Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 246 Pervert! Surprise Video
Silence became the dominant tone immediately.

When the Cannes Film Festival nominations were officially announced in Paris in the early morning, the sun had just risen in Beijing, on the other side of the time zone, and the spring sunshine had not yet filled the streets. The Chinese film industry had already fallen into a collective silence.

The 22 films feature a star-studded cast of European and American auteurs, including the Coen brothers, Kusturica, Gas van Sant, and Quentin Tarantino.
Even two South Korean films, which have been silent for many years, were nominated, but no Chinese-language films appeared.

Not even one.

Especially given the recent achievement of the "Golden Lion + Golden Bear" glory, it was thought that the Palme d'Or would be the glorious final chapter of a three-peat, but on the 60th anniversary of Cannes, this sudden "total defeat" was a complete disappointment.

The homepages of major news websites were instantly flooded with the shortlist, but the headlines were almost unanimously filled with lamentations:
[Wong Kar-wai carries the show alone; Chinese-language films collectively absent from Cannes!]

[Palm of Fame Dream Shattered: Jiang Wen and Wu Chen Both Miss Out on Main Competition!]

[The dream of a three-peat has been shattered; why did Chinese-language films suffer a complete defeat at Cannes?]

Despite the bright spring sunshine, the film industry in Beijing was shrouded in an unusual silence and low spirits.

Film critics are discussing it extensively, and television roundtable discussions are also shifting towards a "reflective" tone:
"Jiang Wen spent six years honing his skills, but he didn't even make the shortlist?"

"Has Wu Chen submitted his film yet? Was it not selected or was it not submitted at all? Starry Night Pictures hasn't given us any news!"

"Wasn't this year supposed to be the strongest year for Chinese-language films?"

The TV station's roundtable discussion program even dedicated an episode to it: "The Lost Cannes and the Silent Directors".

In the comment sections of Baidu Tieba, Douban, and major portal forums, netizens' emotions surged even more dramatically:

"This doesn't make sense! Jiang Wen's films aren't being accepted, and neither are Wu Chen's?"

"I knew the media had hyped it up too much. How could anything like this be guaranteed a spot?"

"It's outrageous that the three directors, Jiang Wen, Wu Chen, and Wang Xiaoshuai, have all gone silent!"

"It's all over? Even Wu Chen failed?"

"The movie I most wanted to see, 'Black Peony,' has now truly become 'the peony has not yet bloomed'!"

"."

Some people were sarcastic, some felt regret, and some were indignant.

At this moment, Zhang Yi, who was busy with the preliminary preparations for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, stood outside the meeting room smoking a cigarette, looking at the newspaper headlines, his brows furrowing more and more.

He knew very well that "Black Peony" had been invited by the Cannes Film Festival committee, and even Thierry Frémaux had personally come forward. How could it suddenly "disappear"?
Even if it's not shortlisted, it should at least be screened; otherwise, it's too unreasonable.

He dialed Wu Chen's number directly.

"Senior brother?" Wu Chen's voice sounded slightly tired when he answered the phone, with a bit of background audio mixed in.

"Where are you?"

"They're still in the editing studio, revising the shots."

"Cannes, have you submitted a film?"

Wu Chen smiled, staring at the interplay of light and shadow on the screen, a blend of dreams and reality: "Not yet, but it should be soon."

Zhang Yi breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew it! It shouldn't be like this. I thought I could make it in time for the last few days?"

"Based on the current situation, we should be able to meet the final delivery date."

"Okay, see you in Cannes."

Wu Chen was not surprised to hear this. After all, internationally renowned directors like Zhang Yimou were certainly invited to the 60th anniversary celebration of Cannes. Moreover, Cannes had invited Zhang Yimou and 35 other famous directors to make short films called "To Each His Own Cinema".

Unlike Zhang Yimou's composure, Lu Xun in Jinling was overjoyed in his office, it was like a windfall.

"Let you two bastards show off."

"Now look what happened, we've all suffered a Waterloo together."

Inside his office, Lu Xun made no attempt to hide his joy, but when interviewed by reporters, he feigned nonchalance and said:
"The 'collective absence' of Chinese-language films this time is indeed worth reflecting on, and it is also very regrettable."

However, film festivals are not the only standard. Everyone has their own direction. For example, "Nanjing! Nanjing!" doesn't expect to prove anything through awards. I just want to make my own good film." Lu Xun's words subtly added a touch of superiority.

Meanwhile, domestic media finally contacted Jia Zhangke, chairman of the "Double Cornerstones" section at this year's Cannes Film Festival, to analyze the reasons for the complete failure of Chinese-language films at Cannes this year.

As a seasoned veteran in the industry, Jia Zhangke was not about to be fooled. He chuckled lightly and spoke calmly:
"I can't guess. Whether a film gets nominated depends on its quality and the tastes of the selectors. I haven't seen any of this year's nominated films yet, but I've already heard of many of the directors."

Faced with this impeccable diplomatic language, the reporters immediately looked disappointed.

Wang Xiaoshuai, Jiang Wen, and Wu Chen did not appear, leading to rumors online that the three had been dropped from the team and were not in good condition.

However, at this moment, the curtains in the Jianying room were half-drawn, and sunlight shone in through the gaps, casting only a slanted beam of light on the floor.

The screen flashed images of "Black Peony," dark and poetic, while the audio track was still being fine-tuned, creating a focused atmosphere.

At this moment, Liu Yifei had one leg straddling two chairs, her long, snow-white leg extending from her knee to her ankle like a curved, flowing jade thread, which Wu Chen played with in his hands.

Today, Liu Yifei wore a beige long dress. The hem of the dress slipped down unintentionally, revealing a section of smooth, curved calf with delicate skin and soft lines.

"Pervert!" Liu Yifei's cheeks flushed red, and she lowered her voice, glancing around guiltily.

Fortunately, there were only the two of them in the editing room.

"I advise you not to slander me like this." Wu Chen said seriously, "It's clearly you who was bored, lifting and crossing your leg, and even stretching it out, disturbing my editing."

"Shameless! Saying such serious things, why don't you stop your hand?" Liu Yifei spat at him, then looked up and saw that Wu Chen's hand was still firmly resting on her calf.

She wanted to pull back, but was afraid of hurting him by kicking him. She was half-suspended in mid-air, her toes slightly tense, like a kitten caught in a trap, unable to move forward or backward.

"Alright, alright, it's not like I'm the one who cares so much." Wu Chen grinned, reluctantly putting it down because there was a problem with the image in front of him, and it needed some minor adjustments. Work was more important.

"I'll bite you to death, you bastard! I even came all this way to see if you've been bothered by the media." Liu Yifei said, biting him angrily as she pressed her teeth against his arm, her eyes full of coquettish charm.

As the two laughed and joked, the air seemed to be softened to the temperature of spring.

Wu Chen felt that these days were not boring at all, much more interesting than the days when he sat here alone.

"When will the fine-cut be finished?" Liu Yifei quieted down, propped her head up with her hand, and sat next to him, staring at the screen.

"Around the day after tomorrow," Wu Chen estimated the time. "It should be ready, even faster than I expected. I originally thought it would be delayed until two days before the opening ceremony."

"The media is saying that you guys are in poor condition because you didn't get elected."

At this moment, at the Beijing Film Studio, Chen Kaige was standing at the entrance of the newly built "Auspicious Theater," looking up at the newly painted signboard, with busy construction workers and lighting technicians adjusting the lights behind him.

This is an important filming location for "Mei Lanfang". Chen Kaige is full of anticipation and in a very good mood for this biographical film that is about to start filming.

As the only Chinese winner of the Palme d'Or, Chen Kaige was naturally pursued by reporters and media as soon as he appeared. On one hand, there was the casting of "Mei Lanfang", and on the other hand, there was the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival.

"Director Chen, I heard that Cannes invited you, Director Zhang, and 35 other internationally renowned directors to create a film called 'One Person, One Film,' with each person having three minutes."

Speaking of this, Chen Kaige's expression became even more cheerful: "Haha, that's true. I didn't ask what Director Zhang was filming, but mine is already finished. It's an extension of 'Farewell My Concubine'."

"Director Chen, what's your opinion on the fact that Chinese-language films were collectively rejected from the Cannes main competition this time?" One of the reporters immediately brought up the hottest topic in the industry at the moment.

Upon hearing this, Chen Kai frowned slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly said, "It's too early to talk about 'total annihilation'."

The reporters were taken aback and looked up.

Chen Kaige then explained, "The final list of films for the Cannes main competition may remain unchanged until the day before the official opening, because some films can be included as 'surprise films'."

"A surprise video?"

"Director Chen, can you explain what this means?"

"Director Chen."

Chen Kai didn't say anything more, turned around and continued walking into the scenic area, leaving only a bunch of camera lights still adjusting their focus, while the reporters had already started writing "surprise video" in their notebooks.

(End of this chapter)