Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 402 Film Festival Debate!
Since his debut, young director Lu Kuan has had his films premiere at the opening ceremonies of the three major European film festivals three times.

In 2004, Cannes featured "A Home Too Far" in its non-competitive section;
Berlin in 2005 brought with it the Golden Bear-winning film, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button";
And this year's "The Sky of History".

Both times, without exception, the audience cheered and applauded during the end credits, which was a great honor.

But the situation is different today.

The main feature on the screen had ended, but as the melodious and heartfelt song "As You Wish" echoed in the theater, the audience remained deeply immersed in the film's impact.

The entire screening room fell into an almost sacred silence.

No one stood up, no one applauded, and even breathing became slow.

The audience remained in their final poses, their gazes fixed blankly on the dark screen.

It's as if the lingering spirit of history still remains there, as if unfinished chapters will continue to unfold.

The last frame still lingers in everyone's eyes, showing Liu Yifei's elegant and simple face, and they continue to follow in her footsteps, trekking through the ruins of history.

This was not just an ordinary movie ending, but a collective spiritual stagnation.

Viewers are caught in the vortex of history and cannot easily extricate themselves.

Iris Chang's exploration, Minnie Vautrin's perseverance, and John Rabe's dedication have already drawn audiences of different nationalities and skin colors into a shared, profound sense of empathy.

It wasn't until the staff gently turned on the lights at the Berlin Film Palace that the situation changed.

The blinding light, like a sharp blade, suddenly pierced through the dark space steeped in history.

People seemed to be awakened from a long dream, and then a wave of applause swept over them!

The dedicated journalists, without even wiping away their tears, hurriedly changed camera positions to capture the scene.

How could such a masterpiece, which is undoubtedly destined to be recorded in film history, be without the enthusiastic tributes from audiences as its footnote?

The camera captured choked cries, whispered praises, and pairs of slightly reddened eyes.

Starting with director Lu Kuan, the cast and crew, including Liu Yifei, Hanks, Moore, Andy Lau, and Zhao Fei, took to the stage as usual to receive the greetings from the audience in the center of the cinema.

Mr. Lu raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down. He naturally didn't care whether today's applause would break Berlin's record.

He has something very important to say.

A staff member handed over a microphone, and a deep baritone voice rang out in the cinema:
"Regarding the film and Jinling, I think there is one person who cannot leave here today, to receive everyone's love and hospitality together with the crew."

"It's fair to say that without her, there would be no movie."

"Without her, this bloody memory, which had been buried and concealed, might never have been presented to the world in such a complete and shocking way."

Liu Yifei stood behind him, her expression gentle and intelligent; she naturally knew what Lu Kuan was planning to do.

The young director's heartfelt speech continued: "It was she who made the voices of 300,000 dead heard by the world for the first time."

"It was she who, with the rigor of a scholar and the courage of a warrior, erected an indestructible monument to this period of history."

"On behalf of all those touched by this history, please allow me to invite Iris Chang to the stage—"

"We pay our sincerest respects not as storytellers, but as guardians of this history."

As Lu Kuan finished speaking, the entire cinema fell into a brief silence, which was then followed by thunderous applause.

The spotlight swept across the middle of the audience, and the camera captured Iris Chang slowly getting up.

She wore a simple beige turtleneck sweater paired with a dark gray wool long skirt, and a camel-colored cardigan on top. This intellectual and understated outfit perfectly matched her identity as a historian and writer.

In the reporters' photos, Iris Chang's chestnut-brown hair was casually tied up with a black hair clip, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead.

She looked helplessly at the young people on the stage, clearly not wanting to steal the limelight and headlines from the film today, and walked over unhurriedly to stand with the film crew.

Iris Chang was an established author who had participated in countless lectures and book signings, and had even engaged in a heated debate with the Japanese ambassador on television. She was very adept at handling such occasions.

But my mood is different today.

Her voice was like silk soaked in morning dew, intellectual and gentle: "Thank you to Director Lu Kuan and the entire crew. It is your artistic courage that has given this history the weight it deserves."

"Our nation's blood and tears have finally been rewarded with its own epic of justice."

"But as director Lu Kuan said, neither 'The Nanjing Massacre' nor 'The Sky of History' was ever intended to perpetuate hatred."

"What we hope to convey is Miss Hua's wish for eternal life in Nanjing, written before her death; the mutual support between Rabe and the citizens of Nanjing; and the grand vision of kindness and peace."

"I believe that in Nanjing in 1937, when Rabe unfurled the flag of the safety zone, when Miss Hua blocked the gate of Ginling College with her body, and when Cheng Ruifang, Magee, George, Wilson..."

"All these people with beautiful hearts."

"What they are protecting is not only the dignity of the Chinese people, but also the bottom line of civilization for all mankind."

Iris Chang smiled gently and bowed slightly on the stage, which was met with another round of thunderous applause from the cinema.

Mr. Lu watched the Chinese-American female writer with satisfaction. Under the spotlight, Zhang Chunru's eyes shone with a faint light, the vitality reflected in her unshed tears.

However, while he was looking at Iris Chang, Liu Yifei was also looking at him.

The girl was a little curious; it was the first time she had ever seen such an expression on her boyfriend's face.

That overflowing joy and satisfaction was like that of a child who had stolen some candy.

Even with the strongest connection, Liu Yifei could never know—

That's because in this life, he did his best to successfully lift up a beautiful soul that was about to be crushed by the weight of history.

To be given a second chance at life is his honor.
-
Iris Chang was an extremely intelligent woman. She always knew the cruelty of struggle, especially on such a sensitive and thorny issue.

Her speech cleverly shifted the focus away from some of the film's sharp satire, guiding the main theme towards a universally understood concept of love and peace.

This was to relieve the pressure on the film crew, to relieve the pressure of winning awards for the film, and also to relieve the pressure on Lu Kuan, who was in charge of the Beijing Olympics.

When "The Sky of History" truly enters film and history like "Schindler's List," or even surpasses the latter, and gains the opportunity for global promotion, it will naturally be able to reveal some truths more powerfully.

The cast and crew lingered on stage for quite some time before being "let go" by the sincere guests and audience members to continue the interview process.

However, the Germans' meticulousness faltered a bit today.

The film festival's vice president, Jacob, hurriedly approached Koslick outside the Palais des Festivals: "Mr. Chairman, you need to speak with the Grand Hyatt."

Kosley, basking in the smug satisfaction of having created a sensation by choosing "Sky" as the opening film, asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nearly a hundred reporters who did not make prior appointments requested interviews, and the interview seats and equipment we had estimated and reserved in advance were completely insufficient."

"What?" Koslik was even more delighted.

In all his years as president of the Berlin Film Festival, this was the first time he had encountered a situation where there weren't enough interview seats and equipment, especially since extra seats had already been reserved.

If it were a few industry reporters who hadn't made an appointment and wanted to conduct an interview, he would probably have security escort them out.

If there are one hundred...

Koslik pulled out his phone and called both the Grand Hyatt and Marriott hotels in Berlin. Leveraging his connections, he quickly coordinated the calls and then notified Jacob.
"Let's bring our equipment to the Grand Hyatt as well. Marriott will also provide assistance. How many reporters do you estimate will be there?"

"At least 400 or more."

"Okay! I'll go check it out later!"

Generally, the Berlin Film Festival sets up a temporary interview area in the theater after the premiere, equipped with mobile microphones and portable cameras, to quickly record the main creators' remarks and promote the film immediately.

It's good for both the film and the organizers.

For large film crews with famous stars and directors, the cinema's largest interview hall, which seats 300 people, is sufficient.

However, based on the number mentioned by the vice chairman, it is clear that this is not enough to satisfy the appetite of "The Sky of History".

Berlin, which has refused to align itself with Venice and Cannes, looks set to reap great rewards this year!
good! Great kindness!

The Grand Hyatt Berlin is adjacent to the cinema, and the venue is equipped with ample interview seats, interpretation equipment, ring lighting, and soundproofing. With the support of another star-rated hotel, Marriott, it should be sufficient.

The bewildered Boss Lu and his crew were given a tour by the film festival officials before finally settling down on the first floor of the Grand Hyatt.

Even seasoned veterans like Lu Kuan and Hanks were somewhat surprised to see the massive, dark crowd of interviewers in front of them.

Jacob just reported over 400, and the number is still increasing.

These days everyone has a mobile phone, and the 1800 reporters in the Berlin Film Palace and the press area started using running water midway through the film.

The interviews were divided into group interviews and exclusives. Obviously, after today's group interviews, the crew's interview bookings will explode.

Mr. Lu and the others put on German simultaneous interpretation headsets, and the interview began.

The film festival's press officer was also seeing such a packed house for the first time, remarking that Berlin, which had been at -15 degrees Celsius this year, was finally no longer cold.

Boss Lu always takes care of his own people when he's away from home. He turned his head and whispered a few words to the female press officer, telling her to give priority to Chinese media.

Ju Wenpei from "China Movie Report" still had red eyes: "Director Lu, thank you and the crew for bringing us this movie. Several of us domestic reporters cried our eyes out."

These words were spoken in English, eliciting a few good-natured laughs from the audience.

Who didn't cry?
That truly makes one's heart as hard as stone.

Ju Wenpei, holding the microphone, said, "Director Lu, the movie is rather serious. I'd like to lighten things up a bit. Can I indulge in a little personal gossip first?"

Boss Lu smiled and said, "Please go ahead."

"When you took 'A Home Away' to Japan for a promotional tour in 2004, a reporter asked you if you would ever fall in love with your leading lady like Luc Besson did, and your answer was no..."

Before the question was even finished, some people in the audience started to cheer; Westerners love this romantic, rosy tone.

"Your answer at the time was no, saying that it would be inappropriate to be too harsh on the actors. What is your view on this issue now?"

The washing machine's embarrassing moment.

Mr. Lu smiled and raised the microphone: "You all call me the tyrant on set. If I were to fall in love with the female lead, we would inevitably have disagreements because of work, which would disrupt our work-life balance. That's the main reason I answered 'no'."

"However, Miss Liu Yifei now has a nickname: the last female warrior in Chinese martial arts films. Because of her strength, we signed an unequal treaty to resolve the above issues. Thank you."

The audience burst into laughter, followed by applause for the henpecked husband who "spoke his mind in a joking way."

The female warrior gently kicked the washing machine under the table, out of sight of outsiders, while maintaining a gentle demeanor.

You've ruined my reputation, I'll beat you up when I get back!
Ju Wenpei then got back to the main point: "Director Lu, I would like to ask, since you and Ms. Iris Chang have both expressed the view that the film is not meant to convey hatred, but to call for peace, could you tell us in detail about your thoughts and ideas during the creative process?"

Liu Yifei, who was standing next to Lu Kuan, listened with a smile on her face.

"China Movie Report" is a program under CCTV's sixth princess. Xiao Liu has a good relationship with "Movie Channel" and has known reporter Ju Wenpei since Venice in 2002, and they occasionally keep in touch.

Clearly, this is a helpful question posed by a smart person.

"Okay, thank you, Wenpei."

"Actually, the answer to this question was already given to everyone in the final debate."

"In the film, Iris Chang's question to Japanese Ambassador Kunihiko Saito was not 'How should you atone for your sins?' but simply a demand for a apology."

"Peace is based on honesty. If we don't even dare to face the truth of history, then the so-called reconciliation is just a hypocritical pretense."

Mr. Lu still adheres to the same "diplomatic language" as Iris Chang in handling sensitive international issues that the film might raise.

After all, his position as the chief director of the Olympics speaks for itself.

The highest priority was ensuring the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics. He couldn't afford to use his position to launch a high-profile declaration of war through film, causing a huge uproar internationally.

The smart approach is to subtly and quietly promote one's own agenda.

As for what satire you see in the movie, that's your own interpretation.

But clearly, just like the experiences of Iris Chang in the film and Yi-Fei Liu in real life, the "evil forces" questioned the film extremely quickly.

A Japanese reporter wearing tortoiseshell glasses couldn't even wait to ask a question and stood up to interrupt the press officer:

"Lu-san! I believe your film is heavily influenced by personal emotions, and its content contains many scenes and segments that vilify Japanese people, which will greatly damage Sino-Japanese peace and friendship!"

The reporters at the scene looked at the Japanese reporter, who appeared to be over fifty years old, with surprise and disbelief.

The beautiful German press officer looked displeased: "Please abide by the rules of on-site interviews and return to your seats..."

The Japanese reporter calmly walked out of the crowd and stood directly in the front row, his voice steady and righteous:
"If my question touches on Lu Sang's psychological boundaries and makes you, a director who receives state funding for your film, lose face, I can give up asking the question!"

"this..."

The beautiful press officer, expressionless, tried to dismiss him, but Lu Kuan stopped her with his hand.

The scene was packed with cameras and microphones all focused on him. He had limited opportunities to ask questions today, and it was clear that Chinese and German media had the upper hand.

Who wouldn't want to make some big news?

He could indeed avoid such sensitive questions by citing interview procedures, but that would make him resemble Kunihiko Saito in the movie.

The truth cannot be clarified without debate. In order to prevent right-wing groups and pro-Japanese mouthpieces at home and abroad from making an excuse, he had no choice but to temporarily accept this situation.

Mr. Lu's voice remained calm: "May I ask which media outlet you are a reporter from?"

Washing machine: What company do you work for?

"I am Naoki Hyakuta from the Sankei Shimbun."

The Chinese reporters at the scene looked somewhat displeased, while the Western reporters couldn't help but think of Fukuda from the movie.

This style is very similar!
Lu Kuan didn't know who Hyakuta Naoki was, but he knew the infamous Sankei, the Japanese right-wing conservative general media outlet.

There are several right-wing groups in Japan. Sankei has the greatest reputation and influence, while Seiron has a relatively extreme line of thought.

As for the dazzling achievements of "Ne Zha 2" in 2025—

The Sankei magazine's assessment was that it was "a government propaganda tool, incomparable to Japanese anime."
The evaluation of "Zhenglun" is that it is "a tool for exporting Tokyo University" and incites boycotts.

In the first half of 2007, Sankei and Seiron magazines, along with conservative Japanese companies, secretly funded the films "I'll Die for You" and "The Truth About Nanjing".

The former is a film directed by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara that glorifies the "Kamikaze Special Forces";

The latter, as its name suggests, is a right-wing historical revisionist documentary used to confuse the public and deny history.

Naoki Hyakuta is, of course, a staunch right-wing journalist.

As a cultural commentator and journalist for the Sankei magazine, he later published "On Taiwan" in 2014, advocating that Japan and Taiwan should establish diplomatic relations.

Naoki Hyakuta, who is already 50 years old, said calmly, "Mr. Lu, I really like your movies. Please forgive my bold question!"

As long as he stands up and speaks out, regardless of whether Lu Kuan responds or not, he has won a small victory.

Lu Kuan smiled and said, "No offense intended, I can answer your question."

"First of all, let me clarify that the majority of the funding for the filming of 'The Sky of History' came from the private company Wenjie Holdings, with a small portion coming from Miramax in North America. The claim that it was funded by the state is untrue."

In his previous life, Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers of War" faced the same criticism.

Fortunately, Mr. Lu learned his lesson. From the project's inception and start of filming to closed-door shooting and wrap-up, he did not have any public cooperation with the local government, precisely to avoid being labeled as a political propaganda film.

"Secondly, your claim that the film vilifies Japanese people is absolutely slanderous."

"Ken Watanabe, who plays Kunihiko Saito in the film, is a national treasure-level actor in Japan, and Ryuichi Sakamoto, who composed the music, is a national treasure-level composer in Japan."

"If this movie really does, as you say, vilify Japanese people, would they agree to it?"

This is also why he went to great lengths to invite these two neutral and left-leaning artists through Toho Co., Ltd. and other connections.

Just like now, shut up the doubters.

Naoki Hyakuta is experienced in stirring up trouble. Ignoring the protests from other reporters behind him, he continued to spread fallacies: "In your movies, Chinese, Germans, and Americans are all positive characters."

"The footage of Japanese people is all about their cunning, treacherous, and tyrannical nature. Isn't that enough to explain everything?"

Boss Lu's smile vanished, and he said solemnly, "I want to state an indisputable fact, one that has been proven by countless historical records and international trials—"

"The Japanese soldiers in Nanjing in 1937 were all perpetrators of the massacre; none of them were innocent."

Naoki Hyakuta was secretly pleased; he had clearly come prepared: "Is there really not a single kind soldier?"

Apart from the Chinese reporters, the media personnel from various countries who had previously urged him not to cut in line remained silent.

This kind of news is rare and hard to come by. Asking them to ask questions themselves is not feasible, either because they dare not or because they lack the perspective of Japanese journalists.

Boss Lu became highly wary and stared at him expressionlessly:
"The production team of 'The Sky of History' has an advisory team of twenty people from all over the world, including historians from your country."

"In terms of the degree of restoration of true history, it is so detailed that even the buttons on the Japanese military uniforms were made from 5,000 copper buttons that were recast using old molds in Japan."

"Therefore, regarding your question about whether there wasn't a single good Japanese soldier in Nanjing in 1937, I can solemnly state my position in front of all the media in the world—"

The young director paused for a moment: "No, it's either the murderer or an accomplice."

Naoki Hyakuta was eager to argue with him about these issues: "Ryū-san must know about people like Sho Mitani and Shiro Higashi. The 'Shiro Higashi Diary' is your reference material. Doesn't their sincere repentance count?"

Consort Liu felt a surge of resentment in her heart upon hearing this!
She has studied Iris Chang's works and notes, and her understanding of the details of this history may be even greater than that of director Lu Kuan.

The two Japanese soldiers mentioned by Naoki Hyakuta are representatives of those who have suddenly repented.

In 1987, Shiro Azuma published "Shiro Azuma's Diary," which detailed the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders and admitted that he was one of them.

He then went to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing seven times since that year, kneeling and kowtowing to apologize.
Sho Mitani did the same. Last year, at the age of 88, he donated almost all of his family property and World War II photos, and knelt down to apologize in front of Jinling Institute of Technology.

For die-hard right-wingers like Naoki Hyakuta, they denigrate and persecute these awakened veterans domestically, while often using them abroad to whitewash their image.

For example, it was used today to shut this Chinese director up.

How despicable!

However, Lu Kuan was not one to appease others, and he said righteously, "Individual repentance after the fact cannot be used as a reason to forgive their evil deeds at the time."

"Furthermore, if individual repentance cannot be transformed into collective reflection, it will only become a prop for those with ulterior motives to perform."

Mr. Lu stared intently at the Sankei reporter in front of him: "Take you, Mr. Naoki Hyakuta."

Naoki Hyakuta was taken aback, not expecting this person's words to be so sharp.

He opened his bag and took out a manuscript: "I personally have reservations about Lu Sang's views, but I saw a news article and a script in your country's 'Nanfang' magazine."

"It is said that a director named Lu Chuan also had a big project to make a movie about the Nanjing Incident, but it was eventually abandoned, supposedly because he was persecuted."

Naoki Hyakuta paused, wanting to see Lu Kuan's expression, but to no avail.

"But in my opinion, the script that Lu Sang is circulating online is more realistic than 'The Sky of History.' He truly depicted human nature in the film. Do you agree, Lu Sang?"

Taro, who should be in Qincheng Prison right now, never imagined that he had a Japanese fan who was over fifty years old.

However, he and the Nanfang newspaper's report became weapons of the enemy.

Naoki Hyakuta's purpose is very clear: he wants to use the language of Chinese people to attack your own people, ultimately creating a public opinion effect that is unclear about the facts and controversial.

The Japanese are cunning; no matter how you respond to this question, it's inappropriate.

After all, Taro's crimes were not widely known.

The most crucial point is that the objection raised by Naoki Hyakuta was published by your own director and a newspaper with state-owned enterprise shares, which is fatal.

Nan Fangxi and Lu Kuan have been at odds for a long time, especially after he became the chief director, he has come to regard Lu Kuanxi as a "lackey".

Boss Lu pondered for a few seconds. If he weren't the director, he could have easily slammed his fist on the table, vehemently refuted the claims, and even cursed the Japanese government.

Freedom and human rights are the passports of sanctimonious Western politicians; they can criticize them without question.

But now. . .

After all, he still had to consider the Beijing Olympics, which were only six months away. If his anger over winning the championship was used as a pretext to cause a diplomatic incident, he would be playing right into the enemy's hands.

Ju Wenpei sensed something was wrong and raised his hand, saying, "This is unfair! Why is this reporter from the Sankei able to ask questions for so long without permission?"

"We demand that someone else ask the question!"

Anyone could see that this was just an excuse to "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao," but apart from the Chinese media who tacitly cooperated, everyone present remained silent.

Who doesn't want to watch the excitement?

Who doesn't want to report big news?

"This... Mr. Reporter, let me answer your question."

A clear and gentle voice rang out, each word as distinct as pearls falling on a jade plate, penetrating the noisy scene.

Everyone turned to look at Xiao Liu. Her features were exquisite, her almond-shaped eyes clear yet deep, and her gaze conveyed a calm resilience.

Everyone was somewhat surprised and stunned for a moment, as if the actress Iris Chang from the movie had stepped out of the screen.

(End of this chapter)