greatly surprised to hear so many words of praise from Lu Wei.

From Lu Wei's praise, he could tell that, not only in China, but in the whole world, there seemed to be no director as well-rounded as Lu Wei.

So director Cao Yang has become so incredibly talented?
Zeng Zixing's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked:

"Teacher Lu, you just said you generally agreed with Director Wang's words, which means you partially agreed? Does that mean that Director Cao will not only produce another Best Actor this time, but also win... win the Golden Bear? Become the fourth person in the world to achieve the triple crown of the three major film awards?"

As Zeng Zixing spoke, the netizens watching the live stream late at night all became excited.

Those who are watching this show at this time are clearly true movie fans.

In an instant, the chat room was flooded with text messages.

Lu Wei did not answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment before shaking her head and saying with a wry smile:

“I agree with what Director Wang said. Wu Qihua was able to win the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award this time, but I think ‘Like Father, Like Son’ should have won the Jury Prize, not the Best Director award.”

"why?"

Zeng Zixing blurted it out.

After Lu Wei's many words of praise, Zeng Zixing once thought that Lu Wei would firmly believe that Director Cao would win the Golden Bear.

"If it's Joker, I think there's still some hope."

Wang Xiaoshuai said.

Lu Wei nodded without speaking or explaining anything.

As if to confirm their words, the Berlin Film Festival awarded Best Actor, but this time there was a tie.

Wu Qihua in "Like Father, Like Son" and Sotigu-Kuyate in "London River".

Even though Cao Yang once again produced a Berlin Film Festival Best Actor winner, which seems like a great thing, no one spoke in the live broadcast room for a while, and netizens seemed to have forgotten to interact.

"Congratulations to Director Cao, congratulations to Wu Qihua, and congratulations to 'Like Father, Like Son'."

As the host, Zeng Zixing reacted first and quickly said...

His words seemed to break the atmosphere. In the comments section of the live stream, text was once again flying everywhere, but it was mixed with a lot of internationally recognized interjections and exclamations.

The netizens who watch this program in the early hours of the morning are obviously here for Cao Yang to win the Berlin Golden Bear and the three major European awards. Who cares about "Best Actor" and other awards?

However, even Lu Wei, who is known for his outspokenness, and Wang Xiaoshuai, who has won two major awards in Berlin, believe that Cao Yang will not win the Golden Bear, and their words seem to be being validated at this moment.

How could netizens accept this?

"Director Cao doesn't necessarily need the three major awards to prove himself. Being able to produce another Berlin Film Festival Best Actor is already a unique achievement."

It's worth noting that Director Cao has already mentored four actresses who have won Best Actress awards at the three major European film festivals, and two actors who have won Best Actor awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. Who else in the world has that kind of ability?

Wang Xiaoshuai spoke first.

That's what he said, but he still felt a little unwilling, even though he had predicted this outcome.

For a while afterward, Wang Xiaoshuai didn't say much. When the host asked him questions, he would only respond with "um" or nod.

"Director Xie Fei is on stage. He is going to present the Best Director award for tonight."

Zeng Zixing said.

"Since Xie Fei is presenting the Best Director award, I estimate that Director Cao will most likely win it."

Lu Wei said.

"Ah."

Wang Xiaoshuai nodded.

"what?"

The host, Zeng Zixing, exclaimed in surprise, "It's not Director Cao, it's Iranian director Asghar Farhadi. He won the award for 'About Eli.'"

"Looks like I guessed right, it should be the Jury Grand Prize."

Lu Wei said.

"Ah."

Wang Xiaoshuai said.

The Jury Prize was presented by Tilda Swinton, the chair of this year's jury. When she announced into the microphone that "Sad Milk" had won the Jury Prize, the live broadcast studio at Groom Entertainment almost crashed.

what happened?

Is it possible that Director Cao can only win one Best Actor award this time?

If it were any other director, winning Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival for their film would be an incredible achievement.

But tonight, everyone seems to have raised their expectations too high, to the point that they are not satisfied with just a "Best Actor" award.

"That's great. Director Cao has once again proven his ability to train actors, which is already a remarkable achievement."

Wang Xiaoshuai spoke first.

"Yes, that's right. There aren't many actors in our country who have won the three major Best Actor awards, and this time we have one more."

Zeng Zixing said.

"Congratulations to Wu Qihua, and congratulations to Director Cao. Director Cao is still young, and I can say with certainty that he will definitely win the Golden Bear and achieve the triple crown of three awards."

However, given Director Cao's abilities, it's uncertain whether he'll still be interested in the Golden Bear in Berlin.

Lu Wei said.

Zeng Zixing thought for a moment, then asked softly, "Professor Lu, Director Wang, now there's only the Golden Bear award left. Do you think Director Cao has a chance...?"

Lu Wei remained silent.

Wang Xiaoshuai didn't say anything either.

They all knew in their hearts that Europe was deliberately putting pressure on Director Cao. How could they let a director so easily win the three major awards?

Don't Europe have any pride?
At this moment, Dieter Koslick, the president of the Berlin Film Festival, took the stage to present the final Golden Bear.

"...The winner of the Best Film award at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival is..."

Dieter Koslick pretended to take out the envelope, but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he smiled and said, "I just received this before going on stage. I'm also curious to see who will be the luckiest person tonight. Let's see..."

He opened the envelope, exclaimed "Wow!", and then whispered into the microphone, "《Like Father, Like Son》, Cao Yang, congratulations!"

The big screen began playing clips from "Like Father, Like Son," and the entire audience cheered, followed by thunderous applause.

When Zeng Zixing saw the message, he was stunned for about ten seconds before he started clapping wildly.

Wang Xiaoshuai also saw the message and was stunned for a moment. Then he reached out to adjust his glasses as usual, but halfway through, he involuntarily started clapping along with his other hand.

Lu Wei was also stunned for a moment, then shook her head while laughing, muttering to herself, "Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable!"

(End of this chapter)