Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 245: Have Chinese-language films been completely wiped out?

In Shanghai, spring breezes blow.

The morning sunlight slanted across the gray and white buildings of the Shanghai Film Group, casting a faint urban glow.

The park is lush with new greenery, and the metasequoia trees stand tall and straight. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blows, casting dappled shadows on the trees.

Guided by Ren Zhonglun's secretary, Wu Chen entered the main building. The elevator stopped at the top floor with a "ding," and the doors opened to reveal a spacious and simple high-rise office area.

Ren Zhonglun personally came out to greet him: "Director Wu, this should be your first official visit to Shanghai Film Studio, welcome, welcome."

"I was in such a rush last time that I didn't have time to come over," Wu Chen replied with a smile, casually glancing at the office environment. It was spacious, bright, and well-organized, exuding the refined feel of an old-fashioned state-owned enterprise.

Shanghai is certainly not short of money; its buildings are no less impressive than those of China Film Group.

The two entered the office, where tea had already been prepared. Ren Zhonglun smiled and poured him a cup.

"Director Wu should have already seen the materials. I've arranged to meet Zhu Jiaxin from Xiantao Digital a little later, so it should be soon. It's quite a coincidence; there just happened to be some behind-the-scenes personnel from Shanghai Film Studio and Hong Kong Film Studio, and I just casually asked around and found out."

Ren Zhonglun cleverly seemed to have simplified things.

Wu Chen smiled. How could he not know that this might be a coincidence, but it was definitely not that coincidental?

The document I saw yesterday was quite well-prepared; it wasn't something that was just thrown together randomly. It was clearly something that someone had done some research on.

He remembered this favor; at least the share of the "Painted Skin" project wasn't wasted. When there was work to be done, the person genuinely helped.

Wu Chen then asked, "By the way, Mr. Ren, I read in the documents that Xiantao Digital fell into financial crisis due to overexpansion. Do you have any more details?"

"Oh right, yesterday's information wasn't detailed enough, so the people below supplemented it later." Ren Zhonglun took a document from the table and handed it to Wu Chen.

"Expansion is really just a few things: either opening branch offices or messing up technology."

Xian Tao happens to have both; he even set up a branch office in Beijing, but the biggest losses were on the real-time rendering system. It seems he spent nearly 4000 million yuan developing this system, and it's still not finished.

Wu Chen nodded, flipping through the documents.

At this moment, the secretary knocked lightly on the door and whispered, "Chairman Ren, the person has arrived."

“Okay, please go to the conference room, Mr. Zhu. Director Wu and I will be there right away.” Ren Zhonglun stood up.

"Director Wu, I'll just give an introduction. You guys can talk about the rest yourselves. I won't get involved."

"Alright, thank you for your help, Chairman Ren."

It must be said that Ren Zhonglun's handling of details is always very pleasant.

The meeting room was softly lit, and through the glass walls, one could see the busy elevated highways of Shanghai and the distant river view.

Zhu Jiaxin wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, had a tall and slender figure, and her clothes were not particularly elaborate, yet she exuded a refined and scholarly air.

Ren Zhonglun briefly introduced: "Mr. Zhu is the founder of Xiantao Digital and one of the earliest Hong Kong people to do post-production and special effects."

The two smiled at each other and shook hands.

“Mr. Zhu, are you a photographer by training? You don’t seem like a typical tech geek,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“Director Wu, you’re spot on. I used to work on TVB production crews before switching to post-production.” Zhu Jiaxin laughed, “It’s just that I’m too busy now to touch the equipment anymore.”

After a few pleasantries, the conversation quickly turned to the main topic.

“Mr. Zhu, to be honest, I’m here today with the goal of gaining controlling interest. Ideally, I would achieve 100% control,” Wu Chen said frankly.

Zhu Jiaxin's expression shifted slightly, showing a mixture of hesitation and reluctance.

What he really hoped for was that someone could invest in Xiantao to help him through this difficult period, retain the original team, and preserve the brand.
But it's obvious that there isn't such a person, otherwise he wouldn't have sought other ways out for Xiantao.

"Director Wu, if you were to take control of Xiantao Digital, would Xiantao still be able to retain its name?"

Wu Chen pondered for a moment, but did not immediately refuse: "The name can remain unchanged in the short term, and a few years of buffer is acceptable, but in the end, it will definitely be necessary to merge the brands to integrate with Xingchen Pictures' resources."

Zhu Jiaxin lowered her head and stroked the cup on the table. After a long while, she slowly spoke:
"Director Wu, I personally still have a soft spot for Sinotek Digital. Although this special effects company is not very successful, I hope to retain 5% of the shares as a memento."
Secondly, I hope you can retain the original team and preserve this brand. Many employees are feeling uneasy right now.

“I understand!” After thinking for a moment, Wu Chen thought of a plan from last night, which also took into consideration the possible demands that Zhu Jiaxin might make.

"Mr. Zhu, I can agree to your request, but I have an idea."

"Director Wu, what's the matter?"

"I hope Mr. Zhu can retain his position for now. In the future, Xiantao Digital will adopt a 'dual headquarters' business model, retaining the Hong Kong team as an international production and communication window, while simultaneously establishing a new headquarters in Beijing to attract talent. Initially, some members of the Hong Kong team will also need to be sent to Beijing."

Zhu Jiaxin was well aware that Wu Chen intended to use the Hong Kong special effects team to improve the mainland's effects, but that wasn't a problem, since the Hong Kong team already had many mainland special effects personnel.

"can!"

"Alright, Mr. Zhu, let's discuss the specific details."

Since it involved a deal worth tens of millions, it was impossible to reach an agreement on the same day. As the time was running out, Ren Zhonglun specially treated the two to a simple meal.

The following day, Zhu Jiaxin returned to Hong Kong from Shanghai.

"Director Wu, is everything settled?" Ren Zhonglun asked casually at the Shanghai Film Studio.

"There are still quite a few details to be finalized, but it should be roughly the same," Wu Chen replied with a smile. This trip to Shanghai was quite successful, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be able to secure the deal.

“Alright, I wish Director Wu a successful acquisition. If you manage to acquire it, you can’t say you don’t have time to take on any more Shanghai Film projects,” Ren Zhonglun added. Xiantao Digital’s special effects level is quite good in the industry, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to get a project like “Kung Fu”.

The special effects for some films are usually split up and done by several special effects companies. It doesn't matter who does it.

"How could that be? Chairman Ren's order has to be the top priority." Wu Chen laughed.

The two had already made arrangements for the film's post-production special effects in their simple conversation.

If Zhu Jiaxin were here now, she would be deeply moved.

The reason why Xiantao Digital is having operational difficulties is simply because it can't get orders; it can't open up the mainland market.

The Hong Kong market was small and declining year by year. Plus, the breakthroughs in new technologies had burned through too much money, making it impossible to survive. As a result, Wu Chen hadn't even bought a special effects company yet, and orders were already coming to him.

"Director Wu, I'll send someone to take you to the airport."

Wu Chen didn't stand on ceremony: "Alright, then I'll leave it to Chairman Ren."

After Wu Chen left, Ren Zhonglun called his secretary: "Let's put the special effects company's matter on hold for now; there's no need to investigate further."

"Yes, Mr. Ren."

"."

After returning from Shanghai, Wu Chen discussed various details with Zhu Jiaxin while also keeping an eye on the post-production of "Black Peony".

After the initial rough cut, another round of adjustments is made. If there are no problems, then we can proceed to the final step.

April, like a gentle breeze, quietly slipped into the morning mist of the capital.

However, the news from Cannes has begun to cause a stir within the industry.

On the third day of April, China Film News and Entertainment Weekly almost simultaneously put news about the Cannes Film Festival on their covers.

Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights" has been confirmed as the opening film of this year's Cannes Film Festival!

Jia Zhangke serves as the president of the jury for both the Short Film and Cinéfondation sections at the Cannes Film Festival; Maggie Cheung becomes a jury member for the Palme d'Or.

"Chinese-language films may reach new heights, with international media buzzing about the nominations for films by Wu Chen, Jiang Wen, Wang Xiaoshuai, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and others!"

"."

The 60th Cannes International Film Festival, one of the world's most prestigious film festivals, is scheduled to open on May 16.

This year marks its 60th anniversary, a number that holds immense significance for filmmakers. Any film that makes it to this year's festival will be imbued with an enduring quality by the glow of the times.

Wong Kar-wai's first English-language film, "My Blueberry Nights," has been confirmed as the opening film and has also been nominated for the main competition, already igniting the first fuse.

Following closely, industry insiders reported and reprinted the prediction lists from major international film critics and film magazines:

Chinese-language directors will be a major force at this year's Cannes Film Festival!

The authoritative French film review magazine Positif points out in its analysis:
"Whether it's Wong Kar-wai's first bluesy poem in English, Hou Hsiao-hsien's 'The Red Balloon' with Juliette Binoche, or Jiang Wen's 'The Sun Also Rises' after six years of hiatus, they all possess cultural depth and artistic ambition to win awards."

The most anticipated work is Wu Chen's final chapter in his horror trilogy, "Black Peony".

In addition, Wang Xiaoshuai's family drama film "In Love We Trust" is also prominently listed.

Mainland media outlets have begun to re-examine the international performance of Chinese-language films over the past year, and the results are encouraging.

In September 2006, the Venice Golden Lion Award was given to Jia Zhangke for "Still Life".

In February 2007, Wang Quan'an won the Berlin Golden Bear for "Tuya's Marriage".

Now, the globally acclaimed Palme d'Or at Cannes has become a crucial battle for Chinese-language films to achieve a "three-peat" at the three major international film festivals.

For a time, "Is the Palme d'Or the next stop?" became a hot topic in various film review columns and forums.

"Wow, are Chinese-language films really that amazing? They're almost a three-peat internationally without us even realizing it?"

"Actually, if you include Wu Chen's Oscar, it would be a three-time winner. It's just that the Oscars are American awards, while Cannes is considered one of the three major awards."

"After all, 'Get Out' wasn't filmed in China. Even Wong Kar-wai's 'My Blueberry Nights' isn't considered a Chinese-language film. But we're very competitive this time; several directors with new films are award-winning professionals."

"."

At this time, almost everyone in Beijing's film circles—in teahouses, photography studios, post-production companies, and the corridors of major art colleges—was talking about this "potentially historic Cannes Film Festival."

Jiang Wen didn't hold back either. Seeing that domestic and international media outlets were unanimously optimistic about him, he and Ying Huang raised their arms and shouted, "We're more concerned with winning the award than with being nominated!"

"Jiang Wen is really confident, isn't he? Old Mu, what's Wu Chen saying? Any news?"

The Beijing Film Academy is paying unprecedented attention to this year's Cannes Film Festival, because it is not only a crucial step for Chinese-language films to achieve a three-peat in the Grand Slam, but also an important step for the Beijing Film Academy to achieve a three-peat in the Grand Slam.

Jia Zhangke and Wang Quan'an both happened to be graduates of the Beijing Film Academy.

The entire Beijing Film Academy was buzzing with excitement.

"No, don't worry about him. If he can make it, he can participate; if not, then forget it." Although Mu Deyuan was also nervous, his face remained calm.

"That's not how it works. Cannes has already closed the deadline, so Wu Chen shouldn't need to adhere to it. But has the film been submitted yet? Cannes will be announcing the shortlist in a few days."

"Yeah, Old Mu, you should at least ask about this!"

"."

Mu Deyuan remained silent, simply raising his hand to take a sip of tea, his expression calm and composed.

At this point, it's best not to add unnecessary pressure to Wu Chen, since worrying won't affect Cannes.

Meanwhile, Wu Chen was immersed in the final stages of post-production.

He was aware of the ups and downs in the outside world, but no matter how heated the discussions were, it didn't concern him because the film he was working on was the most important thing.

In the days that followed, the controversy surrounding the Cannes Palme d'Or intensified, with film critics making predictions, commentators vying for their picks, and even some veteran directors appearing on camera to speak out, resulting in a flood of opinions from all sides.

Amidst the various speculations, the Cannes International Film Festival has finally officially announced the list of nominees for its 60th main competition.

Twenty-two films were prominently listed, and the battle for the Palme d'Or was in full swing. However, what left the entire Chinese-language film industry speechless was:

Not a single Chinese-language film was selected.

Even Jiang Wen's new work "The Sun Also Rises," which was previously considered a "sure thing" for nomination by French media and industry insiders, and the mysterious, low-key, and highly anticipated "Black Peony," have all disappeared.

"The whole army was wiped out?"

Almost instantly, the industry and the public were in an uproar, and the comment section fell silent.
(End of this chapter)