This director is so innocent.

Chapter 95 The Red Carpet and Leslie Cheung

The sun was shining brightly on the 16th.

The 12-day Cannes International Film Festival has officially begun.

This year, 3983 films from 110 countries and regions were submitted for the exhibition, and the organizers ultimately selected 49 films.

The main competition section features 23 films, including four from Asia.

Besides Su Jin's "The Coffin in the Mountain", the other three are Naomi Kawase's "The Forest of the Wilderness", Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine", and Kim Ki-duk's "Breath".

Su Jin and her group got up early, and after putting on makeup, they started taking photos in the hotel corridor and outside.

At noon, the nine members of the judging panel held a press conference; there wasn't much to write about.

In the afternoon, I tagged along to a celebration reception hosted by the Hong Kong Island Trade and Development Council for Wong Kar-wai.

This party was held to celebrate Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights" being the opening film.

The red carpet ceremony began at 6 p.m.

The red carpet set up at the entrance of the cinema is different from the hundreds of meters of red carpets at domestic film festivals.

The red carpet in Cannes is particularly short, only about 50 meters long, including the steps at the top.

The organizers will require you to complete the walk within 2 minutes.

If you dawdle and linger on the red carpet, stopping every few steps, security guards will come up and ask you to leave.

For example, female celebrities such as Li Lianhua, Yang Mi, Jing Tian, ​​and Qin Lan have been driven away by security guards.

Once, when Da Tiantian was urged to leave, she still didn't go and received one-on-one service from the security guard.

Xing Xiaohong, a minor celebrity, is quite something. Wearing a dress that partially reveals her cleavage, she deliberately tripped and fell while going up the stairs to attract attention.

Actually, the Cannes Film Festival red carpet isn't as sacred as you might imagine.

The Cannes red carpet event isn't limited to just the opening and closing ceremonies; it happens every day, from morning till night.

Whenever a film premieres in the main competition or other sections, or even some special film premieres, there will be a red carpet event.

It's easy for you to get up there; just have a ticket for a movie showing in the main hall of the cinema.

Not every movie ticket gets you in; movie tickets are divided into three classes: Orchestre, Corbeille, and...

Balcon.

Thousands of movie tickets are distributed to different people every day through official channels, sponsors, public relations companies, film producers, and reservations with valid credentials.

Only those holding tickets in the first two categories are allowed to walk the red carpet before the movie screening, and they do not need to wear any identification.

That's how those online celebrities who claim to have been invited by certain brands got their positions.

You're saying you can't get it?

Impossible. During the film festival, many people do this kind of business, registering a dozen or so credentials to apply for tickets.

Although registering a certificate costs hundreds of euros, it can be sold for thousands of euros.

For example, tickets for the premiere of Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, were scalped for over 16 yuan.

A single visit by an online celebrity, including airfare, hotel, makeup, photographer, and so on, would cost approximately 200,000 to 300,000 RMB.

But I digress. Let's get back to the red carpet.

Neat black dresses and a sea of ​​fans.

French actress Juliette Binoche made her first appearance in a black dress, looking natural and relaxed.

French director Luc Besson, who has frequently visited China in recent years, also came to support the film festival, attracting frequent flashes of camera light.

Then, Gong Li, a regular at Cannes, arrived gracefully. Her combination of gold and emerald added a touch of elegance to the 60th Cannes red carpet.

Shu Qi has also become a highly regarded Chinese actress.

Renowned director David Lynch, representing North American filmmakers, graced the red carpet with great poise.

Later, Stephen Frears appeared with the jury members, and Mandy Lieutenant made a stunning entrance in a gorgeous gown, stealing the spotlight.

Finally, the entire cast and crew of the opening film, "My Blueberry Nights," were present, with Jude Law and Norah Jones bringing the red carpet to its climax.

After the big shots left, it was Little Karami's turn.

Around 7 o'clock, Su Jin and her group arrived in the organizer's Mercedes-Benz.

As soon as Su Jin got out of the car, she frowned at the scene before her. It looked like a bustling market, with a huge crowd of people chattering away.

"Liu Ye, was this the same scene when you came last time?" Guo Tao couldn't help but ask.

"Pretty much, are you a little disappointed?" Liu Ye asked with a smile.

The others nodded in unison.

If it weren't for the words "Cannes" on it, they would have thought the organizers were playing a joke on them and taking them to some backwater film festival.

The management is extremely poor; there are people everywhere, and there's nowhere to put your feet.

Following the staff's directions, we arrived at the waiting area to wait.

"When I say stop, you stop; when I say turn around, you turn around with me," Su Jin whispered.

"Why?!"

"Taking photos! Why else? You've come all this way to Cannes, how are you going to release a press release without photos?"

Upon hearing this explanation, everyone immediately understood.

Don't be fooled by their status as big stars in China; here, apart from Yu Nan who has some minor fame in France, the rest of them are nobody. It's no wonder no one would take their pictures.

"Yes, yes, director, you've really thought of everything."

As it was time to go on stage, Su Jin noticed that Xia Jie's palms were sweaty. He took off the silk scarf from his chest and wiped the sweat from Xia Jie's hands while saying, "Don't be nervous. Just think of it as going to the market. Besides, I'm here with you."

Liu Shishi looked at Su Jin carefully wiping her hands and smiled sweetly, but the words she spoke were anything but sweet.

"Brother Jin, I'm not nervous, I'm just hot."

Upon hearing this, Su Jin's hand, which was wiping her sweat, froze in mid-air, awkwardly unsure of where to put it.

Damn it, if you weren't nervous, you should have said so earlier!

Shortly after, staff came over to inform them that it was their turn to go on stage.

After tidying her appearance, Su Jin took a deep breath and led everyone onto the red carpet.

His outfit today was a South of France resort style; the suit was a casual suit, not very formal.

It's not a branded product; it's custom-made.

The fifty-year-old master craftsman used natural fabrics and hand-sewn it stitch by stitch, spending more than 60,000 yuan.

The dress worn by Xia Jie was a Dior summer haute couture gown, which Zhong Li arranged to rent from the brand for her.

Yu Nan wore a long black dress, which she also rented from the brand.

Zhang Guoli is a big spender; his Armani suit costs over 100,000 yuan, which he bought himself.

Liu Ye, Guo Tao, and Fan Wei are quite frugal; their suits cost between 30,000 and 50,000 yuan, which they bought themselves.

When the foreign photographers saw the seven people come on stage, they initially put down their cameras. But when they saw Su Jin standing in the middle, they immediately picked up their DSLRs and started snapping away.

After all, beauty transcends national boundaries!

"Su Jin, look, aren't those foreigners taking pictures of us?" Guo Tao said with a smile, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"I think so!" Su Jin was also a little unsure, and waved to greet them.

The others were also striking various poses.

After walking two or three meters, Su Jin saw a familiar face. "Stop, turn around."

This is the photographer they hired; they paid 500 euros each, and they hired five photographers.

Only official photographers are allowed to take photos on the red carpet; private photographers are not permitted to enter.

Of course, you can set up a small ladder at a distance and stand on it to take pictures.

After changing positions a few times, he left without waiting for the security guard to urge him.

After walking four or five meters, she stopped again, took a few more photos, and then, feeling that it was about time, went straight up the steps.

The other six didn't linger on the red carpet either. They couldn't do what people in later generations did and stubbornly refuse to leave; they still had their pride.

At 7:30 p.m., the noise on the red carpet gradually subsided, while the lights in the nearby Lumière Hall were just coming on, quietly awaiting the grand opening of the 60th Cannes Film Festival.

The Lumière Hall is the main hall of the Palais des Festivals, which can accommodate 2000 people. The closing ceremony and awards gala will also be held here eleven days later.

Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights" will also open here later.

Next to this floor, there are 10 screening rooms that can accommodate about 50 people each, showing various movies from morning to night, with an average of nearly 80 films shown every day.

These small screening rooms cost money; a single screening room can cost anywhere from 800 to 1000 euros.

Many domestic film companies release press releases claiming that their films will be shown at Cannes, which is actually just taking the films to such market screening rooms, and some even showing them in a cafe on the street.

In the early days, there were some swindlers in China who specialized in this kind of business. They claimed to know some film selectors and could get films by new directors into Cannes. In the end, after collecting a large commission, they would only show the films at similar events.

For example, the "Short Film Corner" section is a very weak section. The organizers give you two certificates, and then you pay "90 euros" to screen your film.

After Su Jin entered the Lumière Hall, she wandered around for a while and saw that Man Shen had just finished talking with a foreigner.

He was overjoyed and quickly took a few steps to block the way for the God of Man.

"Hello, Teacher Zhang, my name is Su Jin, and I'm your fan," Su Jin said, feigning excitement.

-

Zhang Manyu stopped and looked the handsome young man up and down. She immediately recognized him, and a smile appeared on her lips.

Has anyone ever told you that you're more handsome than Takeshi Kaneshiro?

"No, no, I can't compare to Takeshi Kaneshiro's teacherly demeanor," Su Jin said modestly.

"You don't sound like a young person at all! You're too modest," Zhang Manyu continued to tease.

"My mom often tells me to be humble and not to boast about being more handsome than Takeshi Kaneshiro," Su Jin replied honestly.

"Hahaha————" Zhang Manyu covered her mouth and chuckled softly after hearing Su Jin's words.

After a moment, she stopped laughing and asked, "How many days are you planning to stay here?"

Su Jin thought for a moment and said, "I'll stay for a week first, and then go back to China if I don't get an invitation letter."

L

"Then you won't be able to return to China in a week," Zhang Manyu said quietly.

Su Jin was slightly taken aback, but immediately realized that this was an implication that he could get an invitation!

"Thank you, Goddess Man." Su Jin couldn't hide her joy and even called out Zhang Manyu's nickname in her excitement.

"What did you call me?" Zhang Manyu asked, her lips slightly parted, looking at Su Jin with a face full of astonishment.

"Goddess Man!"

"Goddess Man? Why do you call me Goddess Man?"

"Because you have great acting skills, good looks, and a great presence!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Manyu's face broke into a radiant smile, and her beautiful eyes curved into crescent shapes.

Everyone likes to hear nice things, and she was no exception.

Especially the kind words of a handsome guy.

"Little brother, are you free now?"

"Yes." Su Jin nodded heavily.

Although I don't know what Manshen is going to do, I should just agree. How could I possibly harm him?

"Come on, I'll introduce you to some people." Zhang Manyu was in a great mood and led Su Jin through the world of fame and fortune.

Zhang Manyu first introduced Su Jin to the jury chairman, Stephen Ferrells, followed by Hollywood stars such as the Coen brothers, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon.

There are quite a few from mainland China as well, but mainly from Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as Wong Kar-wai, Johnnie To, Chow Yun-fat, Louis Koo, and so on.

Afterwards, the two exchanged contact information, and Zhang Manyu went off to do her work, while Su Jin returned to the team.

They had finished their walk and returned to their seats.

Seeing that there was still time, Su Jin looked at Liu Ye and said, "Liu Ye, are you very familiar with Gong Li?"

"What do you want? My relationship with her is only so-so," Liu Hua said cautiously.

"Just average? You kissed Gong Li, and you call that average?" Guo Tao couldn't help but tease.

"Old Guo, your thoughts are filthy. Gong Li and I are both very professional," Liu Hua said seriously.

"Stop talking nonsense, take me to meet Gong Li," Su Jin said.

"Su Jin, let me make this clear first, if you want Gong Li to do something for you, I can't help you," Liu Hua said, giving her a heads-up.

"I'm not asking her for help, I just want to get to know her."

Just as the two stood up, Liu Shishi suddenly said, "Brother Jin, I want to go too."

"Where are you going? Sit here quietly."

Ignoring the aggrieved Blind Sister, Su Jin and Liu Hua got up and left their seats.

Seeing this, Yu Nan laughed and said, "You really want to go!"

"Yes, I really like Gong Li," Liu Shishi said earnestly.

Yu Nan patted her head and said, "Come on, if your brother Jin won't take you, I will."

"Oh! When Brother Jin sees me, he won't be angry with me, will he?" Liu Shishi said with some worry.

"What are you afraid of? I'll take care of things from the front."

"Thank you, Sister Nan."

Meanwhile, after Su Jin followed Liu Hua out, she found Gong Huang. Goodness, she was really popular!

A group of foreigners were standing around Gong Huang. He also saw a number of people waiting to come forward and talk to him not far away.

"Su Jin, shall we go up and get to know her?" Liu Hua asked, looking straight at Gong Li.

"Wait a minute, three minutes. If it's not over yet, we'll leave."

Three minutes later, a few people left Gong Li's side, but then a few more people were added in.

There were always people coming and going.

"Liu Hua, let's go upstairs." Su Jin said, and walked over first.

-

Liu Ye was taken aback for a moment, thinking to himself, "Didn't we agree that we'd leave if the group wasn't finished in three minutes?"

He sighed and quickly caught up with Su Jin.

The two approached Gong Li, and Su Jin, seeing that the angle wasn't good, pulled Liu Hua to stand opposite Gong Li.

He had no intention of going up to talk to her directly. Gong Li didn't know him, and going up to talk to her directly would give a bad impression.

If she stands opposite Gong Li, she will notice Liu Hua, and then she will definitely take the initiative to talk to Liu Hua. Wouldn't that be the opportunity?

He was so determined to get to know Gong Li because he suddenly thought of a really good movie that would be perfect for her.

This movie is the most amazing suspense film he has ever seen. It has been remade in four countries: China, Korea, India, and Italy.

Structurally, the film employs a series of plot twists and developments, peeling back layers of a Rashomon-like story and presenting it to the audience.

It has a high score of 8.8 on Douban, with more than 130 million ratings.