Huayu Entertainment: You have been directing for three generations, are you comparing your qualifica

Chapter 181, "The Hunt," is based on a true story and is a critique of the biggest hit movie!

The town of Cannes has a very advantageous geographical location.

Backed by green mountains, with a long stretch of sandy beach at its feet, and dotted with large palm trees...

Since the opening ceremony, many films have been holding premieres.

There are those who come simply to sell film rights, as well as films nominated for various non-competitive sections, with an average of one red carpet show every two days.

18 number.

The film "The Journey of the Red Balloon" has been shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard section.

Hou Hsiao-hsien is a renowned director, and this is a foreign language film, so many guests attended.

The Chinese directors who were still in Cannes were very respectful; almost all of them attended, along with a number of film critics.

A typical film of refined egoism, it tells the story of how a Chinese nanny interacts with a white family from their glamorous perspective.

This is a typical brainwashing propaganda film that attempts to differentiate between races and classes and has a strong political bias.

Tian Xiaole showed his face, walked out of the screening room, and didn't exchange many words.

Wandering around the film exhibition area, I chose a film from the main competition section to find out which film posed the biggest threat, so I could prepare accordingly.

In the screening room of "April, Three Weeks, Two Days," Tian Xiaole looked solemn. This movie was definitely the biggest competitor.

A college student becomes pregnant unexpectedly. Because abortion is prohibited by local law, the female protagonist and her roommate have no choice but to seek help from black market doctors.

The film uses the suffering of women as its perspective, and through the abortion ban at the time, it shows the control that dictatorship exerted over women's bodies.

It reveals the passive position of women in a patriarchal society.

This is a film reflecting the laws of the old era, or perhaps a documentary would be a more accurate description.

The film's biggest flaw is its failure to speak up for women and its lack of proactive advocacy for their rights.

The jury chair for this year's competition, Jane Campion, is a female director.

Moreover, the jury has five women, the most in previous years, giving this film a huge advantage.

It is one of the biggest competitors in the [Hunting] category.

While Tian Xiaole was observing his opponents, he was also constantly being observed by them.

“Director Christian, this film is definitely our biggest competitor.”

"It's truly excellent. It's a film that explores the darker side of human nature, yet it also possesses strong artistic merit. The techniques and cinematic language are superb..."

The director, Christian, gave it high praise.

"Should we do something?"

"No need for that, my film will resonate more with the jury, haha."

Christian Mungi flashed a confident smile. "April 3 Weeks 2 Days" was a film that was pre-made after the jury president was chosen.

This film about women's suffering was intended to curry favor with this female chairperson.

Thinking of this, he stopped smiling and whispered to the person next to him:

"Just to be on the safe side, you should do this..."

The two walked out of the "Hunting" screening room, speaking in their native language, not afraid of being overheard.

20 number.

The film "Triangle," co-directed by Johnnie To, Xu Ke, and Ringo Lam, has been selected for the non-competitive screening section.

Tin Siu-lok attended the premiere of a Hong Kong version of "Indiana Jones".

The biggest highlight of the film is that one ticket can get you the works of three directors.

The biggest flaw is that the three directors have very strong personal styles, which makes the plot somewhat disjointed throughout the film.

"Director Tian, ​​it feels so good to see you in a foreign country."

Sun Honglei may look shifty, but he's quite the smooth talker.

"He acted well; his acting skills are on par with the other two Best Actor winners."

Tian Xiaole praised, saying that Ren Dahua and Gu Tianle are definitely award-winning actors, and that Sun Honglei is just as good as Ren Dahua and Gu Tianle in the "Iron Triangle".

"Thank you for the compliment, Director Tian. Your words make me happier than winning a Best Actor award."

Tian Xiaole was still a little uncomfortable with such simple and direct flattery, and said with a smile:

"Your verbal skills are just as good as your acting skills, haha."

Sun Honglei smiled and nodded, offering no rebuttal.

He was just a recent graduate of the Central Academy of Drama when he used his silver tongue to deceive Ding Jiali, a first-class international actress, and thus got the opportunity to star in a TV series by Zhao Baogang, a bigwig in the Beijing entertainment circle, and signed a contract with Xinbaoyuan.

"Have you finished filming your scenes in 'Painted Skin'?" Tian Xiaole asked.

"Not yet. Professor Tian is currently filming Pei Rong's scenes, and I still have a few scenes to play," Sun Honglei replied with a smile.

Tian Xiaole nodded, offered a few words of encouragement, and then left the premiere.

···
[The Hunt] has been showing for several days and its reputation has been rising steadily, with more and more people coming to inquire about it.

Film producers are contacting Tian Xiaole every day.

Films in the main competition section have always been the targets of major film studios' bets.

If they win an award, the copyright they bought early on indicates they will make a fortune.

Tian Xiaole wouldn't be foolish enough to buy it before the closing ceremony; she would have to wait until after the awards ceremony.

As the closing ceremony approached, local media published several articles by film critics, all pointing the finger at "The Hunt".

"—【The Hunt】is an excellent film, but is it too cruel to analyze human nature through a false sexual assault accusation, and to explore the subject of discussion with underage children..."

"The film's narrative focuses on 'false accusations,' making it easy to overlook the real events that led to these accusations..."

"—【The Hunt】open ending, with the protagonist being continuously ostracized by society and pushed into the sea, is it too despairing?"

···
In the hotel room, Tian Xiaole slumped on the sofa. These past few days he had been busy attending various movie premieres, and at night he had to deal with women as fierce as wolves.

As a result, he has been feeling a bit listless these past few days.

With the closing ceremony just days away, the pressure is mounting as I eagerly await that mysterious phone call.

"Xiao Le, there are a few film reviews here that are very detrimental to us."

Wang Jingsong rushed in, carrying several newspapers.

The movie "The Hunt" has received good reviews these days, especially for his portrayal of the male lead. He perfectly captured the helplessness and heartbreaking complex emotions of the character, making him one of the most popular nominees for Best Actor.

This made him always smiling at everyone he met, and he walked with a light, airy gait.

"Let me see."

Tian Xiaole adjusted her posture and took the newspaper to read it.

The article points out some very sharp issues, especially those concerning minors, which could lead to failure if not handled properly.

This is also why few directors are willing to tackle this subject matter.

"That's interesting. The movie has received good reviews, so they're starting to target us."

Tian Xiaole smiled. He had been so focused on marketing that he forgot about other films, but he was the one who got approached first.

"Xiao Le, something terrible has happened..."

Chen Hong walked in anxiously, also carrying several newspapers in her hands.

After observing for the past few days, she has high expectations for the film and has developed unrealistic fantasies.

Upon realizing they were being targeted, they contacted us immediately.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Tian Xiaole asked, getting up.

"Look..."

Chen Hong was halfway through her sentence when she noticed what Tian Xiaole was holding and that Wang Jingsong was also there. She composed herself and said:
"You all know it!"

"We just found out too, and we're trying to come up with a solution. Since it involves minors and sexual assault, we have to be very careful with our responses," Tian Xiaole said.

"I don't know which bastard is targeting us."

Even the usually good-tempered Wang Jinsong was so angry that he swore. This was the closest he'd ever come to an award, and probably the last. "Who else could it be but those few well-received films?"

Chen Hong has been a producer for many years and has attended countless film festivals, so she sees through these little tricks very well.

It's simply about eliminating dissidents and reducing competitors for your film.

"Since the other side made the first move, we cannot sit idly by and wait to be defeated."

Seeing that Tian Xiaole had spoken, Chen Hong and Wang Jinsong looked over together, waiting for what was to come.

“Teacher Wang, go and contact the Guardian reporter and tell them that the ‘Hunting’ production team has agreed to do an exclusive interview to answer some controversial questions.”

[The Hunt] received good reviews at its premiere, and many local newspapers contacted Tian Xiaole, wanting to do an exclusive interview. He declined on the grounds of maintaining mystery, but unexpectedly, they still had to use them.

"Sister Hong prepared a pen and paper for me so I could write down some ideas in my head and be prepared to respond."

"it is good."

"I'll go."

The two seemed to have found their pillar of support and immediately went to carry out the instructions.

···
The Guardian reporter arrived quickly, bringing professional equipment, including lights and a backdrop.

The interview was conducted in a hotel conference room.

"Tian, ​​some film critics say that the false sexual assault allegations in 'The Hunt' weaken the credibility of the real victims. What do you think about this?"

The white female reporter who came to interview asked the question.

"This film has nothing to do with sexual assault. What it really criticizes is how a person, or even a family, can be destroyed without trial in today's society."

Tian Xiaole paused, sighed, and said helplessly:
"The script was inspired by real life, and I deeply understand that profound sense of powerlessness."

"Oh, could you tell me this story?"

The female reporter said with interest.

"of course can."

Tian Xiaole took a sip of water, composed herself, and slowly said:
"I won't go into the specific time, but a mother noticed something was wrong with her 3-year-old daughter's body while bathing her. Without knowing the truth, she immediately called the police, saying that her woman had been sexually assaulted."

Police investigated the little girl's surroundings, reviewed over 600 hours of surveillance footage, and conducted a full-body examination, all of which showed no abnormalities.

The only suspect, the cake shop owner, remained calm and behaved normally when questioned by the little girl, showing no resistance.

The female reporter listened attentively, nodding occasionally, while taking notes.

Tian Xiaole continued to tell this true story:
"But the girl's mother did not agree. Without any evidence, she determined that the cake shop owner was a prime suspect and spread rumors online, inciting netizens who were unaware of the truth to put the cake shop owner on trial."

Without legal oversight, an innocent shop owner was subjected to harassment, cyberbullying, criticism, and even threats.

Tian Xiaole calmed her heaving chest. When she first saw the news, she was extremely angry and indignant without knowing the truth.

In the end, I was so angry that I laughed.

Turns out I'd been tricked.

"As it turns out, the story told in [The Hunt] is not exaggerated; it's just that the little girl's lie has been replaced by the adults' sophistry."

"Have you ever considered that this is just a mother loving her child and wanting the truth?"

The female reporter countered with a question.

Tian Xiaole didn't immediately refute, but took a sip of water to moisten her throat and said with a wry smile:

"Hehe, at first many netizens thought the same as you, and with the help of supporters, they spontaneously donated a lot of money. Guess what the final result was?"

"How about it?"

The reporter had a bad feeling, but still asked out of curiosity.

"The little girl's mother took the money and ran away to live abroad, forgetting all about her so-called innocence."

Tian Xiaole shook his head with a mocking laugh, while millions of netizens were completely fooled.

This is just one typical case; there are many similar examples.

Such names include Xiao Huijun, Aunt Bai, and so on.

The female reporter took a sip of water to ease the awkwardness, and then asked another question.

"The ending of the film, why didn't it clear the protagonist's name? The open ending left the audience feeling too oppressed and hopeless."

"That's just how life is..."

Tian Xiaole paused, recalling the cake shop owner she had just mentioned, and said with a sigh:

“Some wounds can never heal. I hope that the audience leaves the theater with anger and reflects on how we have become accomplices to violence.”

The topic was heavy, which made the atmosphere a little quieter.

Everyone in the meeting room was thinking about this question.

If you are the one who has been wronged, and everyone is blaming you, how do you prove your innocence, and how do you face the rest of your life?

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the female reporter changed the subject:

"Of the most popular films in this year's competition, which one do you think is most likely to win the Palme d'Or?"

Tian Xiaole adjusted his posture; this was the main point of the interview, and it was highly likely to determine who would win the Palme d'Or.

"Any movie is possible, but [April 3 Weeks 2 Days] is not worthy."

The white female reporter was stunned. This film was the most popular and the most likely to win a major award.

It's a rare subject matter about women's suffering, and the fact that it had a female chairperson for the jury meant that many people basically accepted it.

In the mouth of this young director, he was actually unworthy.

Then Tian Xiaole continued:
"If this film wants to use women's issues as its selling point, it should directly address the pain points, instead of telling the story from a detached perspective like a documentary."

The director only depicts suffering for the sake of suffering, offering no enlightenment whatsoever.

"In this film, all I saw was the low status of women in feudal society. There was no resistance against hegemony, only blind acceptance, and women were portrayed as so despicable."

At this point, Tian Xiaole shook his head angrily, and after the female reporter had processed his thoughts, he continued:
"I was quite surprised that this kind of film could be so popular."

Aren't you all advocating for women's equality and independence? This film has no value whatsoever, so why does it receive such high praise?

Tian Xiaole pointed at the female reporter in front of him. The latter lowered her head somewhat ashamed and changed the subject:

"If you were to direct this, how would you approach this type of subject matter?"

"Where there is oppression, there is resistance. It is simply tragic that a piece of torn paper can be used to bind women's independent consciousness."

When Tian Xiaole got excited, he slapped his thigh as if he were giving a speech.

Then he continued:
"I understand that the background of this film is a law promulgated at the end of the feudal era. Such provisions that disregard women's human rights should not be tolerated or compromised, but should be overthrown and a new order should be established."

The female reporter nodded repeatedly. As a woman, she agreed with this statement; where there is oppression, there should be revolution.

She quickly calmed down and didn't forget her job.

"According to your statement, it has a strong policy flavor, which does not meet the film festival's selection requirements."

"No, the film was never a political manifesto. In that era, women had no choice but to endure hardship. Under the feudal system, only revolution could improve women's status."

A great Chinese leader once said, "Women hold up half the sky," and since then, Chinese women have stood up.

Tian Xiaole's words deeply shocked the female reporter.
The recent rise of feminism in Europe has only called for improved treatment, equal pay for equal work with men, and extended maternity leave.

The phrase "women hold up half the sky" left her, who had received a Western education, silent for a long time.

I can't help but ask myself: Can I really do it?

Tian Xiaole was suffering inside, but she wore a smile on the surface.

In a few years, marriage will be like opening a blind box; if you find a good one, everything will be harmonious.

If you're unlucky enough to be robbed and have your savings wiped out by two generations, then you'll know the true value of this saying.

in the afternoon.

The interview published by The Guardian instantly ignited a frenzy in Cannes.

(End of this chapter)