Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 418 The suffering of history is not your suffering, but the suffering of millions.

Wu Chen's trip back to China tomorrow afternoon has been leaked.

Rumors spread very quickly among the media.

Lu Xun was particularly sensitive at this critical juncture.

Just when things seemed to be heading in a positive direction, Wu Chen had to return to China at this crucial juncture.
He quickly dialed Lu Tianming's number, his voice low and somber:
"Dad, Wu Chen is coming back tomorrow afternoon."

"Are you sure?" Lu Tianming's voice was unhurried.

"It's confirmed. What Mr. Qin said today was just gossip from the media."

Lu Xun seemed a little anxious. He didn't believe that Wu Chen would be merciful enough to let him off the hook at this time, and he would definitely hold onto the issue.

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

"Let's wait and see what he has to say."

Lu Tianming was at a loss, after all, he had done everything he could and the results were good. Now he could only wait for others to make their moves.

"By the way, see if we can find someone else to contact him. The social circle is only so big; there's no need to make things so tense."

"Dad, there's no one left, not even the directing department."

Lu Xun was somewhat embarrassed, mainly because he didn't have much help left.

He didn't get much support from the directing department to begin with; he had just had a fight with his own teacher and people from the cinematography department.

Currently, there are more people in the directing department who support Wu Chen than those who support him.

Furthermore, he and Chen Kaige didn't get along, and there were very few people in the entire department who supported him.

Lu Tianming also sighed.

He didn't understand either. Everyone was trying to make a living, so why did Lu Xun have such a bad reputation? He couldn't even protect his own base.

She inexplicably criticized Chen Kaige several times, and in doing so, she offended Chen Kaige as well.

The following afternoon, at Beijing Capital International Airport.

The sky was overcast, and the north wind made the red warning tape outside the airport flutter loudly.

Early in the morning, a group of media outlets gathered at the arrival gate, scattered in twos and threes at the back of the crowd, their scarves and masks pulled low, carrying equipment in their hands, but their eyes focused on the same direction.

"Rumor has it he was on Air China flight CA984, departing from Los Angeles and landing at 2:50 PM today."

"I heard he was wearing a black trench coat today."

Upon hearing this, many media outlets stared intently at the Sina Entertainment reporter, somewhat puzzled.

Damn, how come they even managed to find out the color of Wu Chen's clothes from this inside information?

This is too outrageous.

The latter, feeling a little guilty, quickly said, "Don't look at me! Keep your eyes on the exit!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a small commotion broke out from the crowd closest to the exit.

Wu Chen appeared, making no attempt to conceal himself, and dragged his suitcase toward the exit.

The moment he appeared, people quickly ran over, and seven or eight microphones were thrust out at him:
"Director Wu, what are your thoughts on the huge success of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' at the Oscars? Did you anticipate it?"

"Director Lu Xun said that no one is perfect, implying that the film has been suppressed by unknown forces. What is your opinion?"

"There are rumors that director Jiang Wen severely criticized director Lu Xun at the test screening of 'Nanjing! Nanjing!'. Are you aware of this? Is it true?"

"I heard there was controversy at the preview screening of 'City of Life and Death'. What are your thoughts on the film's expression?"

"."

The media were already well aware of the long-standing feud between Wu Chen and Lu Xun, so they only asked one question about the Oscars, and the rest were directed at "Nanjing! Nanjing!"

Moreover, Lu Xun's interview a couple of days ago, in which he mentioned "unknown forces," was clearly a pointed remark, and everyone guessed that Lu Xun was referring to Wu Chen. Wu Chen paused, looked at the crowd, and said seriously, "No one is perfect, that's a fact. No matter who it is, if you look at them with a magnifying glass, there will always be flaws and imperfections."

As for suppression, I'm not quite sure who's suppressing him.

The reporters were somewhat disappointed; this was not the response they wanted to hear.

In my mind, Wu Chen should have fiercely criticized Lu Xun, which is Wu Chen's usual style.

"But I think every creator should be clear about one premise—when you choose to tell the story of historical suffering, you are not telling your own suffering, but the suffering of millions of people."

The reporter fell silent for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he couldn't stop talking.

"So when many friends told me that 'Nanjing! Nanjing!' is actually a film that stands in the position of the perpetrator and shows the perpetrator's struggle, I said I couldn't understand it."

What right does Lu Xun have to speak on behalf of those who came before, to forgive and understand them, and to try to interpret the bestiality of aggression with a human perspective?

The reporters held their breath.

Wu Chen nodded slightly, his voice deep and clear: "I respect every colleague who works hard to make films, but when it comes to historical themes of suffering, respecting the audience's emotions and memories is the bare minimum."

After saying that, he calmly left, leaving the reporters in an uproar.

However, the interview quickly caused a stir in the industry by evening.

Because Wu Chen directly pointed out that the stance of "Nanjing! Nanjing!" was problematic, this is much bigger than minor issues such as the controversy at the previous test screening.

"Haha, I knew Wu Chen wouldn't be idle."

At home, Jiang Wen slapped his thigh and burst into laughter, then couldn't help but call Wu Chen, "Director Wu, are you trying to kill them?"

Jiang Wen could already imagine how overwhelmed Lu Xun must be right now.

Because other things are minor, but once this matter is confirmed, the film will bring audience resentment, and may even lead to boycotts.

In fact, many viewers, if they are watching the film for the first time and are not paying particular attention, will not be able to see this subtle deviation in the theme at first glance.

Only those who are sensitive to this can quickly notice it.

"It would be a blessing for the audience if this movie were rejected," Wu Chen said calmly.

At this moment, Lu Xun at home was indeed extremely stressed and couldn't help but curse, "Bastard!"

Wu Chen is trying to kill him.

Lu Xun inevitably had to ask Lu Tianming for help, but Lu Tianming was also very busy at the time, with his phone ringing one after another. He quickly smiled apologetically and said:
"Wu Chen has not seen the video. It is too arbitrary for him to say this to the media. There is absolutely no such thing. This is a statement mixed with personal hatred."
This statement is very unfair; it's based entirely on hearsay from friends, which is irresponsible. If the film can be released as scheduled, I believe the audience will give a fair and objective response.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun immediately knew who Lu Tianming was dealing with.

After Lu Tianming hung up the phone, Lu Xun couldn't help but ask, "Dad, will the movie be released?"

"There shouldn't be any problems. Wu Chen has a fatal flaw right now: he's never actually watched a movie."

Lu Xun breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

"Temporarily halt your high-profile publicity. As for Wu Chen's remarks, you should know how to respond, right? Besides, he hasn't filmed any historical documentaries."

But box office

Lu Xun was immediately unwilling, knowing that losing some publicity would be a huge loss for the film, which he had hoped would bring in 200 to 300 million yuan.

"As for box office revenue, if Wu Chen's remarks continue to escalate, it's questionable how many viewers your movie will even have. We'll figure out a way to handle the publicity later."

Lu Tianming was a little disappointed. Even at this point, they were still thinking about these trivial issues, completely oblivious to the core problem.

If Wu Chen hadn't not seen the film, it would have been questionable whether the film needed to be re-examined.

"All right."

(End of this chapter)