Shadow of Chinese Entertainment

Chapter 253 Pride and Prejudice

If we can actually win this prestigious award, it would undoubtedly be the greatest affirmation for the entire team.

"Sissi's Dog" not only represents the honor of his first film, but can also fetch a better price.

The host's voice grew increasingly passionate, as if recounting a great legend: "Now, we are about to welcome the most important award of the night—the Golden Bear for Best Film."

Each of the shortlisted films is an outstanding representative of cinematic art, embodying the director's hard work, the actors' souls, and the dreams of the entire creative team.

These works have reached an extremely high level in terms of artistic expression, intellectual depth, and emotional resonance.

Let us hold our breath and witness this glorious moment together!

However, when the Golden Bear award was presented, the host's voice was drawn out unusually: "The winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film is... a film from China—Sissi's Dog!"

Hu Xiaobei was slightly surprised, but not particularly astonished.

He had already guessed it when An Xiaoxi and German actress Sandra Hüller jointly won the Best Actress award, but he wasn't entirely sure.

He stood up with a smile, exchanged a glance with An Xiaoqian, whose eyes were full of surprise, and the two hugged each other again.

Liu Xiaoli should have stood up and hugged her daughter as well.

But this time, she waited until her daughter and Hu Xiaobei had hugged each other for a while before slowly getting up and giving her daughter a symbolic hug.

Hu Xiaobei and An Xiaoqian went up to the podium again, and the two accepted the trophy together.

He cleared his throat and said in Mandarin, English, and German: "Thank you for your kindness. The honor that 'Sissi's Dog' has received is inseparable from every partner who participated in the creation, and even more so from the support of the audience. This honor belongs to everyone."

Following that, An Xiaoqian spoke in both languages: "I hope that 'Sissi's Dog' can become a bridge, allowing the world to appreciate the unique charm of Chinese culture through this film. Thank you all!"

Thunderous applause erupted once again from the audience, and the 56th Berlin International Film Festival slowly came to a close amidst the applause.

....................................

If you were to ask which film was the biggest winner at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival?
The Chinese film "Sissi's Dog" is undoubtedly the best.

This film not only won the Silver Bear for Best Original Score, but also the Silver Bear for Best Actress.

It also won the most prestigious Golden Bear Award for Best Film, achieving one gold and two silver awards, a remarkable feat that set it apart from its competitors.

If you were to ask which actor received the highest honor at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival?

That must be An Xiaoqian, a Chinese actress who just turned eighteen.

With her exceptionally outstanding and nuanced acting skills, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

Furthermore, he went on stage three times to accept the award at the ceremony, becoming the focus of the entire event. This honor is well-deserved and unparalleled.

If you were to ask which star was the most eye-catching during the 56th Berlin International Film Festival, you would say...

The answer is naturally none other than An Xiaoqian.

At the opening ceremony, she wore an elegant and unique traditional Chinese costume, appearing gracefully like a beautiful fairy from an ancient painting.

Her appearance, her temperament, and her looks instantly shattered the Western world's stereotypes about Easterners, stunning the audience with her unique Eastern charm.

Throughout the film festival, she became the subject of intense media attention.

Her popularity quickly swept across Berlin, Germany, and even the entire European and American regions.

At the closing ceremony, An Xiaoqian exuded confidence and charm, showcasing her unique charisma and extraordinary style in every gesture.

With her confident and poised demeanor, she showcased the remarkable qualities of the Chinese people to the world, becoming a universally recognized and dazzling figure, attracting widespread attention.

After the awards ceremony, at the invitation of the organizers, many filmmakers moved to the designated venue to attend an internal banquet.

This banquet not only celebrated the success of the 56th Berlin International Film Festival but also provided a platform for filmmakers to network, discuss, and negotiate. The Chinese film "Sissi's Dog" was undoubtedly the most popular and eye-catching film in the banquet hall.

The hall was also filled with the most and most active businessmen who came to discuss film-related copyrights.

With the added prestige of one gold and two silver awards at the Berlin Film Festival, Hu Xiaobei is confident that he can sell "Sissi's Dog" for a good price.

It should be noted that this occurred as early as April 4, 2002.

Miramax Films acquired the distribution rights for "Heroes" in the United States and several other European and American countries for no less than $1500 million.

In addition, its overseas audio-visual copyrights sold for US$1000 million, and its domestic audio-visual product copyrights sold for RMB1789 million.

In addition, revenue from domestic advertising, novels, stamps, comic book copyright transfers, etc., far exceeded 1000 million RMB.

Money was worth much more back then than it is now.

Of course, given the grand scale of "Hero," it's reasonable for it to command this price.

In addition, on February 12, the floral company brought the unfinished promotional trailer for the film "The Banquet" to the Berlin Film Festival, attempting to promote the film in the European market.

According to news reports from the original timeline:
The overseas rights to "The Banquet" were acquired by many overseas distribution companies as soon as it was unveiled at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006.

Its overseas copyright transactions are progressing smoothly, and copyrights in all European countries except Germany and Italy have been sold.

The rights to the Korean and Japanese films have also been sold, and they will be released simultaneously in Southeast Asian countries and China.

As of August 2006, the film had earned $10 million in revenue through outright sales in Asian countries such as South Korea and some small countries and regions in Europe and America.

The florist company initially projected that the film would generate $1500 million to $2000 million in revenue from its overseas distribution, and several major buyers in the US and Europe adopted a guaranteed revenue-sharing model.

It's worth noting that this film hasn't even finished dubbing yet; it's simply relying on the success of "Hero" to pave the way.

With just a few trailers, they signed contracts with seven major European countries and regions, selling the copyright ahead of schedule.

Around the same time, Jia Zhangke directed "Still Life," which, despite winning the Golden Lion at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival, only sold its distribution rights for $500 million. (PS: Also this year.)
Of course, this film can only be sold overseas; basically, no one in China watches it.

Even though this film brought Jia Zhangke honors and awards such as the Best Film Award at the 14th Beijing College Student Film Festival and the Best Director Award at the 26th China Golden Rooster Awards.

With all the so-called honors and accolades, the film finally broke the 30.4 RMB mark at the domestic box office.

Considering that the film's investment was only 600 million RMB, the overseas copyright revenue brought it a high return.

This is the fundamental reason why some directors specifically make films that seem like they were made for them, in order to compete in various film festivals and sell copyrights—to gain both fame and fortune.

In fact, Zhang Yimou's early films won various international awards for similar reasons.

However, the Chinese people at that time were relatively simple and honest, and they didn't think that far ahead.

The reason Zhang Yimou later chose to break with Cannes was because the then president of the Cannes Film Festival, Jacob, believed that "Not One Less" had "political implications".

Jacob believes that the scenes of raising the national flag in the film are political propaganda and hopes that Zhang Yimou will use "My Father and Mother" instead of "Not One Less" for the competition.

Zhang Yimou was furious about this. He felt that his film was about the theme of "love" and a celebration of the purest human emotions, and should not be subjected to such arrogance and prejudice.

Therefore, he publicly announced that both films would be withdrawn from the Cannes Film Festival.

They also published an open letter denouncing the Cannes Film Festival, claiming that it had shaken Cannes's commitment to valuing art.

In fact, similar things happen frequently abroad. They are trying to vilify the Chinese people in every way and are deliberately and intentionally trying to suppress the rise of China.

Even twenty years later, this kind of manipulation of public opinion continues.

However, with the development of science and technology and the economy, Chinese people have more channels to learn about information from the outside world, and they are no longer so easily fooled.

(End of this chapter)