Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 59: Praise her for her beauty and temperament
At this year's Venice Film Festival, apart from Cao Yang, only Hong Kong's Chen Guo was selected for the main competition unit with "There's a Hollywood in Hong Kong".

Coincidentally, the heroine of "There's a Hollywood in Hong Kong" is Xun Ge'er.

This is the second time we have met in Europe this year.

With Xun Ge'er's intentional matchmaking, the two crews got together privately, and Cao Yang also got to know Chen Guo, an alternative in the Hong Kong film industry, a director who has always insisted on making literary and artistic films.

Chen Guo’s films are very similar to those of the fifth generation of domestic directors. They all focus on the little people at the bottom of society. Each of his films has a strong sense of realism.

His works are mainly based on realistic style, strong social criticism, and focus on the fate of the lower classes and marginalized people in society.

In recent years, Chen Guo likes to use mainland actresses. The heroine of "Durian Piaopiao" released last year was Qin Hailu, and Xun Ge'er was used in this year's movie.

It is worth mentioning that the heroines of both films are low-class prostitutes who came to Hong Kong from mainland China.

This is a unique mark of this era.

Perhaps many Hong Kong people at that time subconsciously thought that these "Northern girls" who either smuggled themselves there or went there for various reasons, what else could they do except work as low-level prostitutes?
Xun Ge'er has a major role in "A Hollywood in Hong Kong", and many people think that she has a chance to win the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award.

Cao Yang does not deny Xun Ge'er's acting skills, but it is a bit difficult for him to win the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award.

It’s not that Xun Ge’er’s acting was bad.

If it was a director from Beijing Film Academy, making a movie about the helpless and frustrated little people at the bottom of society, and with a strong critical tone, it would be possible for Xun Ge'er to win the Venice Film Festival Best Actress award.

However, Hong Kong directors, without the resources and connections of Beijing Film Academy, find it difficult to win the bigger awards in the three major European awards.

Even the King of Sunglasses, who has been in the top three European films for so many years, has only won the Best Director Award at Cannes.

It has been just over half a year since the last Berlin Film Festival, but Xun Ge'er didn't expect that Cao Yang had made another movie, which was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Venice Film Festival.

Brother Xun was really shocked.

However, thinking about the last time he went to Berlin with Wang Xiaoshuai and this time he came to Venice with Chen Guo, Xun Ge'er felt that he was also very remarkable.

And she felt that she still had a chance of winning the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award. Hasn't this kind of subject matter always been popular among the three major European film festivals?
On September 9, Chen Guo’s “There’s a Hollywood in Hong Kong” premiered in Venice, Italy. Cao Yang brought Yu Feihong and Liu Ye to support the event.

Chen Guo was very happy to see Cao Yang coming, and he held Cao Yang's hand and kept thanking him.

There was no way around it. As a director who was still "unknown" in Europe, although it was said to be the premiere of the movie, there were actually not many people who came to support it, and most of them were Chinese.

Cao Yang looked around and saw that the theater was so small, but the audience occupancy rate was less than 50%.

Not to mention the media. Apart from the official reporters from Venice, there were only domestic reporters who came to support. Cao Yang didn't even see any reporters from Hong Kong. I wonder if they didn't come to Venice.

In fact, Chen Guo is quite famous in Hong Kong.

With "Made in Hong Kong", he won the Best Director and Best Original Screenplay awards at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards (it's okay to use his real name, right?) in 97, and the Best Director and Best Picture awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 98.

"Made in Hong Kong", which won numerous awards, had a box office of less than two million.

Is it because his movie did so poorly at the box office that reporters in Hong Kong were too lazy to report on it?

The movie started soon, and as the plot unfolded, Cao Yang was a little unable to comment.

On the surface, a prostitute from the mainland has an American backer, who swindles Hong Kong people's money and goes to the United States to have fun, while the deceived Hong Kong people can only rely on quack doctors from the mainland for treatment.

But as long as you understand the metaphors in the movie, you will find that this movie is full of political implications.

The doctor from the mainland replaced the broken right hand with a left hand. He tried to cut off the grafted left hand but failed. Moreover, the grafted left hand was surprisingly useful...

Alas, left, right, and right...many Hong Kong people are probably pessimistic and skeptical during this period of time.

If any commercial film director from Hong Kong made this, it would be a pure comedy.

But it is hard for an art film director to avoid people interpreting this as an institutional issue.

In this movie, the director's personal emotional catharsis is too intense, and some parts are a little out of control. In addition, there are many serious symbolic images, and the presentation and thinking are insufficient. The whole film is a bit extreme and fragmented. After the movie, while Cao Yang and Chen Guo were talking, Xun Ge'er and Yu Feihong started chatting.

"Your acting is so natural and great. You really brought the character to life. Unlike me, I almost became autistic when Cao Yang scolded me at the beginning. He said that I always had the same expression in every role and I had no acting skills at all."

Yu Feihong praised Xun Ge'er a lot. She really thought Xun Ge'er acted well and was very spiritual.

"Thank you, Sister Feihong."

Xun Ge'er raised her eyes and was in a good mood. She also felt that she had performed well.

"I think you have a great chance this year. Movies like this that dig deep into the little people at the bottom of society are likely to be recognized by the jury. Keep going. I'm very optimistic about you."

Yu Feihong smiled and cheered.

Xun Ge'er knew that Yu Feihong was also the heroine in Cao Yang's movie.

She has watched many TV dramas starring Yu Feihong and is very clear about her acting skills.

In addition, Yu Feihong revealed that Cao Yang scolded her for her poor acting skills, so she didn't have the nerve to say that your acting skills are also very good and you may also win the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Award.

Xun Ge'er was afraid that Yu Feihong would think he was mocking her.

I could only keep thanking her and praising Yu Feihong for her beauty and temperament.

Well, if you can’t praise her acting skills, you can praise her beauty and temperament, that’s right.

Before leaving, Cao Yang also praised Xun Ge'er's performance. Xun Ge'er laughed so hard that his eyes could hardly be seen.

"We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate."

Cao Yang was polite.

"Okay, I hope to work with Director Cao."

Zhou Xun was even happier. For a moment, she felt that the Venice Film Festival Best Actress award was not so out of reach.

On the way back, Liu Ye, who had recovered, asked Cao Yang, "Director Cao, what do you think of this movie? Why do I always feel that this movie is a bit evil?"

"Oh, why is it evil?"

"I can't explain it, I just feel like something is not right." Liu Ye said, shaking his head.

Cao Yang thought about it and said with a smile: "Maybe the director himself is confused."

“Is there any chance of winning the prize?”

Liu Ye asked in a low voice: "Will it have an impact on our film? Aren't these critical films that reflect the marginalized people at the bottom very popular at the film festival here?"

"He approved it and then didn't. He himself is confused and can't make up his mind. This wavering attitude will not be recognized by this side."

Cao Yang shook his head. "Don't worry about it. If you have time to think about these things, you might as well recite your acceptance speech. Don't be like Li Xiaoran, who got nervous when she went up to the ceremony and forgot everything after saying 'I' for a long time."

"Hey, why should I memorize that? Am I going to win a prize? Even if I speak in Italian, are they going to give me a language prize? If I win a prize, I'll learn from Li Xiaoran and give my acceptance speech in Chinese."

Liu Ye was so excited when he mentioned this that he started talking a lot. "Besides, didn't you, Director Cao, also give your acceptance speech in Chinese last time in Berlin? And I didn't see them take the Silver Bear back."

Cao Yang was a little amused, "I just wanted you to recite the acceptance speech in Chinese."

Liu Ye suddenly approached Cao Yang and asked in a mysterious voice: "Director Cao, did you get any inside information? Don't fool me. Do we really have a chance to win an award in Venice? To be honest, before coming to Venice, I didn't even dare to think about it."

"Well now you can let your imagination run wild."

(End of this chapter)