Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 584, Part 582: A Pioneering Act

Night fell in Los Angeles.

On the other side of the world, in China.

It was already past 11 p.m. on November 15th.

This is precisely the time when mainstream evening newspapers from various regions are being published and placed on newsstands.

From Beijing and Tianjin in the north, to Shanghai on the coast of the East China Sea, and then to Guangzhou and Shenzhen in the south, newspapers, freshly printed, delivered a major news story to readers on the streets of countless cities.

The Beijing Evening News ran a full-page headline on its front page: "Golden Angels Spread Their Wings in Hollywood: Chinese Filmmakers Lead the Creation of the China-US International Film Festival"

The subtitle reads: "Wang Sheng's opening remarks in Los Angeles: SAIFF builds a trans-Pacific bridge of light and shadow, pioneering a new era of private capital-led high-level overseas film festivals."

The report detailed the festival's founding history, its high-caliber shortlist, and the international authority of its jury, and included a large photograph of Wang Sheng delivering a composed speech on the Kodak Theatre stage.

The commentary article points out: "From Zhang Yimou's 'Red Sorghum' winning the Golden Bear for the first time to Chen Kaige's 'Farewell My Concubine' winning the Palme d'Or, Chinese filmmakers have followed one after another, using their works to 'bombard' the established Western film festival system in order to seek recognition and dialogue."

Today, Wang Sheng and his Shengying Group, with capital as their boat, the market as their oar, and cultural confidence as their sail, have created a new platform with an international vision and industry ambition on the other side of the ocean.

This marks a significant shift for Chinese cinema and even the export of Chinese culture, moving from a role as a 'participant' and 'competitor' to one of 'co-builders' and 'leaders.' It is truly a landmark achievement in the cultural industry since the reform and opening up.

The Xinmin Evening News headline had a more Shanghai-style feel: "From 'Shanghai' to 'Star City,' a New Stage for Chinese Cinema Rises in Los Angeles."

The article cleverly connects Shanghai and Los Angeles, focusing on the profound significance of SAIFF for the internationalization strategy of Chinese films.

"It no longer merely sends works to overseas exhibitions and competitions, but firmly grasps a portion of the judging power and discourse power in its own hands. This is not just a film festival, but a comprehensive industrial platform integrating awards, markets, forums, and venture capital. Its model is comparable to established film festivals such as Cannes and Berlin, and it is ambitious."

The Yangcheng Evening News, on the other hand, took a market-oriented approach: "The China-US Film Festival Opens, the 'Wang Sheng Model' Gets an Upgrade Again."

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the multiple partnerships behind SAIFF, including Shengying Media, New Line Cinema, and Disney, as well as the implicit support from China Film Group and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

The article states: "Wang Sheng, with his accurate business acumen and strategic planning, has connected film production, distribution, cinemas, and even today's film festival platforms into a complete ecological closed loop."

The establishment of SAIFF not only provides a "fast track" for films produced by Shengying Films and even all Chinese-language films to directly access the North American market and reach the world, but also subtly influences international film aesthetic trends through rule-making and award selection, injecting a powerful boost into the enhancement of China's cultural soft power.

These reports, through authoritative channels of traditional media, disseminated the news of the opening of the "First Chinese American International Film Festival (SAIFF)" with explosive force throughout the country.

It wasn't just the entertainment section; many newspapers' culture sections, and even their front pages, gave it high priority. This is inseparable from the immense prestige Wang Sheng had accumulated through a series of previous successes, and the groundbreaking significance of this event itself.

On the internet, the buzz is unprecedented.

The number of visits to the film festival's special page on the "Maoyan Movies" platform surged after the opening ceremony livestream ended. Discussions about the nominated films, comments from celebrities on the red carpet, and especially interpretations of Wang Sheng's opening speech, filled the page.

Tencent QQ's pop-up news pushed the message "China's first overseas international film festival opens" to the desktops of millions of users.

Major portals such as NewWolf, Sohu, and NetEase featured special reports on their entertainment homepages, compiling on-site photos and video clips from Los Angeles, as well as media commentary from both domestic and international sources.

The immediacy and interactivity of the internet have amplified the praise and discussion.

"Awesome! Wang Sheng is really bringing honor to Chinese cinema!"

"Before, we had to beg to attend other people's film festivals; now we organize our own and invite others to participate! It feels amazing!"

"Look at that shortlist, it's a battle of the titans! The prestige of this film festival feels even higher than some established ones!" "Wang Sheng's presence on stage, truly, that's cultural confidence!"

"I hope this film festival will continue indefinitely and become the first stop for Chinese-language films to reach the world!"

Of course, there were also a few dissenting voices questioning whether it was "spending money to buy publicity" and "whether it could last," but these voices were quickly drowned out by the mainstream public opinion.

In 2004, a year of unprecedented national pride and cultural confidence, the emergence of SAIFF perfectly met the people's fervent expectations for the enhancement of national strength and the expansion of cultural influence.

……

It was the morning of November 15th in the Los Angeles time zone.

Despite cultural differences and inherent barriers to attention, the first SAIFF (Chinese American International Film Festival) successfully carved out a niche in the fiercely competitive American media landscape thanks to its unique positioning, high-caliber film selection, and the inherent buzz surrounding director Wang Sheng, known as the "Oriental Miracle Director."

The Los Angeles Times, one of the most influential newspapers in the area, published an in-depth report on its entertainment section titled "New Players Arrive: The US-China International Film Festival Opens in the Heart of Hollywood."

The article begins by stating: "Last night, the Kodak Theatre did not host the Oscars, but it witnessed the birth of a new and ambitious film festival—the SAIFF (Chinese American Film Festival).

It's not just another independent film platform trying to replicate Sundance or Toronto; behind it stands Chinese capital and Wang Sheng, a young director hailed by Hollywood as having a knack for turning lead into gold.

The report detailed the festival's founding principles, the competition for the "Golden Angel Award," and highlighted the international and authoritative composition of the jury.

"This is a clear signal," the article quoted an anonymous Hollywood producer as saying. "The Chinese are no longer satisfied with being just a huge market or a cheap manufacturing base for our films. They want to have their own place in terms of creativity, evaluation, and even rule-making. SAIFF is that carefully crafted trump card."

The Hollywood Reporter, on the other hand, took an industry-centric approach with a more direct headline: "Wang Sheng's Red Carpet: SAIFF Aims to Build a New Bridge for US-China Film Trade."

This report is more like an industry analysis. It outlines the existing collaborative projects between Wang Sheng and his Shengying Media with New Line Cinema and Disney, and points out that SAIFF is a key step in building a closed-loop industry chain "from content production to global distribution and awards recognition".

"For independent production companies and small art films, SAIFF provides a window to the huge potential Asian market (especially China) by bypassing the fierce competition of the traditional major film festivals. For Hollywood studios, it is an excellent social and observation platform to deepen cooperation with the most powerful private film and television entities in China."

Variety's news flash focused on the opening ceremony itself and the red carpet stars: "Eastern and Western stars shine on SAIFF opening night as China-led film festival debuts in Los Angeles."

The report included a series of photos of Wang Sheng giving a speech, Matt Damon walking the red carpet with Kate Beckinsale, Jamie Foxx, Fan Xiaopang, and other Chinese and American celebrities.

"Although the atmosphere was more formal than the Oscars, the interplay of Eastern and Western faces on the red carpet clearly interpreted the theme of 'dialogue.' Chinese actress Fan Bingbing's oriental-style dress became one of the focal points of the evening's fashion discussions."

In addition to professional media, mainstream television news also paid attention to it.

CNN aired a brief one-minute segment in its morning news entertainment section, showing footage of the film festival's opening ceremony and excerpts of Wang Sheng's speech.

The commentator remarked, "This is not just a celebration of film; it is also seen as a concentrated display of China's growing soft power and global ambitions. On Hollywood's doorstep, a significant cultural event led by the Chinese has begun."

In addition, the culture section of The New York Times also published a short commentary, which, although brief, highlighted the significance of the event: "The landing of a Chinese international film festival in Los Angeles with official backing (referring to the recognition of relevant Chinese institutions) and strong financial support marks a subtle but profound shift in the global cultural landscape."

Whether it can continue to develop and gain genuine international credibility remains to be seen, but its very existence is enough to give us pause for thought.

Online, well-known film websites such as IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes quickly launched dedicated pages for SAIFF, including information on the shortlisted films and the first batch of media reviews.

While the level of attention from the general American public cannot yet compare to that in China, SAIFF has successfully thrown a stone into the hearts of movie fans and within the industry, creating ripples.

(End of this chapter)