Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 264 Awarding of Medals, An Shaokang
In the early morning in Cannes, a gentle sea breeze caresses the azure coast, and sunlight bathes every stone brick in the Palais des Cultures.

The French Ministry of Culture has contacted Wu Chen and officially decided to hold the award ceremony three days later—on May 31—at the International Center for Cinema Arts by the Old Port of Cannes.

This historic small art palace, once a favorite screening venue for French art film experimenters in the early 20th century, will now host a meeting with one of the most talked-about Asian directors of our time.

Meanwhile, the head of China Film Group's overseas copyright department has already contacted Han Sanping.

"Chairman Han, the final copyright fee for France is set at $260 million, for the German-speaking region $180 million, for the UK $240 million, and for Italy and Spain a combined sale at $210 million."
In Asia, Japan's figure is approximately US$190 million, South Korea's is US$120 million, and Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand's combined figure is around US$70.
The combined value from Oceania, Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa is approximately three million US dollars.

As for North America, director Wu Chen said to hold off for now, but Fox Searchlight and Paramount have both shown strong interest.
Furthermore, with the French Ministry of Culture planning to purchase a set of educational screening rights and archival storage licenses, we have now secured over $15 million overseas, and expect to easily add over $20 million to our North American portfolio!

Although "Black Peony" was the special Palme d'Or winner for the 60th anniversary of Cannes, and naturally attracted special attention from art-house cinemas and film festivals worldwide, the copyright fee still surprised Han Sanping.

Han Sanping, who had been frowning because of "Red Cliff", now had a rare smile on his face.

"Great, have you notified Director Wu?"

"We have already notified you verbally and in writing."

"Alright, you guys come back a few days later too. You can also attend Director Wu's award ceremony together."

While China Film Group was overjoyed, Feng Xiaogang of Huayi Brothers was feeling frustrated.

"The insider information circulating in the bureau suggests that this year's Oscar nomination for mainland China will most likely go to Wu Chen's 'Black Peony'." Wang Zhonglei glanced at Feng Xiaogang before finally revealing the information he had gathered.

"Why?"

Feng Xiaogang was sullen. This year was such a good opportunity. Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou didn't have any new movies, and there weren't many films in the industry to compete with. He just happened to have made a war film.

“They’ll be receiving their medals in a couple of days,” Wang Zhonglei said helplessly. “Don’t bother with all that. Let it be the Lunar New Year release. No more advance screenings!”

Feng Xiaogang pursed his lips.

If possible, he still hopes to compete for it, because "Assembly" has been plagued by negative news since filming began, such as the destruction of farmland, rumors of unpaid wages, the replacement of the female lead midway through filming, the injury of lead actor Zhang Hanyu from a fall from a horse during filming in Jiangxi, and the burning of large-scale war scene props, resulting in the loss of models that had been painstakingly produced over three months.
Although I don't believe in this mystical thing, I still feel uneasy about it.

The special film cost 8000 million, but it didn't have any big stars. He's a little uneasy now. If he can get some publicity by pushing for the Oscars, at least he'll have some confidence.

Is it just competing with Wu Chen's "Black Peony"?

He also knew that under these circumstances, "Assembly" had no chance of winning.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei had a great time in Cannes. Since they had already made their relationship official, there was no pressure to go public, so they could go wherever they wanted.

Jason Blum, who was far away in Los Angeles, called Wu Chen.

“I’ve heard the news from Cannes, it’s such a pity! But Paramount seems a bit anxious, they’ve contacted me several times in the last couple of days.”

“Their people watched a movie in Cannes,” Wu Chen said, leaning back in a chair on the balcony, his tone tinged with amusement.

China Film Group had already informed him that North American film distributors would almost certainly not be absent from the three major film festivals.

“Actually, it’s not just them.” Jason lowered his voice slightly. “Those we’ve contacted before, like Fox Searchlight, have also responded. See when you can reply to them.”

These Hollywood producers aren't stupid at all; they know that Wu Chen also has a script similar to "Black Peony," called "Black Swan," and it has a pure Western artistic feel.

Now that "Black Peony" has set a precedent, "Black Swan" may no longer be considered original, but its script value is even greater.

Wu Chen rubbed the cup between his fingers: "Let's give Paramount a little nudge first. They should know I'm trying to get the rights to 'those eight pages of creative story,' right?"

"Of course. After Linda Aubus suspended that project, they immediately started investigating. How could they not find you? So you mean you're planning to make a trade? Is it worth it?"

Jason Blum had a question mark in his mind at this moment.

The value of "Black Swan" is now obvious: it has a mature structure, clear imagery, and extremely high artistic quality. However, that science fiction project is still in its infancy.

"We can discuss it. I think we should ask them to add some money!"

Wu Chen smiled. When it comes to matters of interest, there is always room for negotiation.

On one hand, there's a script with an obvious and high chance of success; on the other hand, there's a science fiction concept that's still in its infancy. Moreover, Paramount has just reached an agreement with Fox to invest approximately $7000 million to acquire the North American distribution rights for Cameron's science fiction blockbuster, Avatar.

I'm not that eager for blockbusters.

However, Wu Chen also couldn't quite understand Fox, this unlucky guy. They had clearly caught the wave of three super trends: Titanic, Star Wars, and Avatar. Theoretically, they should have been able to create a super empire, but they always got up early only to arrive late.

Not only did they eat very little of the meat, but some even only drank the soup, which was quite puzzling.

On May 31, the weather in Cannes was beautiful and picturesque.

Sunlight streamed into the hotel room through the window, gently dappling the wooden floor. Liu Yifei, dressed in a light apricot-colored evening gown, stood before Wu Chen, adjusting his suit collar.

"Stand still!" she complained softly, puffing out her cheeks. "Why are you moving around like that?"

Wu Chen looked down at her charming eyebrows and eyes, and her luscious red lips. Suddenly, he leaned in and gently kissed her alluring lips.

Liu Yifei was slightly stunned by the kiss, her eyelashes trembled, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She could hardly react.

"What are you doing?" she whispered reproachfully, giving Wu Chen a push, slightly breathless with embarrassment. "We're going to be awarded medals later, don't move around!"

After tidying up for a long time, Liu Yifei finally clapped her hands with satisfaction: "Okay, perfect!"

"I'll go call my mom."

However, when Liu Yifei arrived at the room, she saw Liu Xiaoli had just put down her phone and immediately said to her, "I won't go to the awarding ceremony. You and Wu Chen can go."

"Oh, Mom, why?" Liu Yifei asked in surprise. "Didn't we agree on this?"

"You'll know when you go there."

Liu Xiaoli didn't say much. Liu Yifei paused, then suddenly understood something. A complex and subtle emotion appeared on her youthful and passionate face.
"Why didn't Auntie come?" Wu Chen asked, holding Liu Yifei's hand as they walked out of the Martinez Hotel.

Sunlight shone on the streets of the French Riviera, where a black executive car, already waiting, sat quietly at the foot of the steps, its body polished to a mirror shine, a small French tricolor flag fluttering gently in the wind.

"Um, my dad." Liu Yifei hesitated for a moment, her eyes instinctively avoiding her gaze.

Wu Chen paused, as if he had thought of something, then turned to look at her and said gently, "Alright, I understand, it's okay."

"Hmm!" Liu Yifei breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a gentle smile. "Actually, it's alright. When I go back to Jiangcheng, my mom will still invite me to my dad's for dinner, but she's never actually gone to my dad's."

“Normal.” Wu Chen nodded without saying anything more.

Every broken relationship has its own story, and the best state is to avoid hurting each other.

10:00 AM, Cannes International Film Festival.

This is not part of the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, but a crescent-shaped building hidden by the port in the old town. It was converted from an old-fashioned theater, with its vaulted ceiling inlaid with reliefs and Latin inscriptions, and its weathered stone pillars standing solemnly and dignified.

This place has hosted memorial exhibitions for French filmmakers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Resnais, but now it is about to welcome a Chinese director to stand on the highest stage of French culture.

Even before the ceremony began, a number of guests had already gathered at the entrance.

The flag of the Chinese Embassy in France was also flying to the left of the entrance. Several domestic cultural representatives dressed in Zhongshan suits or Western suits had already taken their seats. Not far away, Wu Chen spotted one of them—An Shaokang, the First Secretary for Education and Cultural Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in France.

He wore a dark gray suit, buttoned up neatly, paired with narrow-rimmed glasses. His features were gentle, and he exuded the refined and composed air of an intellectual.

He stood in the middle of the embassy delegation, just as he had when he was teaching many years ago.

His gaze lingered for a moment when Wu Chen appeared, then he nodded slightly. There was no sharpness in his eyes, yet Wu Chen inexplicably felt a little nervous.

Wu Chen nodded in polite response.

"What's wrong, are you nervous?" Liu Yifei clearly sensed Wu Chen's reaction, covered her red lips, and teased him gently.

"There is a bit of natural suppressive power!"

Wu Chen did not deny it.

The French Minister of Culture personally attended the ceremony, dressed in a dark blue suit, and took the stage to read the award citation:

"Today, the French Republic bestows one of its highest cultural honors upon a film artist."

He uses his lens to explore the depths of human nature, his narratives to connect Eastern and Western civilizations, and his aesthetics to amaze the world's critics. In his works, we see the reconstruction of the classics, and we also see the possibilities of the future.

Therefore, with the approval of the Republic's Central Committee and unanimous approval of the Ministry of Culture Committee, we have decided to award Wu Chen the Medal of Arts and Literature, Commander rank.

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted in the auditorium.

The president of the Cannes Film Festival personally presented Wu Chen with a medal ribbon.

The green-bordered cross shines brightly on the chest, symbolizing the Republic's highest tribute to those who promote art, thought, and culture.

"Congratulations, Mr. Wu Chen," the French official said sincerely. "This is a tribute to you, and also a tribute to film."

Domestic guests stood up and applauded for a long time.

Liu Yifei stood at the edge of the crowd, her eyes shining, yet her smile was radiant.
(End of this chapter)