It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 118 The “Prestige” of the Oscars and the Reactions After Winning (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Warmest congratulations! Director Lu Rui has won the 77th Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for 'The Prestige'!"

"The first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay by a Chinese director has been won: Lü Rui – The Prestige!"

"The Prestige's opening weekend box office results in North America are in: $1164 million (approximately RMB 9544 million), successfully breaking the box office record set by House of Flying Daggers."

"At the Oscars ceremony, Lu Rui thanked all the film investors and lead actors, demonstrating the demeanor of a great director..."

"This morning, the comedy film 'Remote Control,' produced by Ruishijie, officially started filming."

...

Compared to foreign media, domestic media were incredibly generous with their praise!
Lü Rui is being praised to the skies!
Anyone with a discerning eye knows that he only won the Best Adapted Screenplay award, but those who don't know the truth might think he won the Oscars.

Especially those public intellectuals, who actually regarded him as a "spiritual leader" and even made sour speculations:
Chinese directors who can win awards in the United States must have obtained green cards or become American citizens; otherwise, how could they possibly succeed?

How about some reverse hacking?
As for Lü Rui's fans, they are constantly posting praises online:
"Director Lü is amazing! He won an Oscar?"

"Both 'House of Flying Daggers' and 'Hero' failed to win awards, but he did. It's obvious which one is better."

"At this rate, one day they might even surpass Li An..."

The capital city, New Picture Company.

Zhang Weiping watched the news and this time he really couldn't hold back anymore.

"House of Flying Daggers" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, but it went home empty-handed.

Now, not only has it lost at the domestic box office, but its North American box office record has also been broken.

If things continue like this, Zhang Yimou might have to relinquish his title as "China's No. 1 Director."
The thought of his own interests possibly being harmed made him panic, and he quickly took out his phone to call his "long-term worker".

"Zhang Yimou? How's your script coming along?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Yimou replied as he walked, "Soon, let's talk when I get back to the company. I'm in a meeting outside right now."

Meeting?
Zhang Weiping was completely bewildered: "What kind of meeting?"

"Running for the position of chief director of the Olympic Games opening ceremony."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Weiping's eyes lit up!
The most significant international sporting event since the millennium is undoubtedly the 2008 Olympic Games.

If I were chosen to be the chief director, it would be an achievement that would bring glory to my ancestors, and my personal fame, fortune and status would reach their peak!

With that thought in mind, Zhang Weiping immediately stopped urging him to write the script, and his tone softened: "Okay, you go ahead and do your work. The script isn't urgent. Let's secure the director position first."

The higher Zhang Yimou's status, the more money New Pictures makes, so why not?

"I will try my best."

The shadow of the Athens defeat still lingers in his mind, and despite the strong recommendation from the bureau, Zhang Yimou is still unsure.

Especially when he saw Chen Kaige's determined look, he became even more worried.

In terms of connections, he was far inferior to the other party; his only advantage was his slightly better abilities.

In a society that values ​​personal connections, sometimes ability alone is not enough; personal networks are equally crucial.

The filming location of "Remote Control" at Beijing Film Studio.

Jiang Wen knew his own limitations, so he didn't even bother to get involved in the competition for the position of chief director of the Olympics.

In his view, that job was prepared for Zhang Yimou.

Although there are many directors in China, when it comes to directing large-scale scenes, who can compare to Zhang Yimou?

So he was more interested in the results of this year's Oscars than in the Olympics.

"That kid's amazing! Damn, he snagged another Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay without saying a word."

Hearing Jiang Wen's mutterings, Ge You teased from the side, "What? Envious?"

"I envy him?" Jiang Wen bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "If I hadn't dug him out, he'd probably still be rummaging through props in some nook and cranny right now."

"Hahaha."

Ge You didn't expose him, she just smiled.

Jiang Wen snorted and muttered, "Just you wait, one day I'll make a blockbuster that's a box office and critical success!"

Ge You stopped laughing: "I have high hopes for you. If there really is such a work, you have to reserve a role for me."

"Don't worry." Jiang Wen patted his shoulder, not forgetting to remind him, "Remember to wash your bottom clean when the time comes."

Ge You: ? ? ?
At the same time, banners were already hung up on the campus of Beijing Film Academy, 754 meters away from the Beijing Film Studio.

Although the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay can't compare to the Best Director awards at the three major European film festivals, it still has the "Oscar" prefix.

In this day and age, the Oscars are awesome!

Even though everyone understands that the Oscars are essentially a feast for Hollywood capital to divide the pie, it does not affect their recognized prestige in the slightest.

In addition, the Beijing Film Academy has never produced an Oscar-winning director in its 55-year history. Now that it has finally produced one, and he is a direct descendant and a graduate student, it is only natural that it should be widely publicized.

After confirming that all the banners were hung up, Xie Xiaojing led the directing students to set off.

A group of people were passing by the performing arts department when they ran into the department head, Qi Shilong.

The latter asked curiously, "Director Xie, where are you going?"

Xie Xiaojing smiled brightly and wasn't in a hurry to leave. Pointing to the banner, she said, "Isn't this because the directing department has achieved some new results in its teaching? The Central Academy of Drama and the Shanghai Theatre Academy are quite curious about how we teach, so they specially invited us to come over for an exchange and some guidance."

Qi Shilong: ...

He really didn't need to ask that question!
Now look what happened! Xie Xiaojing got to show off right in front of us!
Watching the directing students leave, Qi Shilong suppressed his envy and walked into the acting department's office building, heading straight for the art exam office.

He pushed open the door, greeted everyone, and then received the list of final test results.

"Yang Mi, who ranked first in the art exam?"

“Yes, Director Qi.” Xu Xiaodan, the class teacher of the 05 undergraduate class, replied, “Among this group of art students, she performed the best.”

She debuted at age 4 in "Emperor Taizong of Tang," and at age 5 she starred in "King of Beggars"... She signed with Rong Xinda, and is currently playing Guo Xiang in "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

Qi Shilong listened and nodded slightly; the resume was indeed impressive.

Scrolling further down the list, you'll find Jiao Junyan, Zhang Xiaofei, Yuan Shanshan, Zhang Xuan...

Although there were more girls than boys, since it was Xu Xiaodan's choice, he wouldn't ask too many questions.

However, the thought of Xie Xiaojing showing off outside earlier made him feel a little uneasy.

After thinking for a moment, he instructed, "You can interact more with the directing department and try to get more screen time for the acting students."

Especially the works of those directors still in school; tell them not to run to the neighboring school every opportunity. What kind of talk is it if our Beijing Film Academy doesn't even use its own classmates as directors?

Xu Xiaodan's eyelids twitched, and she replied, "Okay, I understand."

……

Although Lu Rui only won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, the impact of his acceptance speech continues to reverberate.

The Beijing Film Academy enjoyed immense success.

The other producers were overjoyed.

Having their company's name appear at the Oscars was undoubtedly a fantastic opportunity to expand their influence. China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group held an internal meeting and ultimately decided to promote it extensively, even securing an appearance for Lü Rui on CCTV.

Although it was only a short message lasting a few seconds, it was enough to spread throughout the country and bring glory to one's ancestors.

When Mr. and Mrs. Lü saw their son on the news, they were overjoyed and almost decided to invite relatives and friends to throw him a celebratory banquet for his award.

Meanwhile, companies like Huayi Brothers, Wanda Group, and Enlight Media have also taken action, either issuing announcements or buying headlines to further expand their influence by riding this wave.

What remained consistent was that everyone's gratitude towards Lü Rui was almost overflowing!
What is a partner?

That's what you call a partner!
They share money and fame, it's so touching it almost makes me cry!
"Say no more, we'll invest in Vision's projects again next time, and we'll give him whatever he wants!"

While giving instructions, Wang Zhonglei's secretary was also thinking to himself, "Why don't we give Lü Rui some shares of our own company?"

Seeing that Wanda was about to expand its entertainment business, the man surnamed Ma was also very interested in getting involved and even expressed his intention to invest in Huayi.

Alibaba can indeed provide Huayi Brothers with a lot of help, but at present, Lü Rui is undoubtedly a good partner as well, especially since he also has development channels in Hollywood.

After pondering for a while, Wang Zhonglei got up and went straight to his older brother's office, intending to have a serious talk about this matter...

Meanwhile, as Lü Rui won awards abroad, the cast of "The Prestige" also benefited greatly.

Although the Oscars are not as prestigious as Cannes or Berlin, they are very well-known and recognized in China, where they are considered a high-class award.

As a result, the fame, popularity, and star power of the two lead actors, Jiang Wen and Hu Jun, skyrocketed.

Zhou Yun's endorsement fees and film remuneration have also increased again and again.

Fan Bingbing's position among the "Four Dan and Two Bing" has become increasingly secure, even surpassing Li Bingbing by a significant margin.

She even started to wonder if she could try to become an "international ice queen" for once.
Zhang Ziyi, that slut, has become an Oscar judge, leaving her far behind her domestic counterparts and making many female celebrities green with envy.

If she has the chance, she'd also like to visit Hollywood.
On the other hand, although Zhang Jingchu was severely suppressed by Jiang Wenli and had to hide in Hong Kong, she also made a name for herself in the Hong Kong entertainment circle.

Without exception, everyone felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Lü Rui!
But if we're talking about who benefited the most, it's Lü Rui himself.

After winning the award, he attended dinners hosted by the Oscars and Warner Bros., where he made many new connections.

Clint Eastwood was in particularly good spirits tonight, raising his glass of red wine to say he wanted to repay the favor owed to him for "Mystic River".

Lu Rui didn't stand on ceremony and immediately invited him to make a cameo appearance in his new film, "Taken".

Old Ke is 75 years old this year, with a full head of white hair, just right to play the "bad old man" who kidnaps Jiang Wen's daughter on the yacht, and is eventually shot dead.

"Okay, no problem. Just call me when you need it."

Clint agreed without hesitation.

He admired Lü Rui and felt that the young man's future achievements were limitless, so he was very happy to befriend him.

In America, the US dollar is absolutely the primary passport and an essential condition for interpersonal communication.

But social interactions are equally important.

Those public intellectuals in China who say that interpersonal relationships are not necessary abroad are talking complete nonsense!

Imagine a place where human relationships are completely ignored, how could a "letter of introduction" be required to go to school?

By the time the two banquets ended, it was already dawn outside.

Holding the Best Adapted Screenplay trophy, Lü Rui walked out of the banquet hall and along the Hollywood Walk of Fame to Highland Plaza.

Looking around, the avenue was filled with stars.

Currently, only four Chinese/Chinese-Americans have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: Anna May Wong, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Tony Wu.

Three actors and one director.

If Lü Rui wants to leave his own mark here, he must at least match Wu Yu's achievements.

But that's not easy, after all, that guy was once the world's highest-grossing film of the year.

"Face/Off" and "Mission: Impossible 2" are both top-tier films.

If it weren't for "Windtalkers" which brought down MGM, he wouldn't have been kicked out.

After a short stroll on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Peter Griffin arrived in his car to pick him up.

He parked his car in the hotel parking lot. You can't drive after drinking. If you're drunk and get pulled over by the LAPD, you could easily be emptied of your ammunition.

"Lv, congratulations on winning the award!" Peter was very excited, as if he were proud of himself.

Lu Rui waved his hand and hiccuped: "Take me back to the hotel first."

After a whole night of tossing and turning, all he wants now is a good night's sleep.

After the Oscars, I still have to go through auditions for "I Am Legend" and "Taken," so I need to get some rest.

"Ok."

Peter turned the car around, stepped on the gas, and drove off towards the hotel.

"By the way, Lv, Miramax Films President Harvey Weinstein sent you a party invitation and would like to invite you to attend."

"Hmm?" Lu Rui raised an eyebrow, his drowsiness dissipating slightly. "When?"

"One week later, in Beverly Hills."

"Okay, I understand. Let's go back to the hotel first."

Lu Rui closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

...

Meanwhile, at Star Overseas in Hong Kong, Stephen Chow was staring blankly at the overseas box office data for "The Prestige".

$1164 million in 3 days?
Daily box office of nearly $400 million?
While this achievement may not be comparable to Hollywood blockbusters, it is quite remarkable among Chinese-language films exported to Hollywood.

At this rate, the total box office is very likely to exceed $3000 million.

This is not good news for him.

After all, "Kung Fu Hustle" is also going to be released in North America, and he made some inappropriate remarks before, so now he can't even find a chance to make amends...

Just then, the office door was knocked open, and the assistant rushed in.

"Mr. Zhou, Ruishijie has replied to the email, saying that they have found suitable candidates for the female lead and supporting actress in the new project, and we will have the opportunity to cooperate again next time."

Stephen Chow's face darkened.

So that means there's nothing left to discuss?
The other party completely ignored his attempts to be friendly.

After frowning and pondering for a moment, he sighed and said, "Let's leave it at that for now."

As the assistant turned to leave, he pressed on, "Where's Huang Shengyi?"

"I'm not too sure about that, but the agency said she seems to have taken on some magazine photoshoots..."

"boom!"

Stephen Chow slammed his hand on the table, his face so dark it could drip water: "Go warn her again, since she signed a contract with Star Shine, she has to do as I say."

She'll do whatever I tell her to do, and if I don't, she'll stay obediently at the company. If she dares to act on her own again, I can make her famous, and I can also teach her the price of breach of contract!

(End of this chapter)