Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 669 Fierce Competition for Scheduling

The Venice Film Festival is already halfway through.

As more and more films from the main competition are shown, the discussion about who will win the grand prize has become increasingly intense.

Since its premiere, "The Warmest 30 Days of My Life" has continued to gain positive word-of-mouth, consistently ranking high in the festival publications of various film festivals.

The scores for "Carnage", "Shame" and "A Simple Life" are all quite high, all above 3.2.

These films have undoubtedly become the strongest contenders for this year's Golden Lion Award and other major performance awards.

After the intensive promotional period following the premiere, Wu Chen and Liu Yifei's lives returned to a rare period of peace.

They declined most invitations to cocktail parties and gatherings, only occasionally going to the cinema to watch a few films that interested them.

That afternoon, the sun shone brightly on Lido Island.

Wu Chen and Liu Yifei, wearing sunglasses and casual clothes, looked like an ordinary couple of tourists, holding hands and strolling on the street near the hotel.

"Look, isn't that Michael Fassbender?"

Liu Yifei suddenly tugged at Wu Chen's sleeve and gestured towards an open-air café not far away.

Wu Chen looked in the direction she pointed and saw the German-Irish actor sitting alone in the corner of the cafe, quietly drinking coffee and reading a newspaper with a focused expression.

His film "Shame," which premiered just two days ago, features a shocking nude scene that has sparked huge controversy and undoubtedly makes him a strong contender for this year's Best Actor award.

“It’s him.” Wu Chen nodded. “A true ‘method acting’ madman. Don’t try to imitate his style; it’s too crazy, and you might not be able to pull yourself out of it.”

"I can't learn it!"

Liu Yifei smiled and answered very directly.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chen couldn't help but chuckle. He took her hand and continued strolling along the ancient streets of the water city.

These days, the most heated debate in the domestic entertainment industry is undoubtedly about Guo Degang and his Deyun Society.

They've been putting on some kind of '15th Anniversary Series Performances' lately, and every show is sold out, with tickets in high demand.

Furthermore, Guo Degang also announced that he would be making a movie called "Just Kidding".

A host of celebrities, including Yu Qian, Yue Yunpeng, Jiang Wu, and Li Jing, made guest appearances.
This has sparked heated discussions among netizens, with some saying the cast is comparable to a blockbuster Lunar New Year film.
It has to be said that with the rapid growth of the box office in the mainland film market, the entry threshold for this industry seems to be getting lower and lower.

Now, even crosstalk performers and sketch comedy artists want to get a piece of the pie.

Wu Chen wasn't particularly affected by the news; instead, it reminded him of another team, and he couldn't help but smile.

The sketches by Happy Twist are quite interesting.
While they were enjoying their leisurely time in the water town, another war without gunpowder was quietly breaking out in the entertainment industry back home.

The Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays are just around the corner at the end of the month, and a large number of domestic films have been scheduled for release there, beginning intensive promotional campaigns.

"The Legend of the White Snake," directed by Ching Siu-tung and starring Li Lianjie and Huang Shengyi, returned to China with great fanfare after its successful run at the Venice Film Festival, announcing its release date of September 29.

Meanwhile, "Painted Skin," directed by Gordon Chan and starring Deng Chao and Sun Li, has also set its release date for September 29.

One is a fantasy blockbuster, and the other is a period fantasy.

With similar themes, the same release date, and star-studded casts, these two films were destined to have a difficult time coexisting peacefully.
Similarly, many people are also watching Xingchen's moves. Since "The Warmest Thirty Days of My Life" has already had its world premiere in Venice, then, according to convention, the domestic release date should be announced soon.

Right now, the most suitable time to release a film seems to be the National Day holiday.

"Don't forget, there's also '1911 Revolution,' which Jackie Chan himself directed! It's an epic film that brings together hundreds of stars!"

"My God! If Wu Chen's 'Warm Thirty Days' also makes it into the National Day film season, then this year's National Day film season is really going to be a bloodbath!"

"No way! You're really going to do that? What about everyone else?!"

"."

Just as the industry was still speculating and waiting for Starry Night Pictures' official announcement, Han Sanping's call came as scheduled.

Although China Film Group did not participate in the investment of "Warm Thirty Days", Wu Chen still sought cooperation with China Film Group for the domestic distribution this time.

"Well, a lot of films on the market are waiting for news about your movie."

"Why are you waiting for me?"

"What do you think? Quite a few short films are a bit scared, especially those with similar themes to yours," Han Sanping said with a laugh.

"With Venice as a promotional venue, let's release it during the National Day holiday, a couple of days later, on the 1st, to avoid such crowds."

Wu Chen thought about it for a moment, and then made a decision.

For most movies, the time from the start of promotion to the official release is usually controlled within a little over a month.

However, the situation with "30 Days of Warmth" is rather special.

From the moment it announced its entry into the main competition at Venice.
The propaganda had already begun.

Following its Venice premiere, it garnered widespread attention and coverage from global media. This level of buzz and media attention completely eliminated the need for lengthy pre-release promotion within China.

"Are you really going to release it during the National Day holiday?" Han Sanping's expression turned somewhat strange upon hearing this decision. "Have you thought this through? This time, there's really going to be a bloodbath."

As a result, four highly anticipated blockbusters have already been squeezed into the National Day holiday film season.

Although Wu Chen's "Warm Thirty Days" was not high in terms of cost.

But the mere mention of the names "Wu Chen" and "Liu Yifei" is enough to make this film anything but low-key.

Its audience anticipation even surpasses that of so-called "blockbusters" with investments of one or two hundred million.

“I am a little worried,” Han Sanping’s tone became somewhat serious. “I’m worried that the bureau might ‘suggest’ or ‘guide’ a certain film to change its schedule.”

Generally speaking, when too many blockbusters are released during a major film season, which may lead to vicious competition, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television usually intervenes to conduct macro-control over the entire film market.

“Chairman Han, things are different now.” Wu Chen said confidently, “Do you believe that the bureau might want to test how big the market capacity is for the National Day holiday season now?”

Besides, the development of my country's film and television industry is only a few films; it can't be stopped.

(End of this chapter)