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

Chapter 71 Bringing the current husband to meet the ex-wife? Experience counts!
"The ancient costume fantasy drama 'Chinese Paladin,' produced by Tangren Media, directed by Li Guoli, and starring Liu Yifei and Hu Ge, has successfully wrapped up filming today."

"The crew of 'House of Flying Daggers' has arrived in Cannes to officially launch the screening."

"Feng Xiaogang is suspected of subtly criticizing Stephen Chow, involving cameo appearances in 'Kung Fu Hustle' and 'A World Without Thieves'..."

On May 11, at 8:40 a.m., Lü Rui, along with Wang Zhiwen, Mei Ting, child actor Chen Xinxu and his parents, arrived at the Capital Airport.

The China Film Group team was also with them.

Han Sanping remains the team leader, and he has always been in charge of China Film Group's foreign affairs work.

In the VIP waiting area, Lü Rui flipped through an entertainment magazine and casually asked, "Has 'The Promise' started filming?"

"Yes, they're filming at the Beijing Film Studio right now."

Han Sanping smiled broadly, feeling confident after investing 3 million yuan.

"Ugh."

Lu Rui sighed softly, his gaze returning to the newspaper.

Feng Xiaogang seems to have lost his mind lately, making a public veiled criticism of a director surnamed Zhou, drawing attention from numerous reporters and paparazzi.

The entertainment industry can't keep secrets anyway.

This digging actually uncovered quite a bit of information.

Last year, when Stephen Chow was filming "Kung Fu Hustle," he invited Feng Xiaogang to make a cameo appearance.

The latter went off eagerly.

This year, when filming began for "A World Without Thieves," Feng Xiaogang wanted to invite Stephen Chow to make a cameo appearance, but Chow declined.

Enraged and feeling slighted, he made a series of inappropriate remarks in front of the reporters...

Little did people know that "Sing Jai" had long since transformed into "Master Sing," and that such social interactions were nothing more than fleeting clouds in his eyes.

Han Sanping saw things clearly. Seeing Lü Rui staring at the gossip news, he reminded him, "Zhou Xingchi's talent is undeniable, but he's too independent. You can't believe everything you read in the entertainment media, but you can't completely ignore it either."

"Hong Kong directors seem to have rather peculiar personalities."

Lu Rui just said it casually, but unexpectedly it opened up a floodgate of conversation for Han Sanping.

From waiting to boarding, the other person kept explaining things to him.

He also revealed things like Chen Kexin taking her song and dance romance script north to seek investment, and Wu Yu seemingly preparing to return to China to develop his career.

Among them, Lü Rui was most interested in the topic of Wang Jiawei.

His film "2046" was nominated for the Cannes main competition along with "The Pursuit of Happyness".

"This movie took a full five years to make. His filmmaking style is all about taking time to polish it. If no one had pushed him, it probably could have gone on until 2046..."

At that moment, Lü Rui suddenly remembered "The Grandmaster".

This thing seems to have been conceived as early as 1999, but it wasn't released until 2013.

A span of 14 years!

Fortunately, the investors included many large companies; otherwise, a small company would probably have been dragged down long ago.

It was already past midnight when I landed in Cannes.

Despite being exhausted, Lü Ruiqiang first adjusted to the time difference at the hotel, and then rushed to the location of the film festival organizers before dawn to register.

He was in a rush to get here, and being new to Cannes, he was unfamiliar with the place and the people. Moreover, the only investor in "The Pursuit of Happyness" was Ruishijie, so he had to figure out all the procedures himself.

Cannes is a charming town on the Mediterranean coast.

The Cannes Film Festival has been held here since 1946, a total of 56 times!
Both the opening and closing ceremonies were held in the Lumière Hall of the Palais des Festivals.

After spending the morning exploring the outside area, Lü Rui headed into the cinema to familiarize himself with the environment.

however……

As soon as he entered through the side door, his gaze was suddenly drawn to two figures not far away.

"Director Jiang? Sister Yun!"

Hearing the shouts behind them, Jiang Wen and Zhou Yun, who were standing in front of the "Clean" poster, turned around at the same time.

The three looked at each other, their faces showing a mixture of surprise.

"How could you..." Jiang Wen was about to speak when he suddenly slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory, I'm so busy I forgot about your Cannes nomination."

"What are you doing here?" Lu Rui greeted them, his face full of confusion.

"After the movie I worked on with Xu Jinglei wrapped up, I brought Zhou Yun here to meet Sandrine and my daughter."

Jiang Wen explained in a calm tone, which surprised Lü Rui.

Bringing your current partner to meet your ex-wife?
As expected of Jiang Wen!
That's really something!

What he didn't know was that Jiang Wen had already decided that he really needed to hold a wedding for Zhou Yun.

The reason I came to France this time was to seek my ex-wife's opinion.

Although they are divorced, he still respects the thoughts of his ex-wife and daughter.

Fortunately, the old flame had already been let go, and everything went as smoothly as expected.

"And then what? Shouldn't you be in Paris? Why are you in Cannes?"

"I got tired of Paris, so I came to Cannes to join the fun and meet up with some old friends," Jiang Wen said, putting his arm around his shoulder. "Come on, I'll treat you to a French meal and introduce you to an interesting person while I'm at it."

That's why they say old ginger is spicier!

Through his introduction, Lü Rui successfully met Quentin Tarantino, the president of the jury at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Although Quentin Tarantino, at 41, is still considered a "young talent" in the directing world, his resume is already glittering.

In 94, he won the Palme d'Or for "Pulp Fiction," and his subsequent works such as "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Kill Bill" made him famous in Hollywood.

This guy also has a nickname in the country.

—Awesome Bro!

This was the name Jiang Wen gave him.

Upon meeting, after Jiang Wen introduced Lü Rui's identity, Quentin gave a thumbs-up and said, "I've heard Harvey mention you before, Lü Rui is awesome!" "You flatter me."

Lu Rui smiled and shook hands with him, but the name Harvey Weinstein flashed through his mind.

Why is this guy everywhere?

This guy is no good; it's best to keep your distance.

"This is Sofia Coppola, my girlfriend." After greeting Lü Rui, Quentin introduced his female companion.

Although it was their first meeting, everyone was able to identify themselves with their own identities.

After all, the Coppola family is a well-known name in Hollywood and even the global film industry!

They're not called a film family for nothing.

Sofia Coppola's father is none other than the famous Francis Ford Coppola, the director of The Godfather trilogy.

She is also Nicolas Cage's cousin.

Even her ex-husband Spike Jones is a famous film producer, director, and screenwriter, making her a true film family.

After getting to know each other, everyone sat down and began to eat.

As the knife cut into the steak, Lü Rui subconsciously frowned.

A palm-sized pork chop, served with a small spoonful of caviar—this portion is far too "Frenchly refined."

If he hadn't seen everyone else eating like this, he almost would have slammed his fist on the table.

Are you kidding me? This is hardly enough for anyone! If the local foreigners next door saw this, they'd think he couldn't afford it!

Movies are naturally an essential part of dinner.

Sofia excitedly revealed her new project plans: "I just reached a cooperation agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment and secured $4000 million in sponsorship to film the legendary life of the stunning French Queen Marie Antoinette..."

This is the foundation of a film family. To be able to rake in 4000 million with only the third film in a director's career is truly amazing!
Converted to RMB, it's roughly the same as the investment in Chen Kaige's "The Promise".

Jiang Wen and Quentin enthusiastically discussed the queen's life, but Lü Rui remembered that the ending of this film seemed to be similar to that of "The Promise".

The key word is: mysterious!

Quentin then shared some of his directing insights.

The main focus is on describing how to make the queen look better in photos.

However, his words seemed to reveal some kind of peculiar fetish.

"Remember, a woman's feet are an absolutely crucial detail in a film; they can convey a character's emotions and reveal subtle psychological changes."

As the Queen gracefully lowered her skirt on the throne, if her toes were inadvertently revealed, that delicate white glimpse would be like a silent dialogue, hinting at her noble status…

As he spoke, he squinted, as if he could already see the image of swaying silk and delicate white toes intertwined in the lens.

Jiang listened intently.

Lu Rui thought to himself, "I've learned something interesting!"

The conversation then turned to the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness".

Quentin Tarantino praised the film without reservation, saying, "Personally, I think this movie is incredibly powerful and awesome. Although it doesn't have beautiful actors, flashy editing, or a great soundtrack... it has a great story!"

Lu Rui raised his glass in thanks and then extended an invitation to the premiere of "The Pursuit of Happyness".

Quentin smiled and agreed, "I'll definitely be there!"

Everyone tacitly avoided discussing the topic of awards.

The organizers of the three major film festivals have explicitly prohibited jury members from contacting contestants privately during the festival.

Fortunately, the opening ceremony hasn't been held yet, otherwise Lu Rui would never have had the chance to sit down and have dinner with Quentin.

After dinner, Quentin and his girlfriend left in a hurry.

He needed to prepare for the opening ceremony, and Lü Rui also needed to rush back to the hotel to change clothes.
On the way back to the hotel, Jiang Wen said that he and Zhou Yun would also attend the opening ceremony.

As a Cannes "regular" and a former jury member, getting two tickets was a piece of cake.

That evening, Lü Rui and the entire cast and crew of "When Happiness Knocks on the Door" attended the opening ceremony's red carpet in their finest attire.

Under the dazzling spotlight, he caught a glimpse of many familiar faces.

Zhang Yimou, Liu Dehua, Xu Ke, Wang Jiawei, Zhang Manyu, Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Liu Jialing, Wang Fei, Dong Jie...

In comparison, the cast of "2046" is undoubtedly far more impressive than that of "The Pursuit of Happyness".

"House of Flying Daggers" was shortlisted for the non-competitive section, and Zhang Yimou came here mainly for promotion.

Xu Ke is one of the jury members at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

After exchanging pleasantries and contact information briefly in the red carpet waiting area, the group stepped onto the red carpet one by one.

The opening ceremony was actually quite meaningless, at least in Lü Rui's opinion.

It's nothing more than the jury giving a speech, some performances by local singers and dancers, and watching an opening ceremony film.

That's it.

Hugh Jackman's "Bad Education" is quite good, but it's a pity it wasn't nominated for the main competition.

With the opening ceremony concluded, the 11-day judging process officially began.

Film crews rented screening rooms to hold premieres and exhibitions, trying to increase their chances of winning in the fierce competition.

Lu Rui also rented a screening room to hold the premiere of "The Pursuit of Happyness".

He invited many people, including jury members, filmmakers from home and abroad, film distributors, and media.

However, to his surprise, the very uninvited guest he least wanted to see actually appeared among the guests...

……

P.S.: Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)