I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 332 Rejecting Venice

The Venice International Film Festival is one of the world's three most prestigious international film festivals, and since its inception in 1932, it has become a coveted artistic mecca for countless filmmakers. This water city is considered a trendsetter for world cinema, and the Golden Lion Award is enough to gild the career of any director with immortal glory.

Since the early 90s, the red carpet on Lido Island has attracted the attention of filmmakers worldwide every August. For Chinese filmmakers, even just a simple film title on the shortlist is enough to bring tears to their eyes.

The Chinese film industry's enthusiasm for the "three major European film festivals" is almost fanatical. As long as they can get close to the red carpet, they will flock to it and be extremely excited.

Every filmmaker feels that this is not only because film festivals represent the highest touchstone of art and symbolize the ultimate recognition that creators pursue throughout their lives, but also because it means that their works have been affirmed by international film authorities, have won an important position on the world film stage, and have become truly international directors, instantly making them feel more noble...

As for Zhou Yang...

It's nothing...

He's not an artist.

and……

He values ​​the market value and commercial returns of films more, and has little interest in the so-called artistic halo and international awards.

In his view, the essence of film is to entertain the public and generate revenue, rather than to pursue ethereal artistic recognition.

Rather than rushing around the red carpet and jury at film festivals, fawning over those foreign bigwigs, he prefers to invest his time and energy in projects that can directly bring box office revenue and influence.

Of course, he has little interest in these film festivals, but that doesn't mean he would interfere with his employees representing the company in the past.

……

The 62nd Venice Film Festival opened on September 3 in Venice. Huge posters of Chinese films were displayed along the canals of the city, and the national flags of China and Italy were displayed on a 9-meter red carpet in front of the main venue, the Palais des Festivals.

This year's Venice International Film Festival seems to place great emphasis on Chinese films.

The opening and closing films of this year's film festival were Liang Xiaogang's "The Last Supper" and Li Zhengtao's "Curse of the Golden Flower," respectively. Among the 20 films selected for the competition, Chinese-language films occupied three spots, setting a new record for Chinese-language films at the Venice Film Festival.

Festival president Marco Müller even personally met with the creative team of "Chrysanthemum Terrace" and made an exception by delivering a speech in Chinese: "Chinese-language films are becoming an undeniable force in the world film industry!"

Everything seemed to be foreshadowing an extraordinary year for Chinese-language film awards...

Liang Xiaogang stood on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival, impeccably dressed in a suit, with an undisguised smug smile on his lips.

Flashes of light rained down on him as he slightly raised his head, basking in the glory of being the center of attention for media from around the world. When the film festival chairman praised Chinese-language films in Mandarin, he straightened his back even more, as if he were already a leading figure in the international film industry.

At that moment, he felt all the pent-up frustration of the past years vanish, and even the box office failure of "The Last Supper" became an "artistic sacrifice"...

Being selected as the opening film at the main venue of one of the three major European film festivals is a source of pride he can boast about for the rest of his life!

However, behind this glory, he also paid a price that is unimaginable to ordinary people, overcame countless hurdles, spent huge sums of money, and gave countless gifts...

Of course, none of that matters anymore!

Now, he is one of only two representative directors in China...

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

Venice Film Festival Jury Office

"What? This Eastern director isn't coming to participate in the awards?" Jury Chairman Marco Müller suddenly took off his glasses, his exclamation in Italian mixed with English echoing in the office.

The shimmering water of the canal outside the window reflected on his slightly furrowed face: "Does he know that 'War of the Moon II' is a frontrunner for Best Screenplay?"

The call was quickly transferred to Anna Kana, a senior judge on the judging panel.

She took a deep breath and dialed an international number: "Mr. Zhou, this is Anna, a jury member at the Venice Film Festival. I must tell you that *Moon Wars II* has received extremely high praise from the jury, especially for its script structure and philosophical depth… You have a very high chance of winning the Best Screenplay award, and you might even be a contender for the Mastroianni Award! This is the only time a Chinese film has won an award since 2000…"

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Yang's voice was as calm as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather: "Thank you for your kind offer, but I simply can't spare the time for the special effects meeting for 'The Demon Knight.' To be honest, I had very little involvement in 'Moon Wars 2,' only providing script ideas. The real script polishing came from filmmakers Shen Long and Chen Jianfeng. They are very talented filmmakers, representing the new generation of Chinese cinema..."

Anna panicked, blurting out in her native Italian: "Mamma mia! If you're absent, the jury will have a hard time awarding the prize to an empty chair! That's the unspoken rule—do you understand?"

After a brief silence, Zhou Yang chuckled softly. In the background, the noise of the special effects team arguing about engine parameters could be heard: "Ms. Karenina, as a truly international film festival, I believe the jury values ​​the art of film itself. As for whether the award recipients attend, I believe that judges who are truly loyal to the art of film will not be bothered by these formal details..." He paused: "Sorry, I have to go now."

As the phone went dead, Anna's hand holding the receiver stiffened slightly.

"Damn it!" Chief jury member Anna Kana's face turned grim as she stared silently at the title of "Moon Wars II." "He pulled this stunt at last year's Berlin Film Festival! Now even the Mastroianni Award can't impress this Asian?"

The jury members exchanged bewildered glances. In previous years, directors would kneel and beg for a nomination just to walk the red carpet, but this one treated even the Golden Lion Award invitation like a worthless piece of paper.

The artistic director suddenly grabbed the phone, his fingers trembling as he dialed an international call: "Mr. Zhou! This is Luca, the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival! You must understand, the narrative innovation of *Lunar Wars II* has shocked the entire jury."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Yang's voice remained calm: "Thank you for your kindness, but I really can't get away."

"But this concerns an individual award!" Luca exclaimed, his native language slipping out in his anxiety.

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment.

Then, he asked a very serious question.

"Can I be sure I'll win? Or do I need to fawn over the judges like other directors, only to go home empty-handed?"

"But……"

“We attach great importance to this film festival. Apart from myself, our company’s core creative team is all present. They can fully represent everything about our company… In addition, they have been major contributors to every one of my films. I am merely offering some ideas and helping them on their journey to pursue their dreams. My presence is insignificant…”

Before Luca could say anything more, the sound of the special effects team having a heated discussion came from the other end of the phone.

Zhou Yang concluded by saying, "The value of art should not be bound by these forms. I trust the jury's professional judgment. If 'Moon Wars 2' truly deserves the award, then who accepts it is not important."

The call was hung up again.

At this moment, the judges looked at each other in bewilderment.

Competition among the three major European film festivals has always been fierce. Their attitude towards Chinese-language films is rather contradictory: on the one hand, they yearn to attract more Chinese filmmakers to participate, aiming to establish their authoritative position in the Chinese-language market; on the other hand, some judges hold a disdainful attitude towards filmmakers who excessively pander to them. They enjoy that sense of superiority but refuse to award them prizes, knowing that even without awards, these people will only become more enthusiastic…

Zhou Yang's previous refusal of an invitation to the Berlin Film Festival, while sparking international controversy, unexpectedly became the focus of the industry.

Over the past two years, he has achieved full control of the entire industry chain in the Chinese film market, from cinema layout and distribution channels to capital operation. Everyone knows that he has reshaped the industry's discourse power system.

If we can successfully invite this "box office legend" to the Venice Film Festival, it will not only significantly enhance the festival's influence in the Chinese market, but also strengthen its authority by leveraging the halo of his commercial success. After all, the fact that this maverick commercial filmmaker admires and aspires to attend is itself an excellent endorsement of the festival's status.

Although Zhou Yang is not a top director in the field of art films, the core competition among the three major film festivals lies precisely in the competition for scarce talent.

This competition for scarce resources is the key to the undercurrent of rivalry among the three major film festivals.

If Zhou Yang is willing to attend the film festival and say a few polite words as they expect, even showing his admiration and enthusiasm for the film festival, giving them enough face...

Therefore, the Best Screenplay award is most likely reserved for him!

But unfortunately...

This maverick!
They were completely ignored...

Inside the meeting room, the judges were engaged in a heated debate.

"Who does he think he is? Bergman? He doesn't even give Venice any face!" an Italian judge slammed his fist on the table and angrily rebuked.

"But the script structure of 'War for the Moon II' is truly amazing, perfectly meeting the criteria for the Best Screenplay Award..." The French judges flipped through their judging notes, their brows furrowed.

"Since he doesn't care, let's give it to those who really need it!" someone angrily slammed their fist on the table.

Just as the debate was reaching its climax, it abruptly stopped—Chairman Marco Müller suddenly raised his hand to signal for silence.

He stared silently at the canal outside the window for a long time, gazing at its shimmering surface, before finally tapping the table: "Art should not be tarnished by arrogance. The script innovation of *Moon Wars II* deserves recognition—we award works, not flattery." He surveyed the crowd, his tone resolute: "If talent is denied simply because of absence, how is Venice any different from commercial awards? But our film festival needs an attitude: art needs to be respected, and awards need to be cherished..."

(End of this chapter)