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

Chapter 73 Heroes Emerge from Among the Young!
At a coffee shop near the hotel, Lü Rui met Matt Tolmacher through Sofia Coppola's introduction.

The latter, in his forties, wore a well-tailored suit and exuded the aura of a typical European and American elite.

He extended his hand and said, "Lv, I've heard so much about you. Just call me Matt."

"Hello."

Lu Rui shook hands with him.

"You two can continue your conversation; I won't disturb you any longer." Sophia finished facilitating the meeting, slung her Chanel handbag over her shoulder, and gracefully turned to leave.

Two cups of coffee were then brought in by the waiter.

After the box door closed, Matt Tolmacher gave a brief self-introduction: "Lv, I am the Vice President and Production Manager of the Copyright Department at Sony Columbia."

Lu Rui nodded slightly and listened patiently as he continued.

People in Hollywood aren't good at beating around the bush; they prefer to get straight to the point.

So, after introducing himself, Matt pushed up his glasses and got straight to the point: "The company has studied your new work."

We believe that *The Pursuit of Happyness* has the same adaptation potential as *Mystic River*, so we sent me to discuss the acquisition of the script and distribution rights. Are you interested in selling them?

"Have."

Lü Rui stated his position directly.

Creation is for profit, so there's no need to hide it.

A smile appeared on Matt's face; the willingness to make a deal meant that negotiations could continue.

"Name your price," he said with an air of confident certainty.

Unexpectedly, Lü Rui shook his head: "Before we discuss the price, I have one more condition."

"Please say?"

Matt adopted a posture of listening attentively.

"First, I need awards to back me up. If Sony can help with public relations to win awards, I can sell you the distribution rights in Europe, America and Australia at market price. However, I am not going to sell the script adaptation rights. I want to participate in project investment and co-production."

"What? You want a share? That's impossible..." Matt frowned immediately; this was not part of his plan.

Lu Rui smiled slightly, tapping the table lightly with his fingertips, and calmly asked, "What do you think of the revenue and achievements of 'Mysterious River'?"

"very good."

Matt gritted his teeth and spat out those words, leaving no room for argument as Warner Bros. had swept the awards and box office with the film.

"Would you believe me if I told you that 'The Pursuit of Happyness' has greater potential and will outperform 'Mystic River' at the box office?"

Matt nodded subconsciously, but by the time he realized what was happening, it was too late.

Lu Rui's gaze was like a precise scalpel, and he immediately pressed his advantage: "I believe that Sony must have conducted a detailed evaluation of this script before sending you here, and the result was very good, right?"

Before the other party could answer, he continued, "I am confident that this movie will definitely receive excellent reviews and box office results after it is remade and released in North America."

As you probably know, I recently collaborated with Warner Bros. on a new project, which is currently in the casting stage and will begin filming next month.

To be honest, Warner Bros. also had their eye on "The Pursuit of Happyness." They've agreed to some of my requests, but they're somewhat unable to help with the awards process..."

“Sony can help!” Matt blurted out. “Several of our partners are among this year’s Cannes jury members.”

That's exactly what Lü Rui wanted to hear!
He then revealed: "Originally, I planned to personally handle the US version, but there was a scheduling conflict, so I thought of co-producing it."

To be honest, Harvey Weinstein, president of Miramax Films, also approached me with extremely generous terms, but we haven't reached an agreement on the investment share yet.

Matt frowned, his Adam's apple bobbing, and finally asked the crucial question: "How much share do you want?"

"30%."

"This is impossible!"

Seeing that he was getting anxious, Lü Rui knew that he had indeed asked for too much, so he immediately comforted him, "Matt, calm down, the share is still negotiable..."

"I need to consult the company."

“Okay.” Lu Rui stood up with a smile. “However, you don’t have much time left. I hope you can make a decision as soon as possible.”

Matt nodded slightly, took out his business card, and handed it over.

Lu Rui reached out and took it, and also gave him one of his business cards.

The two then parted ways.

Over the next two days, Lü Rui was not idle.

He paid some local media outlets to generate positive reviews for the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness".

This is also a common method used in prize-winning competitions.

At the same time, he began to frequently meet with Harvey Weinstein in public, creating the illusion that the two were having a pleasant conversation.

In reality, the negotiations between the two parties made no substantial progress.

Harvey was too greedy; he was unwilling to offer any real benefits and only wanted to make empty promises and get something for nothing.

Lu Rui wasn't fooled at all.

At the same time, he also attended the premieres of many films, including "2046" directed by Wang Jiawei.

However, the movie greatly disappointed him.

Despite its star-studded cast, the film suffers from a bloated and disjointed plot, coupled with a generally decadent style.

To put it bluntly: this movie is like an old lady's foot binding cloth, smelly and long!

The key issue is the abundance of explanatory narration, which feels like a kind of formalistic celebration, leaving viewers completely bewildered.

Lu Rui remained quite calm, but Matt Thormacher was so anxious when he saw him frequently contacting Harvey, Warner Bros., and other film companies that he paced back and forth in the hotel.

His work has just shifted from the copyright department to the production department, and this is precisely the time when he needs to produce results. The "Marie Antoinette" project with Sofia Coppola is too massive; results won't be seen in the short term.

In contrast, the "The Pursuit of Happyness" project is very suitable. It has a simple structure, a wonderful plot, and does not require too much investment, making it a perfect stepping stone for achieving results.

It would be such a shame if another company snatched it away!

So he began to frequently urge Sony headquarters to give a reply as soon as possible, and he also included some praise for Lü Rui in his emails.

"This Chinese director has several high-quality scripts in hand, and his market insight is comparable to Spielberg's. He is definitely the most suitable partner for Sony at present..."

After he sent more than a dozen emails every day urging them, the company finally gave a reply on the 18th.

After reading the email, Matt was overjoyed and immediately arranged to meet Lü Rui at the coffee shop again.

"The company agreed to help you with the awards, but on the condition that the distribution rights in Europe, America and Australia can only be sold to Sony."

“No problem.” Lu Rui agreed without hesitation, since he was selling it to whoever he wanted it to.

Matt then added, "As for the investment share, 30% is too much and needs further discussion, so this matter is pending for now."

But you'll need to sign an exclusive cooperation agreement with me, meaning you can't collaborate with other companies on this project unless Sony voluntarily withdraws.

After a moment's thought, Lü Rui continued to advocate for his own interests: "I need a specific deadline."

Matt blurted out, "Five years!"

Lü Rui shook his head: "Half a year."

"At least three years."

"One year."

"..."

After some back and forth, both sides made concessions and finally set the time limit at two and a half years.

If the investment share ratio is not agreed upon and production of the project is not started during this period, then the cooperation on the US adaptation will be terminated.

"It's a pleasure to cooperate with you." Lü Rui extended his hand with a smile.

Matt held his hand tightly.

The rest of the process is much simpler.

Sony's public relations team, like a finely tuned gear, began lobbying and building a network of relationships among the judges.

Lü Rui then gracefully relinquished control, handing over all media promotion responsibilities to Matt.

As for Harvey, this "tool," he was once again ruthlessly abandoned.

Before we knew it, it was the 22th.

That morning, the film festival organizing committee called as scheduled, inviting Lü Rui and the entire crew of "The Pursuit of Happyness" to attend the closing ceremony and awards presentation.

He immediately told Wang Zhiwen the good news.

Upon hearing this, the latter became so excited that he became incoherent!

Lu Rui didn't spoil the mood; he simply told him to remember to attend the awards ceremony.

At the same time, he also notified Han Sanping and Jiang Wen.

When the two heard the news, the way they looked at him was as if they were sizing up an anomaly who would rewrite film history!
"If you win another award from Cannes, the mainland film industry will probably be blown up!"

Lü Rui laughed and remained noncommittal.

The night passed, and it was February 23th.

Following the opening ceremony, Lü Rui once again walked the red carpet at the closing ceremony.

He met the cast and crew of "2046" again. They seemed to be walking the red carpet in a grand procession, but they all lacked the high spirits they had at the opening ceremony.

More than ten meters apart, Lü Rui and Wang Jiawei exchanged a glance.

He smiled calmly, but the latter was expressionless and cold.

After entering the venue and taking their seats, everyone quietly waited for the awards ceremony to begin.

At 8 p.m. sharp, the host took the stage and announced the official start of the 57th Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony!

Quentin Tarantino led a group of judges onto the stage, rambling on about how hard he had worked over the past week, and emphasizing that each award had been carefully considered, carrying the jury's purest respect for the art of film and their most rigorous judgment!
"Best Actress Award, Maggie Cheung, Clean".

Olivier is known as a "heartthrob" in the directing world. Even though he signed the divorce agreement with Maggie Cheung on set, he still gave his ex-wife a big gift before parting ways.

Asia's first Cannes Best Actress award has been won!
"Best Actor Award, Yuya Yagira, Nobody Knows".

A 14-year-old Japanese actor has won the Best Actor award, becoming the youngest Best Actor in Cannes history!

Wang Zhiwen sat stiffly in his seat, a look of disappointment and helplessness in his eyes.

After all, the movie "Nobody Knows" is also very good, and Yuya Yagira's performance deserves the Best Actor award.

But at that moment, his eyes suddenly widened!
At that moment, Xu Ke, standing on the stage, was holding a microphone and loudly announcing: "The winner of the Best Director Award at the 57th Cannes International Film Festival is—Lü Rui, for 'The Pursuit of Happyness'!"

boom! ! !
Applause swept through the entire venue like a tsunami.

In the front corner, Harvey suddenly turned around, looking back with disbelief.

Not far away, Wang Jiawei adjusted his sunglasses, effectively concealing the shock and emotion in his eyes!
Zhang Yimou subconsciously raised his hand and applauded along with Liu Dehua and Takeshi Kaneshiro beside him.

Han Sanping and Jiang Wen, sitting side by side, exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with both amazement and relief.

"The first Chinese director to win Best Director awards at all three major film festivals—Berlin, Cannes, and Venice—has been born! This is an unprecedented achievement!"

Jiang Wen clapped vigorously and laughed heartily, "Truly, the younger generation surpasses the older, and heroes emerge from among the young!"

(End of this chapter)