Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 664 The schemes orchestrated by Zuo Shandiao are a complete mess! Let's set off!

The day after the Huabiao Awards ceremony, major media outlets in Beijing prominently featured the previous night's grand event in their entertainment sections.

The 14th Huabiao Awards were a star-studded affair, with eleven renowned directors, including Wu Chen and Zhang Yimou, sharing the stage in a rare appearance!

[Wu Chen wins Huabiao Award for Best Director for "1939"; new film to be released at Venice at the end of the month!]

[A happy ending for all! The 14th Huabiao Film Awards were held in Beijing, maintaining a 50% winning rate!]

【.】

It must be said that some media outlets still know how to "stir things up".

The final title, seemingly just stating the facts, subtly reveals a hint of mockery of this "pork-sharing" feast.

In the office of New Pictures Film Studio, Zhang Weiping looked at these reports and muttered something unpleasant to himself.

"What's the point of going for that prize? It's only a 50% chance of winning!"

It must be that bandit leader who's up to all this trouble, causing all this chaos! And what's more, he's really underhanded! He actually allowed Wu Chen's "Interstellar" to be released at the end of November!

This is clearly a huge blow to the entire Lunar New Year film season! It should be moved to next year, like other blockbusters, and delayed!

Nearly two months later, Zhang Weiping was still clearly worried that his film "The Flowers of War," which had cost him a great deal of effort and investment, would be completely ruined by Wu Chen's sci-fi blockbuster during the Lunar New Year season.

Zhang Yimou, standing to the side, listened to his complaints and seemed somewhat speechless.

"Didn't you say a few days ago that you had already come up with a solution?"

"I did think of that." Upon hearing this, Zhang Weiping's worried expression vanished, and a smug smile appeared on his lips.

He then said it.

After hearing this, Zhang Yimou's face showed a look of surprise:

"Will this work? What if the theaters refuse to accept it?"

"They have no choice but to accept it!"

Zhang Weiping's tone was unusually assertive, seemingly brimming with confidence: "This time, they have to listen to us!"

Meanwhile, Wu Chen and Liu Yifei had already arrived at the VIP waiting room of Beijing Capital International Airport.

Rong Xinda's Li Xiaowan was accompanying Li Qin.

"Director Wu, Yifei, please take good care of Qinqin this time we're going out."

"You're too kind, it's nothing. She's the second female lead in our production." Liu Yifei replied with a smile.

After dropping her off, Li Xiaowan exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving, satisfied.

She made a special trip today to help Li Qin gain more attention in front of Wu Chen and Liu Yifei.

She really hoped that Li Qin could get along well with these two.

After all, being able to travel with Wu Chen's crew to Cannes a few years ago and to Venice this year is a top-tier opportunity that many people would kill for.

"Director Wu, Sister Yifei, are we the only ones going?" Li Qin was slightly surprised to see only three people there.

"Professor Wang Zhiwen is busy and can't come all this way, so he won't be able to come," Liu Yifei said with a smile, taking Li Qin's hand and making her sit down next to her.

To be honest, the three of them only set off from Beijing on the 29th, so the timing was indeed a bit rushed.

One reason is that there are currently no direct flights to Venice; one has to fly to Frankfurt, Germany, and then transfer to a Lufthansa flight.

On the other hand, after a long flight, you also need to adjust to the time difference.

Before long, news of Wu Chen and his group departing for Venice had spread across the internet through media outlets stationed at the airport.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei depart for Venice! Li Qin accompanies them; the three members of the film crew appear at the airport!

[No time to rest after the Huabiao Awards! Wu Chen and the cast of "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life" head to Chongqing!]

【.】

To be honest, if it were Wu Chen and Liu Yifei, the actresses in the industry wouldn't think too much about it.

However, seeing Li Qin's name appear at this international A-list film festival for the second time has made many people feel uneasy.

"Li Qin's luck is just too good!"

"Damn! Wu Chen is so nice to people he knows! That younger sister role, any actress younger than him could play it, right?"

"That's the red carpet in Venice! I'm so jealous, I'm really jealous." Everyone was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.

Meanwhile, in the Film Association's office, Kang Jianming looked at the news and began to mutter to himself.

He hadn't had a chance to formally invite Wu Chen yet.

After all, the Golden Rooster Awards won't be held until the end of October, so there's still some time.

He originally planned to wait until after the Huabiao Awards were over before looking for a suitable opportunity.

However, when he learned that Wu Chen was going to Venice, he thought that Wu Chen would miss the Huabiao Awards last night.

"I didn't expect him to actually go and give me face..."

Kang Jianming leaned back in his chair and sighed softly, his mind still racing, pondering how he should act after Wu Chen returned from Venice.
After a long flight of more than ten hours and a layover in Frankfurt, Wu Chen and his group finally arrived at Venice Marco Polo Airport in the afternoon of the 30th, local time.

The moment the cabin door opened, a sea breeze carrying a faint salty scent, mixed with the warm and languid sunshine unique to the Mediterranean, rushed towards us.

Unlike the stifling summer heat of Beijing, the air here carries a refreshing coolness.

The group went directly to the pier outside the airport through the VIP channel.

A beautifully designed wooden water taxi, which had been waiting there, was quietly docked at the shore.

With the roar of the engine, the small boat cut through the emerald green water and sped off towards Lido Island.

The ancient buildings recede slowly into the distance on both sides of the waterway.

In the distance, the bell tower of St. Mark's Square is clearly visible in the golden sunlight.

The air began to fill with the festive atmosphere unique to this film city.

Various flags and posters related to the film festival are now visible everywhere.

"Sister Yifei, look! It's a poster for our movie!" Li Qin has sharp eyes and spotted the poster on the flagpole on the shore at a glance from the small boat.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei then looked in the direction she pointed.

It was a poster designed to be extremely warm and romantic.

The background of the poster is a street in Shanghai that has been soaked by rain.

Wu Chen plays Shen Shi'an, who is wearing a dark trench coat and holding a red umbrella, while Liu Yifei plays Lin Zhiyao, who is wearing a white dress and is nestled in his arms. The two smile at each other.

That smile was so radiant, it seemed to dispel all the gloom.

The overall color scheme of the poster is warm and retro, full of artistic flair.

"Hehe, Director Wu and Sister Yifei are such a perfect match!"

Li Qin looked at the poster and gave it a very eloquent compliment.

These words brought a smile to Liu Yifei's face.

The small boat eventually docked at the private marina of the legendary Chionia Hotel on Lido Island, a place with a history spanning over a century.

This is where all the big stars, directors, and jury members stay during the annual Venice Film Festival.

As soon as they stepped ashore, reporters who had been waiting at the dock spotted them from afar and immediately surrounded them.

"Director Wu! Director Wu! Are you confident you can win the Golden Lion Award this time?"

"Effie, this is your second time bringing your work to one of the three major European film festivals. How are your feelings different from when you were at Cannes last time?"

"Directors Ann Hui, Wei Te-sheng, and Johnnie To have arrived. Do the four of you Chinese-language directors have any private exchanges?"

"Ms. Li Qin, could you share your impressions of your trip to Venice?"

A barrage of questions, in English, Italian, and Chinese, came rushing in.

Wu Chen immediately raised his hand, shielding Liu Yifei and Li Qin behind him. He smiled and nodded to the reporters.

"Excuse me, everyone. We just got off the plane and are still a bit tired. How about we talk more after we've rested?"

He paused and added.

"All I can say is that every director who comes to the film festival wants the Golden Lion. That's normal."

(End of this chapter)