Who said this top flow is crazy! This top flow is awesome!

Chapter 266 Cannes' March Towards "International"

"Have you submitted your application? Have the results come out yet? Have you been selected?"

On the other end of the phone, the leader's thoughts raced instantly with Chi Ye's suggestion, and after a long while, he finally asked.

"Flu" was completed just before this year's Golden Rooster Awards, which is almost four months ago, while the Cannes Film Festival's submission process only began at the end of August.

Based on the timeline, if Ikeno had an idea back then, the results should be out by now.

Sure enough, Ikeno nodded upon hearing this: "He should be out in the next few days."

"Are you sure?"

The leader frowned.

The Cannes Film Festival, one of the three major European film festivals, is even more prestigious than the Cannes of the other world. It is widely regarded by the global film industry and film fans as the most influential, important, and top-tier film festival in the world.

It is the annual grand event of the international film industry, and the ultimate temple for filmmakers, producers, distributors, media, stars and movie fans around the world.

Being nominated for and winning an award is one of the highest honors in the industry. For example, Jiang Cheng's father, Jiang Kaige, is one of the few directors in the Chinese entertainment industry to have won the Palme d'Or. This marked the beginning of his lifelong directorial career to prove that he was not the one who originally made "Farewell My Concubine"...

In addition, several of the biggest names in the Chinese film industry today have had the experience of shining at the three major European film festivals. If you can gain some fame at these festivals, it will be a huge boost to your career in the Chinese entertainment industry.

Countless celebrities have shamelessly stood around and stalled for time just to get a ticket to Cannes.

At the same time, it is one of the world's most important film trading platforms, a focal point for global media and industry, where countless films reach international distribution, pre-sale, and financing agreements, with huge transaction volumes.

In layman's terms, the "Train to Busan" on Earth exploded in the global market because of Cannes, selling its rights to hundreds of countries overnight, especially in Asia, where it was a huge hit, and the lead actors and directors became the top stars.

With such exaggerated exposure and benefits, is it really that easy to get selected for Cannes?
Every year, the global film industry submits thousands of world-class, high-quality films that meet the criteria for each category, but Cannes only selects 4-5 films for each category.

The probability is so low that it's no exaggeration to say it's one in a thousand. It's like a thousand soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge – a metaphor for the immense difficulty of the task.

After all, Cannes is different from other film festivals. Many film industries have lenient selection criteria, but in Cannes, being selected itself represents the ultimate recognition and high global exposure.

The latter is very important because it instantly elevates the film's status. From a practical perspective, it can expand from a single country to earn money globally, saving countless marketing and distribution costs along the way.

In short, being selected is already a success.

Can "Influenza" be selected?

"You definitely have no chance in the main competition, and you probably won't sign up, right?"

The leader quickly went through the sections suitable for "Flu" in his mind and then concluded: "You submitted the midnight screening section?"

Ikeno nodded: "This is the most suitable."

Despite the fact that both the entire film and the second ending submitted for approval have a touch of "artistic flair," at its core, "Flu" is still an industrialized film with a predominantly commercial focus.

Therefore, of all the sections in Cannes, only the Midnight Screenings section is most suitable for "Flu".

At the same time, this section is also the section in the Cannes Film Festival that treats commercial films with the best sense of sensibility and the best treatment.

In fact, compared to the other two major film festivals, Cannes has the best overall attitude towards commercial films. Historically, many blockbuster commercial films originated from Cannes. The Midnight Screenings section is actually a "dedicated section" that Cannes specifically created for commercial films.

As for competing in the main competition for the Palme d'Or... unless Ikeno just wants to show his face and be a nobody, he shouldn't apply... because he will definitely not win an award, let alone get anything else.

"You have a good eye for things."

The leader had figured everything out by now and couldn't help but shake his head: "The chances of 'Flu' being selected for this segment are indeed high, but if we add the influence of your 'My Love from the Star,' 'Big Boss,' and 'Girl' trilogy in Southeast Asia on top of that... the chances of success will be even higher."

"With these works as a foundation, it's time to take it to the next level."

Ikeno asked bluntly, "What do you think of this route?"

The leader fell silent.

Cannes is the most commercially friendly of all the top film festivals, and also the most friendly to films from Asia (Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.).

In this case…

“You can do it. I will give you some support. This time, go all out and let them see the results of ‘Influenza’.”

Hearing the "excited" tone of his superior, Chi Ye was a little confused: "How... how come you're suddenly so confident?"

The leader paused for a moment before speaking with feeling: "Because I've read 'Flu'... I know how good it is."

Ikeno: "...Then I won't boast anymore. Let's talk when we meet later."

"it is good."

After the two finished speaking, Chi Ye hung up the phone. Noticing the gaze of the person next to him, he paused for a moment before smiling and saying, "Prepare well for this 'march' into the international film scene."

"...Understood, Mr. Chi."

……

Two days later.

The news that "Flu" would not be able to be released during this year's Spring Festival due to technical adjustments and other reasons gradually spread. As for who spread the news, it was various rivals, and even the producers of "Flu" themselves.

As the news spread and gained momentum, "Flu" inevitably became a trending topic.

It's worth mentioning that the marketing for the movie "Flu" started quite early, possibly dating back to shortly after the broadcast of "My Love from the Star." In addition, during this period, marketing accounts continuously brought up Ikeno's unreleased/unreleased works to ride the wave of popularity.

There are quite a few movie fans and casual viewers who are paying attention to and looking forward to the movie "Flu".

Yes, moviegoers and passersby, not fans.

Because throughout its promotion and marketing, "Flu" has prioritized key tags such as #apocalypse #zombie #disaster, in other words, it is the first industrialized blockbuster in the history of Chinese entertainment films.

This kind of exciting subject matter, in particular, excites countless moviegoers and fans who previously could only find this type of film overseas.

Even ordinary passersby would want to watch the movie after seeing the poster and synopsis of "Flu"—the protagonist is still Ikeno. "Girl" not only made Shang Jie the white moonlight of the whole nation, but isn't Ikeno also the "male version" of the white moonlight of the whole nation?
Therefore, as the news spread, the producers of "Flu" remained silent until a day later, when they officially announced it in a blog post: "Due to unforeseen circumstances, 'Flu' will temporarily enter a technical adjustment phase. This brief separation is for a better reunion. Let us wait together for that day to arrive."

The official Weibo account's comment section exploded instantly.

"???"

"We agreed to meet on Chinese New Year's Day! After 'Girl,' I've been waiting for this movie to keep me going!"

"The production company had better be smart and set a release date quickly, don't cause any trouble!" "Important point: 'technical adjustments.' The domestic censorship system never disappoints, haha."

"Stop criticizing the official Weibo account. They've already said it won't pass the review. By the time we see the movie, it'll probably be a heavily censored version that's been cut countless times."

"Isn't GD being a bit too outrageous? Didn't they say the script had already been approved? How come there are problems after filming?"

"With this kind of censorship, I understand why there are never any good films in China. If you can make a good film, it can't get approved. Who would bother making good films? Everyone might as well make bad films to make easy money."

"Oh no!! We've invested so much in this 'Coconut' movie, if it doesn't get aired, we'll lose a fortune!"

"Sister Ning's acting is so good, why isn't she allowed to act?!"

"Haha, Sheng Ning's fans are killing me. They started popping champagne at halftime when they first got their hands on this opportunity. Now look what they've done, they just can't stand Chi Ye."

The "war" in the comments section of the official Weibo account of "Influenza" quickly spread to the entire Weibo square, under trending topics, and to major platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu.

Thus, within half a day, almost the entire industry knew that "Flu" had failed before it even got off the ground, falling victim to the iron heel of censorship before its release.

"Celebrating their newfound official positions."

"Ha, just like that, just like that! Big brother's strength is really something! He's sensitive, and he is!"

"It's a very sensitive topic, and it used to be banned. The fact that he was able to film it means that someone gave him special treatment."

"This isn't the most comfortable I've felt in years. We have to party tonight, get some entertainers, and have some fun together..."

In a chat group within the Beijing entertainment circle.

The circle members, led by Director Lu and Director Feng, were in high spirits in the group chat. Every circle has its own background, but if we're talking about which circle has the strongest background, then without a doubt, it's the Beijing circle under the "capital of the capital".

Although the Beijing entertainment circle is not what it used to be, it does not diminish the fact that their ancestors had extensive connections. If Ikeno "does not make mistakes," then it's fine, but if it's a different kind of movie, they really can't do anything about it.

But unfortunately, the subject matter of "Flu" is sensitive, and anyone who reads it knows it's not a good read.

So, it's definitely not easy for those who hold original shares to speak up.

"Old Lu, you did a really good job this time. If 'Flu' can't be released, Ikeno will have to pay at least this much."

That evening, Wang Youli excitedly video-called Director Lu, gesturing with his hands: "You've avenged Yingying, haven't you?"

"Hey, it's no big deal."

Director Lu is currently riding high. His previous film, "Kunlun Mountain," was snatched away by Chi Ye. When he learned that "Flu" was scheduled for release during the Spring Festival, he was still somewhat uneasy, no matter what he said.

But now that the Wild Man Chi is gone, what is there to worry about?
Regardless of the investment amount, you still need to be able to get the film released.

From a practical standpoint, there's another, even more important reason why he's so happy—"749 Bureau" is also marketed as a domestically produced industrial blockbuster.

Let's put it this way: this year's Spring Festival film season seems to be a fiercely competitive battleground, but Shen Bin and Ma Li's comedy films are as good as ever, Han Han's is also a racing-themed film, and Chen Sicheng is focusing on his forte: suspense.

Only "749 Bureau," like "Flu," is an industrial blockbuster with a large investment in special effects and capital.

In the competition of the Spring Festival film season, only "Flu" is a rival to "Bureau 749" - at least that's what Director Lu thinks, he feels that he respects Ikeno very much... because "Big Boss" and "Girl" did perform quite well.

Since they are both labeled as industrialized, they will inevitably be compared. Director Lu is already a bit PTSD. No matter how confident he is, he will always be afraid that Chi Ye will "use dirty tricks" when facing him.

This is the real reason why their circle went to such lengths this time—it couldn't possibly be as simple as just "avenging" Xu Yingying...

"Now that 'Flu' is confirmed to be canceled due to 'technical adjustments,' we're the only big-budget industrial films in this year's Spring Festival lineup. We'll be the ones eating all the meat... We'll have to give our big brother a bigger share of the profits."

"No problem, we should give it to them, we must give it to them."

"Uh... I mean, since you just said you're happy that you avenged Yingying, then... you can pay for it?"

"what?"

"..."

……

"What do you think about Ikeno releasing a film for the Lunar New Year?"

Meanwhile, on a film set...

The crew of the TV series "The Imperial Tutor" had just taken a break. The female lead, Li Qian, was touching up her makeup when the actor playing the good-for-nothing next to her asked a question curiously.

"How do you see it... losing money is the answer."

Li Qian's uncle, smoking a cigarette, laughed: "Sheng Ning is the one who's really pitiful. She was hoping to use this movie to turn her career around, but now she's dead. I told you long ago not to blindly believe in Chi Ye, and you guys even argued with me before."

"...Speaking of which, what are Sheng Ning's plans this time? She only filmed one movie this year, 'Flu'."

Some people wondered: "Will they bow down to the Beijing circle? This time, Ke Ying personally stepped in... the power is a bit frightening."

"Whether she will back down or not is unknown, but after this, the Beijing entertainment circle has shaken off its decline, and the top actors in the drama circle will probably have to grovel again."

"Hey, you know, in the entertainment industry, very few people have a smooth career..."

"..."

……

This proactive move by the Beijing entertainment circle has indeed hit Chi Ye's "weak point," because before this, their circle had been humiliated by Chi Ye alone several times. Others in the circle remained silent, but in reality, they were increasingly feeling that the Beijing entertainment circle might not be as "important" as everyone thought.

But Ke Ying's fate after this incident has once again awakened everyone.

There are several people like Ke Ying in Beijing's social circle. Although they have long since left this circle, just like Xu Yingying this time, if they cry, who can guarantee that their "big brothers" who always value loyalty will stand idly by?

They don't have to do anything; they can just say a few words and cause you a lot of trouble.

Even someone as powerful as Ikeno, once his "background" was compromised, could only accept it.

Sheng Ning's choice this time seems to have made her a clown; the usually relentless woman has gambled away nothing this time.

After working so hard on "Flu" for so long, and unusually focusing on making only one movie in a year, it seems like it would have been more worthwhile to make more TV series.

What will she do?
(End of this chapter)