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

Chapter 68 The hungry wolf has its eye on the fat sheep! Is there hope for Hong Kong cinema?

"I am very grateful to the Hong Kong Film Awards committee for their recognition, and I thank the many actors such as Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Jiang Wen, Zhang Fengyi, and Liu Yifei for their hard work. I also thank the fans for their love for 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'..."

Stepping onto the podium and accepting the trophy, Lü Rui delivered a standard acceptance speech.

It was only then that he noticed that there were quite a few filmmakers who had come from the mainland sitting in the audience.

The third row included Feng Xiaogang, Huang Jianxin (president of the Directors Guild), Yu Dong (both CEO of Bona Film Group), Dong Ping, and others...

The fourth row was occupied by Han Hong, Zhou Xun, Xu Jinglei...

These days, Hong Kong entertainment still holds considerable appeal and remains highly attractive to mainland filmmakers.

Unfortunately, these people couldn't make a name for themselves here. From the moment they entered until they took their seats, they generated far less buzz than the local filmmakers, which explains why Lu Rui hadn't noticed them before.

He glanced at it casually and then looked away, but at that moment, everyone's eyes were fixed on him!

Especially Feng Xiaogang, whose pupils almost glowed red!
"How could the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director be given to him? Zhang Yimou came last year with 'Hero' and didn't win..."

Hearing the murmurs filled with envy and jealousy, Huang Jianxin casually chimed in, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is indeed of excellent quality, not to mention it was the top-grossing film in Hong Kong last year, so winning the award is reasonable."

"..."

Feng Xiaogang's throat bobbed, but he ultimately remained silent.

The entertainment industry is extremely cruel!
Everyone remembers that "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" was the number one box office hit, but who cares about his second-place film, "Cellphone"?
Holding the trophy and certificate, amidst envious glances from the audience, Lü Rui returned to his seat.

Liu Yifei, standing beside her, stared at the trophy and muttered softly, "It's so golden and beautiful."

Lu Rui's ears twitched slightly, and he immediately shoved the trophy into her arms, saying, "Hold this for me."

"Great!"

The little girl's eyes lit up. Holding the trophy, she took out her phone and started taking pictures, the camera switching back and forth between the metallic sheen and her own smiling face.

The awards ceremony on stage continued, with the remaining awards being consolation prizes for veteran filmmakers, interspersed with performances.

Lü Rui turned his head and chatted quietly with Jiang Wen.

"Director Jiang, I have a feeling that something's not quite right with the Hong Kong Film Awards organizers?"

As Lü Rui stood on the stage giving his acceptance speech, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Praise to death, courting, cooperation, currying favor, moving north... but there is no sense of solidity in "deserving the title".

Strictly speaking, films like "Running on Karma," "PTU," and "Men Suddenly in Black" are all good, and the Best Director award could go to anyone.

Moreover, given the usual practice of the Hong Kong Film Awards, most of the time the majority of the prize is divided among internal members, leaving only scraps for outsiders.

This situation is clearly not normal!
Jiang Wen glanced around casually out of the corner of his eye and lowered his voice to remind them, "Let's talk about it when we get back."

Lü Rui nodded and turned his gaze back to the stage.

Jacky Cheung is singing "Gift" from his new album "Where Is He?", and the heartfelt melody resonates throughout the venue.

This actor could be considered a film star whose acting career was 'delayed' by singing.

Back in the day, his line "Eat shit!" from the movie "As Tears Go By" was legendary and remains a classic to this day!
His half-brother, Nick Cheung, is a film emperor and was also present tonight. He was the one who presented Andy Lau's Best Actor award.

At the same time, as the Hong Kong Film Awards continued, the buzz surged into mainland China.

This year's Hong Kong Film Awards were broadcast live by Princess 6, and the Cantonese spoken at the ceremony was weakened through technical means and replaced with simultaneous interpretation.

This meant that when Lui Rui received the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director, mainland audiences witnessed the moment simultaneously!

The headlines on portal websites refreshed instantly:
"A historic breakthrough! Lui Yui wins Best Director at the 23rd Hong Kong Film Awards for 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'!"

"After 23 years of waiting, a mainland Chinese director has won the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director for the first time, marking a new milestone in Chinese-language cinema!"

"Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui co-star in 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,' continuing the legend..."

While online reports were everywhere, things were in an uproar at New Pictures Company.

Zhang Weiping slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage, splashing water from his teacup: "Damn it! Why did he win the award? In what way is 'Hero' inferior to 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'?"

Zhang Yimou, who was watching the broadcast from the side, remained very calm: "Because when 'Hero' was released, it clashed with 'Infernal Affairs'."

"What is 'Infernal Affairs' anyway!" Zhang Weiping was still cursing. "The Hong Kong Film Awards are all about favoritism..."

Zhang Yimou didn't reply, and pondered silently.

He knew better than anyone that the Hong Kong entertainment circle was handing the trophy to Lui Yui at this moment probably not because they valued the success of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".

Those people probably think they're using this young mainland director to open a new door for collaborations in the north!

When he was filming "Hero", a middleman had passed on a message to him.

However, Zhang Weiping's asking price was too high at the time, and the two sides could not reach an agreement.

……

"Hello Director Lu, I am Lin Jianyue from Media Asia Films. We talked at the Golden Horse Awards last year."

“Mei Ah Films, Li Yuxing, it’s a pleasure to meet such a talented young man as you.”

"I am Wang Jiawei, from Jet Tone Films..."

"Eastern cinema, Raymond Wong, this is my calling card."

"China's film industry is booming. Our company has mature production, distribution, and talent agency businesses. We hope to have the opportunity to cooperate..."

The awards ceremony had just ended, and before Lü Rui could leave, a group of people suddenly surrounded him.

Jiang Wen and Liu Yifei were even pushed to the side.

Dong Ping emerged from the crowd at some point, sporting his trademark businessman's smile, and expertly acted as the introducer.

Before long, Lü Rui had a stack of business cards in his hand.

Not only that, but a host of Hong Kong artists, including Lau Tak-wah, Leung Ka-fai, Donnie Yen, Ng Chun-yu, Jacky Cheung, and Carina Lau, also seized the opportunity to surround him, smiling as they handed over their contact information.

Finally, after taking the group photo and chatting briefly with Te, Lü Rui left the Central Grand Theater with his pockets almost overflowing with business cards. His phone's contact list also had nearly a hundred more phone numbers!
Seeing this, Jiang Wen joked, "I think the most sought-after thing at the entire Hong Kong Film Awards tonight isn't the trophy, it's you! You've become a hot commodity, haha."

Lu Rui frowned, loosened his tie, and wiped the lipstick off his suit jacket: "This isn't a hot commodity, it's meat on the chopping block. You didn't see the way they looked at me, like hungry wolves eyeing a fat sheep!"

"There are too many wolves and not enough meat, how can we not be anxious?" Jiang Wen lit a cigarette, and through the swirling smoke, his expression revealed a hint of understanding. "Hong Kong films have long been like grasshoppers in autumn, and now the mainland market is the only lifeline."

You took "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" to the top of the box office with Hong Kong actors, how could they not flock to you?

At present, only Hong Kong filmmakers themselves know that the Hong Kong entertainment industry has long been dead.

Only by opening up the mainland market can they have a chance to survive.

But the mainland market is not so easy to open up.
Just then, Lü Rui appeared with "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," which immediately topped the 03 box office charts!
Most importantly, the lead actors are Leslie Cheung and Anita Mui, both Hong Kong actresses.

This sent them the wrong signal:

Lui Rui's heart is set on the Hong Kong film industry!
Little did he know, he was only trying to increase the box office of his commercial debut, and at the same time, when the opportunity arose, he helped those two unfortunate people who were about to fall into the abyss.

That's it.

However, many investors in Hong Kong misinterpreted this signal.

They wanted to send their artists to the mainland, but they were struggling to find a suitable channel.

Zhang Weiping is too greedy, and Feng Xiaogang, backed by Huayi Brothers, is unreliable...

On the other hand, Lü Rui has talent and awards, strength and box office success, and most importantly, he is very young, making him seem easy to "fool".

That's why they reluctantly gave up their talent, even using a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Director as a stepping stone, hoping to ride his coattails and squeeze their own artist into the booming mainland market.

What they didn't know was that this judgment was completely wrong!
Lu Rui had already returned to the hotel, while on the other side, several investors, behind-the-scenes promoters, directors, and producers from Hong Kong gathered together.

"I've already found out that Lu Rui's new project will be officially launched in the next month or two. Everyone should try to send as many people as possible to participate in the casting."

"I believe he has already felt our goodwill. This is a rare opportunity that we absolutely cannot miss!"

"Although we won a Best Director award, we also sent a signal to the mainland that even more people will flock to it in the future..."

"Keep an eye on Chen Kaige's movements. He has been eyeing the Hong Kong Film Awards for a long time. We can send some of our people to his new project."

"Listen to me, everyone!" Chen Kexin suddenly stood up from the corner.

After attracting everyone's attention, he smiled and said, "I don't think we need to do anything about lowering salaries to save the market. Those coal bosses and investors in the mainland are known for being foolish and having too much money."

We can certainly use their money to train our own people and inject more fresh blood into Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

Upon hearing this, many people's eyes lit up, but others frowned.

Wong Kar-wai chuckled and chimed in, "How about we let Hong Kong actors take the lead roles and bring in the most popular mainland actors as supporting roles to elevate our status?"

"Haha, I agree!" Xiang Huaqiang slammed his fist on the table and laughed loudly.

Lin Jianyue, Huang Baiming, and Li Ruxing all nodded, clearly showing some interest.

The plump woman burst into a series of hearty laughs: "In that case, Hong Kong cinema is saved!"

Zeng Zhiwei fiddled with the lighter, a smile playing on his lips.

Hong Kong is really not that interesting, and he also wants to travel to the mainland.

Among the crowd, only the person in charge of Yinghuang remained silent.

After the meeting, Huo Wenxi followed her boss into the van and tentatively asked, "Chairman Yang, should we follow their lead and do the same thing?"

After thinking for a long time, the latter slowly shook his head: "Some things can be done, but some things cannot."

Cooperation is about the long term and equality. They're not stupid; if you take too much, they'll eventually cut off their own escape route!

"Now what?"

"First, get those artists in the company to improve their Mandarin! They don't do any real work all day, just hang out in bars and nightclubs, what kind of behavior is that? If you want to make money, at least have the right attitude and sincerity to do so!"

"understood."

Huo Wenxi nodded slightly, knowing that her boss was referring to Nicholas Tse.

Two years ago, she caused a huge uproar because of the "cover-up case". Last year, she was chased by paparazzi digging up dirt on her because of her relationship problems with the princess and Zhang Baizhi. She never had a moment's peace.

If this isn't regulated, the younger generation of Hong Kong's entertainment industry will be doomed!
~

The day after the Hong Kong Film Awards ended, Lu Rui bought a plane ticket back to the capital.

Many people called to offer him a farewell dinner and invite him out for a good time, but he politely declined them all.

These people clearly had ill intentions, and he didn't want to be targeted by Hong Kong entertainment reporters.

Those paparazzi are like dogs; once they bite, they won't let go!

However, the moment he landed at the Capital Airport, he received a call from the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival, hoping that he could submit "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "The Pursuit of Happyness" for the awards.

Lu Rui casually made up an excuse to temporarily decline the matter.

You can participate in the competition, but you must be sure that you will win an award before you do so.

He's not stupid; he has no interest in doing something that benefits someone else.

We can have Han Sanping find out the situation first before deciding whether or not to go.

Back at the company, Lü Rui didn't rest; he threw himself into the final polishing of the script for "The Prestige."

The script translation was successfully completed on the last day of April.

After arranging for someone to submit the application for review, he immediately spread the word that the "shares" auction could be launched.

The industry suddenly became lively...

(End of this chapter)