I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 368 Arrival in Berlin: Unexpected Incident!

February 5, 2012, Berlin Tegel Airport.

Before Brandenburg Airport officially opened, Tegel is currently the airport from China with direct flights to Berlin.

Chen Jin and her entourage took Hainan Airlines flight HU489, a direct flight from Beijing, arriving in Berlin at 6:40 a.m. local time. The flight took about 10 hours and the time difference was 6 hours.

Chen Jin barely slept, so she was quite listless; on the other hand, Zhang Yimou was full of energy, showing no signs of having discussed things with her for almost the entire night. Even if he had slept, he probably only had 1-2 hours of sleep.

Wow, she has amazing energy!
Even Chen Jin, who possesses the system, is completely outmatched.

"there!"

As soon as he stepped out of the airport, Zhang Yimou pointed to a Chinese girl holding a poster of "The Flowers of War" at the arrival gate and said something to the crowd.

These must be the people arranged by the Berlin Film Festival organizers to pick you up at the airport.

The woman was the translator, and there was also a curatorial representative from the organizer.

"Director Yi Mou, Mr. Chen!"

The curator politely led the group to a car, a treatment that the "White Deer Plain" film crew clearly did not receive.

Tegel Airport is very close to the Berlin Film Festival venue, the Palais des Festivals, which is only about 10 kilometers away.

It takes about half an hour to get there.

At this time, Berlin was already a sea of ​​film and art, even though the film festival was still a few days away from opening. The streets were filled with various promotions and posters for the film festival; the reason why there were posters at the airport was simply because they were more eye-catching than writing names on them.

This was said by the Chinese female student who temporarily acted as the translator at the airport.

"Director Zhang, Chairman Dieter Kosslick wants you to rest for a while. He will come to the hotel this afternoon, and we will all attend the film festival's official dinner tonight!"

The curatorial representative was in the car, introducing the itinerary for the next few days to Chen Jin and the others.

Unlike previous film festivals where Chen Jin attended alone, this time Dieter Kosslick clearly had high hopes for Zhang Yimou's arrival.

It's not just because of his international status and the many honors he has received in Europe, but more importantly, it's because of Zhang Yimou's identity in China and his current film, "Jinling," which has caused a sensation in China and is highly anticipated by the industry both at home and abroad!
Berlin needs works like this to generate global buzz.

"Brother Jin, I'm your fan!"

After the car had been driving for a while, the Chinese female translator suddenly turned to Chen Jin and said something.

Chen Jin thought the other person was trying to strike up a conversation with her, so she gave a formulaic smile and said, "Thank you, would you like to take a photo together?"

The signatures have already been given, and they will be arriving at the hotel shortly.

"Actually, I applied to be the translator!"

The girl spoke with considerable courage, and Chen Jin narrowed his eyes slightly. His long career in the entertainment industry had made him very aware of subtle expressions.

The girl's words were loaded with meaning.

"You wanted to see me...? Is there something you need?"

Chen Jin asked in a low voice. The girl glanced at the curatorial representative in the passenger seat and whispered, "Um, can we exchange contact information?"

Chen Jin: "..."

That's it?

Chen Jin was obviously thinking about other things, which wasn't surprising. These days, there are many female fans who are attracted to him, and it's starting to resemble a fandom. Chen Jin was a little scared of it.

The downfall of some top celebrities in the future will be due to their inability to control their desires.

The young woman clearly noticed the caution on Chen Jin's face and quickly said, "Please don't misunderstand!"

"There are many Japanese students in Berlin preparing to cause trouble—"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, not only Chen Jin, but even Zhang Yimou, who had his eyes closed, opened them slightly.

At this critical juncture, Japan is clearly a very sensitive topic.

"I heard it from a group of Chinese students in Berlin. Apparently, there are a lot of extreme Japanese students planning to protest at the film festival. You guys need to be careful!"

"My idol is Iris Chang!"

The girl spoke quickly, and the curatorial representative, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around curiously upon hearing the conversation.

This was clearly a sensitive topic, and the young girl was probably wary, so she didn't dare to bring it up in the chat just now, but instead reported it to Chen Jin privately.

"I understand, thank you for reminding me!"

Chen Jin quickly took out her phone: "Could we exchange contact information?"

Chen Jin pretended to be a fan chasing after a celebrity and gave her phone number to Xiao Yang, the girl in front of her.

"I'll let you know as soon as anything happens!"

Xiao Yang wrote down Chen Jin's phone number. Chen Jin said cautiously, "You also need to protect yourself. After you leave the hotel, keep an eye on things. If things get too dangerous, we can call security personnel to escort you!"

Such disturbances at film festivals were not uncommon in later generations, but rather quite common.

Protests and demonstrations are common, especially in Berlin, where it's practically a given.

During the 9/11 attacks a few years ago, the movie theater was almost blown up.

Especially overseas, more and more young people like to set the pace in real life.

Raising a big flag or unfurling a banner can easily incite a group of people; because overseas university students tend to be more impulsive.

They are also the group most capable of inciting others.

Domestic controls are strict, so international students dare not do anything reckless. However, the recent surge in popularity of "The Nanjing Massacre" overseas has clearly aroused the indignation of many patriotic Japanese youths, who are determined to prevent the film from being released overseas.

At the very least, these people are being fueled by Japanese companies.

Moreover, 99% of them are taught how to do things by someone behind the scenes.

Chen Jin had anticipated encountering this group of German and Japanese exchange students before she arrived, but she hadn't expected it to be them.

"fine!"

The translator, Xiao Yang, smiled and said, "My boyfriend is waiting for me at the hotel, along with my classmate!"

"Although overseas Chinese are not united, we international students help each other!"

"Well, it's never a bad thing to be careful!"

"The bag contains some defensive weapons..."

Chen Jin spoke to Xiao Yang, who then showed her her bag. Sure enough, it was fully "equipped," containing pepper spray, extendable batons, and other essential weapons for many international students.

Currently, only those who frequently travel abroad truly understand the chaos in certain overseas locations, something that those who stay in China often cannot even imagine.

It can only be said that the country has protected its citizens too well.

……

When Chen Jin and her group arrived at the hotel, they saw Xiao Yang's boyfriend, as well as several other Chinese students studying abroad.

These people must all enjoy watching movies; everyone is looking through the films that will be screened at this year's Berlin Film Festival.

Everyone took photos with Chen Jin, Zhang Yimou, and others before returning to their rooms to rest.

Chen Jin originally wanted to catch up on some sleep, but Xiao Yang's words made him wide awake, and he knew that things wouldn't go so smoothly at the upcoming film festival.

"We need to get the organizers to arrange some security!"

Chen Jin was texting Pang Liwei; he was now in charge of all external matters. He had only slept for about two hours before waking up. Sleeping too much made it difficult to fall asleep at night, he couldn't adjust to the time difference, and he also had something on his mind, making it hard to sleep soundly.

After receiving Pang Liwei's call, Chen Jin went downstairs and saw Zhang Yimou looking energetic, chatting happily with an elderly white man of similar age, with Zhang Mo acting as a temporary translator.

Several white people, both men and women, were sitting next to the old man.

This old man is Dieter Kosslick, the "decision-maker" of the Berlin Film Festival for nearly 15 years, and he will serve as its president for another 20 years before stepping down.

In Europe, he is also a powerful figure. He previously worked for the government in Hamburg, Germany, and became involved in the film industry while serving as the head of a cultural fund.

"Xiao Chen!"

When Zhang Yimou saw Chen Jin come down, he quickly waved to him.

Old Dieter turned around and saw Chen Jin, a smile immediately appearing on his face.

"Mr. Chairman, hello!"

Chen Jin walked up to him with neither arrogance nor servility, and greeted him first. Dieter stood up and quickly hugged Chen Jin: "Hello, young Venice Film Festival Best Actor, it's been a long time since China has produced a new talent who can truly impress you!"

"I watched Tian's 'Major Events in Life,' and your performance in it was wonderful. It's hard to believe you're still so young; I thought you were 30!"

Dieter smiled politely at Chen Jin and introduced him to several key curators from the organizing committee.

After Chen Jin introduced everyone, Zhang Yimou suddenly said to Dieter, "Mr. Dieter, before I got off the plane, I received a message that some Japanese exchange students might cause trouble at the film festival!"

"Oh?"

Dieter's previously amiable face turned serious: "Is it because of the release of 'Jinling'?"

"Yes, that must be the reason!"

"The recent release of the film in China has generated a huge response, and relations between the two countries are very tense!"

"I understand, I'll have someone keep an eye on order at the film festival—"

"Mr. Chairman!"

Chen Jin chimed in, "Could you arrange two security personnel to protect Director Zhang? I can pay their salaries!"

"I don't need it..."

Before Zhang Yimou could finish speaking, Zhang Mo patted him on the shoulder, and he immediately shut up.

"Let me ask for you!"

"Security is actually quite tight during the film festival. I'm here to ask if any security companies are willing to provide a few bodyguards!"

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, Mr. Chairman!"

Chen Jin was actually just taking precautions. He himself was fine, easily dealt with by one or two people, but Zhang Yimou, an old man, might not be able to be properly protected, so hiring security was indeed necessary.

"Don't let these unpleasant things affect our banquet tonight!"

"Let's go, let's go to Berlin's regular dinner together!"

This is a common procedure before the opening of the three major film festivals, and it is a good opportunity for film festivals to network with industry professionals. Except for filmmakers who are nominated for the first time and do not receive an invitation, directors, actors, screenwriters, etc. who have been nominated or won awards will have this opportunity to meet newcomers in the industry, established directors, and investors.

Films by directors like Lou Ye and Jia Zhangke are frequently nominated for the three major film festivals, which means they have already broken into this circle. This circle is considered a film and art circle, which was initiated by the three major European film festivals and can influence North America and Hollywood.

Chen Jin had researched the information in the future and found that the reason why Neon Films was able to dominate the three major film festivals was that their approach was exactly the same as Weinstein's early strategy; they got to know many directors and filmmakers through these networking events.

Once they've identified a film project they like, they buy it directly, send the film and some kind of agreement to the filmmakers, and simultaneously promote it at film festivals.

No matter how the judging panel selects its members, they are essentially the same people.

If you build good relationships with them, you'll become acquaintances with each administration, which will make public relations much easier.

Money, beautiful women, investment... these are the few things that filmmakers value most, and they can figure out the preferences of everyone in this circle.

And the Oscars are actually the same.

It's nothing more than bribing the judges and getting to know people all over the world.

At 7 p.m. Berlin time, Chen Jin, Ni Ni, Zhang Mo, and a few others were already in the banquet hall.

People come and go, drinking and chatting.

Unlike his first time being completely clueless and unfamiliar, and his second time making friends with people gradually and subtly, Chen Jin now has a certain degree of fame in Europe. There are actually very few Venice Film Festival Best Actor winners alive in the world, so many people know him.

Of course, Zhang Yimou also introduced him to many people, such as the chairman of the jury, Mike Lee, and Jake Gyllenhaal, a rising star in Hollywood who had worked with Li An.

Chen Jin also met Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian director who is currently enjoying great popularity as the "vice chairman" of the jury.

"A Separation" is indeed a huge hit. It won the Golden Bear at Berlin last year, just won the Oscar last month, and has already been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, with a very high chance of winning.

Therefore, his current status and influence are still quite detached.

Second only to the top leader, Mike Lee.

Michael Scofield is a regular at the three major film festivals and has been nominated for an Oscar six times; he's definitely a big name in the film industry.

However, these individuals were all very polite to Chen Jin and embraced her in their attitude towards China, unlike some filmmakers who have a very hostile attitude towards China.

These are all candidates whose votes can be won over, especially Farhadi. He chatted and laughed with Zhang Yimou and they were both from the Asian camp, so his vote could actually be won over.

In addition to the jury members and chairman, there were also some heavyweight directors and actors who were shortlisted, such as the Taviani brothers, Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie, Oscar winner Meryl Streep, and future Batman Robert Pattinson... Chen Jin met them all.

Ni Ni had a worse experience; she was practically invisible, just like Chen Jin when she first attended the Venice Film Festival for "Under the Hawthorn Tree"—she wanted to fit in, but she seemed out of place.

He still lacked confidence, and facing so many Hollywood stars made him extremely flustered.

Fortunately, Chen Jin took care of her and didn't leave her in the crowd.

"Whoo~~~"

"I'm so nervous!"

"No one in China has ever participated in something like this before..."

Ni Ni patted her chest, but her eyes caught sight of several familiar faces.

Chen Jin saw it too.

It's not "White Deer Plain," but "Flying Swords of Dragon Gate." This film was also shortlisted for the main competition at this year's festival, which must have been paid for by Bona Film Group.

Chen Jin saw Yu Dong, Xu Laoguai, and a few others.

Both publicly and privately, we are all Chinese filmmakers, so we should still greet each other when we're out in public, even though we're not actually that close.

That's how I got to know some colleagues in the industry. There might be opportunities for cooperation in the future. I didn't try to curry favor with them. I just got to know their faces. Apart from a few members of the judging panel and the chairman, I didn't exchange contact information with many others.

This kind of networking is actually achieved through one's own hard work and climbing the ladder.

Like Zhang Yimou, people approached him proactively, not to "exchange business cards," and getting to know him wasn't about doing better in Hollywood or Europe, but about becoming familiar with him in the future.

This is the purpose of the dinners at the three major film festivals.

It wasn't until after 11 p.m. that Chen Jin and her group walked out chatting and laughing with the judging panel and the organizers.

The main reason was Zhang Yimou; given his status, they chatted all the way back.

Sudden--

Suddenly, several figures with white cloths tied around their heads appeared in Chen Jin's eyes.

(End of this chapter)