Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 966 Shanghai International Film Festival Screening (13)

"Tsk tsk, Huayi Brothers are in deep trouble this time!"

I glanced at Weibo…

Shen Yan was somewhat gloating!

Yesterday, Huayi Brothers unveiled its film slate at the Bund in Shanghai—releasing 20 major films including *Shoplifters*, *Yunnan Insect Valley*, and *The Scent of Smoke*. With figures representing half of the film industry in attendance, the Huayi Brothers "H Project" launch event resembled a call to arms for martial arts heroes…

Oh, the list includes "Shoplifters" and a few other foreign films...

It refers to 'collaborating with outstanding international filmmakers to create masterpieces that share a universal language'.

Peter Berg's *Mile 22*, Baltasar Comács' *Adrift*, and Paul Feig's *A Simple Favor*...

Actually, they are all movies produced by STX Entertainment in the United States!
Back then, major entertainment companies in China were busy entering Hollywood, and Huayi Brothers was no exception; they chose STX Entertainment…

The film selection is impressive, but unfortunately, netizens aren't buying it…

The main problem is that Huayi has already lost its reputation among netizens!
Huayi Brothers' company was known for Huang Zhongjun's various art purchases in previous years: spending a whopping 3.77 million yuan to buy Van Gogh's "Daisies and Poppies", acquiring Picasso's "Seated Woman with Hair in a Bun" for 2.01 million yuan, and also spending 2.07 million yuan to buy "The Letter on Current Affairs".

He boldly declared that "collecting is an alternative investment for Huayi"...

Those from the Beijing circle, after all, are Manchu brothers, and they live with the air of Qing Dynasty aristocracy, a kind of arrogant and spoiled attitude!

Known for his high-profile and extravagant lifestyle, he used money to pave his way, rapidly expanding his empire and amassing wealth. His arrogance and domineering attitude allowed him to manipulate the entertainment industry for years, turning the tables on everyone he pleased.

After the tide receded, only a mess remained.

By the way, there's an interesting historical pattern: big shots who love buying art all end up in trouble!
Wang Jianlin spent 1.72 million yuan to buy Picasso's "Two Children" and 1.27 million yuan to buy Monet's "Water Lilies and Roses".
Capital tycoon Liu Yiqian spent 11 billion yuan on Modigliani's "Reclining Nude," 2.7 million yuan on Modigliani's "Portrait of Paulette Joudin," 2.8 million yuan on a small cup called the "Chicken Cup," 3 million yuan on Wang Xizhi's forgery "Peace and Prosperity with Oranges," 3.48 million Hong Kong dollars on the "Ming Dynasty Imperial Red Yamantaka Embroidery Thangka," and 2.7 million Hong Kong dollars on Zhang Daqian's "Peach Blossom Spring"...

Including the owners of Guanghui Group and Zendai Group, Dai Zhikang…

Of course, what they might be buying isn't the painting itself, but rather the person behind the seller.

This is probably why some entrepreneurs suddenly become collectors…

……

After the screening of "Parasite," the cast and crew went on stage to share their thoughts...

Sandra Bullock spoke first: "I learned about the director from watching 'La La Land'... I was very moved and immediately thought I must work with him!"

"When I found out the director was going to start a new film, I managed to get my hands on the script... Sure enough, it was a really good film, so I begged the producer... and flew to China to talk to the director again,"

"And that's when the director used me!"

The host on site, Yuan Ming, was surprised: "So difficult?"

Sandra Bullock nodded: "Good scripts are rare and hard to come by; they're a scarce resource... Shen is a genius artist; many people would be willing to act in his films for free..."

Jennifer Connelly said, "The director actually subverted the so-called rules of mainstream films from the very beginning."

Only two houses were built throughout the entire story, one for the rich and one for the poor. The individual characteristics of all the characters were minimized, because this is entirely an allegory. It's very much a work of magical realism.

"It's not that exaggerated!" Shen Yan waved his hand: "This time, I just made the film a bit more straightforward, building on the foundation of 'Burning'..."

"The characters and props are all symbolized, the film itself is allegorical, and the rich man, who has always served as a symbol of evil in the film, is transformed into an innocent victim. Meanwhile, the seemingly capable poor man becomes a useless villain… There are no suggestive images; all the meaning is expressed openly and directly." "It's more like a stage play than a film!"

"By downplaying the story and using lighting and cinematography to create a theatrical feel, and by emphasizing color contrast and lowering the overall tone, a magical style that is both real and illusory is created, which is conducive to the film's setting of 'fictionalized real-life scenarios'."

"Enhancing the sense of absurdity and design..."

Shen Yan talked a lot about the creation story of "Parasite," and also touched on casting and production costs...

"The producers decided on the roles... I originally planned to make it with $1000 million, but as more and more big-name stars joined, and then Fox joined in, the production cost was reduced to $6500 million..."

"This is the first time I've experienced the arrogance of a major Hollywood studio!"

……

After the press conference ended, the cast and crew left, but Sandra Bullock and Jennifer Connelly still had to give interviews…

The former's film, *Ocean's 8*, had its Chinese rights bought out by Tencent for $10 million…

In the original timeline, this movie was never released, primarily because Warner Bros. did not include mainland China in its distribution scope…

Perhaps they think Chinese audiences prefer superhero stories!

Then Tencent bought out the copyright...

$1000 million may not seem like much, but if it's distributed by China Film Group, they can only get 25% of the box office revenue. That means the box office needs to be at least $4000 million to get $1000 million...

$4000 million means the box office in mainland China needs to be over 3 million!
It's quite difficult. In recent years, purely dramatic Hollywood films haven't been popular in mainland China. Johnny Depp and Kenneth Branagh's "Murder on the Orient Express" only grossed 2.3 million yuan in China...

Sandra Bullock is coming to China to help promote the company—Tencent will pay for the promotion!
As for Jennifer Connelly, she also wants to increase her profile…

Jennifer Connelly is best known for her role as the dancing little girl in "Once Upon a Time in America":
But this movie was made 34 years ago…

Okay, actually there's also a movie called "Blood Diamond"...

After "Once Upon a Time in America," her image became fixed: gentle, beautiful, kind...

To shed this image, she starred in many films that involved dedication to art…

By the way, her husband is Vision—Paul Bettany.

Shen Yan went to the Golden Hall of the Crowne Plaza Shanghai Silver Star Hotel to participate in a forum session…

The title is 'Chinese Cinema in the New Era!'

The attendees were mostly big names: Jiang Ping from China Film Group, Ren Zhonglun from Shanghai Film Group, Fan Luyuan, head of Alibaba Digital Media & Entertainment Group, Wang Changtian from Enlight Media, Yu Dong from Bona Film Group, and... Huang Zhonglei from Huayi Brothers!
Shen Yan was the last to arrive.

Upon seeing him enter, the big shots quickly made way for him in the center position…

Shen Yan quickly stopped them: "No, no, no, please sit down. I just came to sit in and learn..."

"You can sit here and listen just the same way!"

Well, Shen Yan had no choice but to take the center position...

(End of this chapter)