This director is so innocent.

Chapter 96 Cannes Premiere and Stereotypes

"Sister Nan, will Brother Jin really not be angry with me?"

Liu Shishi followed Yu Nan through the crowd, still a little worried.

Yu Nan rolled her eyes. She was speechless at this girl. With this kind of personality, if they really got together in the future, wouldn't Su Jin have her completely under her thumb?

She'd probably swallow her pride and suffer in silence if Su Jin went out and messed around.

"Shishi, you need to stand up for yourself. You can't be so weak. Chairman Mao said that we women hold up half the sky."

"Ah!" Liu Shishi's red lips parted slightly, her big eyes filled with clear stupidity, completely unable to understand the meaning behind Yu Nan's words.

"Never mind." Yu Nan sighed and said nothing more.

Before long, they found Gong Li, and also saw Su Jin and Liu Hua.

"Brother Jin".

Su Jin turned around and saw the grinning Blind Sister and the smiling Yu Nan, and asked, "Why are you two here?"

"I brought her here." Yu Nan, afraid Su Jin would dwell on the issue, changed the subject, saying, "You two haven't even spoken yet?"

"No, there are too many people," Su Jin said softly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Gong Li, who was chatting happily with the foreigners, seemed to have seen something. After she said a series of English words to the foreigners, they all left.

Seeing this, Su Jin secretly nudged Liu Ye's arm.

Liu Ye reacted very quickly. He stepped forward with a big smile and said, "Sister Gong Li, it's been a long time."

""

"Yes! It seems like it's been half a year since we last saw each other! How have you been?"

"I'm still the same as always, I film when there's a role, and I rest when there isn't," Liu Hua replied, scratching his head sheepishly.

Su Jin looked at the two of them with a smile, waiting quietly as if she wasn't in a hurry at all. In reality, she was cursing them out in her heart. "Why the hell don't you introduce me first?!"

After exchanging three more sentences, Liu Hua, that bastard, finally remembered them. He said, "Sister Gong Li, let me introduce you. This is Su Jin, our director."

Gong Li had actually noticed the handsome young man in front of her long ago, but since Liu Hua hadn't introduced him, she didn't feel comfortable asking him directly.

"Su Jin, the director of 'The Coffin in the Mountain,' right?"

"Yes, Teacher Gong, I am Su Jin. Hello, hello." Su Jin stretched out her hands, pretending to be a fan, her face also showing excitement.

Gong Li smiled and extended her hand, saying, "Maggie Cheung said 'The Coffin in the Mountain' is very good. When is the premiere?"

Su Jin was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Is Teacher Gong free tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock?"

Gong Li nodded and said, "Tomorrow at four o'clock in the afternoon, right? I'll be there."

"Thank you for your support, Teacher Gong," Su Jin said gratefully.

After flattering her for a while, he introduced Yu Nan and Sister Xia, and Sister Xia even took a few photos with Gong Li.

Su Jin wanted to talk to Gong Li about her availability, but she didn't have enough time and had to take her leave.

The opening ceremony officially began at 8:10 a.m.

The host went on stage and said a bunch of nonsense, and then the Cannes Film Festival president, Jacob, went on stage and said a bunch of nonsense again.

Jacob is truly amazing; he single-handedly disrupted the Cannes Film Festival's selection process and took control of the selection process himself.

Before the 70s, Cannes selected films in the same way as the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Films, choosing the films needed from submissions from each country.

After Jacob came to power, he immediately changed the policy, saying, "We don't want what you send us; we choose ourselves. Whoever we like, we choose."

How domineering!

There are even more domineering ones!

In 1999, Zhang Yimou submitted two films, "Not One Less" and "The Road Home," to Cannes for the festival. However, Jacob refused to be nominated because "Not One Less" was considered to be a tribute to China.

Enraged, Zhang Yimou immediately wrote a short essay and sent it to Jacob, signaling a complete break with Cannes: "Not one less."

"My Father and Mother" also withdrew from the film festival.

The former was submitted to the Venice Film Festival and won the Golden Lion.

The latter was submitted to the Berlin Film Festival and won the Jury Prize.

Then the government leaders went on stage and said a lot of nonsense, and finally the nine members of the judging panel came on stage.

After they finished, they started playing Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights".

Starring Norah Jones, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and Natalie Portman, among other big-name stars.

Natalie Portman is the little girl in "Léon: The Professional".

The story is about a woman who is heartbroken and meets a man at a coffee shop. After leaving, she experiences two near-death experiences and returns to the coffee shop to be with the man she has been corresponding with and who is in love with her.

The film's plot unfolds like a circle. At the beginning of the film, accompanied by blues music, a close-up of blueberry pie makes one's mouth water.

To put it bluntly, this is a Western film disguised with an Eastern aesthetic, making it feel incongruous and awkward to watch.

If you understand English, you'll find the dialogue very difficult to understand; it sounds like a Chinese-to-English translation.

Without the support of a dedicated team and without Christopher Doyle's graceful and swaying shots, the photographic composition is quite ordinary.

Overall, fans of Wong Kar-wai were greatly disappointed with "My Blueberry Nights".

Those who dislike it simply call it a terrible movie.

Neither Norah Jones nor Jude Law achieved the level of perfection that audiences expected in the film.

The Cannes Film Festival's official publication, Screenaily, invited 10 media outlets from different countries to provide their reviews.

Apart from four companies that abstained, only one company gave a high score of four Palme d'Or awards, while the rest gave low scores of one or two Palme d'Or awards.

The next day, at 1 p.m.

The premiere press conference for "The Coffin in the Mountain" was held in the press hall.

Most of the journalists who came were foreign reporters; there were very few domestic ones.

The Cannes Film Festival is very seniority-based, dividing you into different tiers.

For example, this press pass is divided into 6 levels, from highest to lowest: white pass, pink pass with yellow dots, pink pass, ...

Blue certificate, yellow certificate, orange certificate, green certificate.

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White passes allow free access to various movie press conferences without queuing, while pink passes with yellow dots also grant entry, but with lower privileges.

Other credentials are similar, but you have to queue, can't get into the press conferences for the main competition films, and have to fight for your own seats in the cinema.

The red carpet event was held at 3 p.m.

The premiere of "The Coffin in the Mountain" began at 4 p.m.

The location is the Lumière Hall, the largest hall in the Palais des Festivals, with 2300 seats.

The building has three floors, and there are also small private boxes specifically prepared for the judges to watch movies.

The reason why "The Coffin in the Mountain" premiered in this hall was not because "The Coffin in the Mountain" was amazing, but because all the films in the main competition were shown here.

The film section also has its own dedicated screening hall—the Debussy Hall, which has two floors and 1083 seats.

In addition, there are Bazin and Buñuel, which are relatively small halls.

There is also a newly built hall, the 60th Anniversary Memorial Hall.

Many people came, including Gong Li, Man Shen, Feng Kuzi, Xiao Wang, Sun Honglei, Section Chief Jia, Li Yang, Diao Yinan, and others.

Many people from Hong Kong and Taiwan also came, including Tsui Hark and his wife, Hou Xiaoxian, Wong Kar-wai, Johnnie To, Louis Koo, and others.

Basically, all the Chinese people in Cannes came.

Of course, not all of these people came to support the event because they were family members. Those from Hong Kong and Taiwan were mostly there because of Man's reputation.

Man Shen really likes Su Jin, this sweet-talking and handsome young man.

The mainland authorities were quite accommodating; they sent out invitations, and those who had nothing to lose generally accepted.

Representatives from professional film magazines and media outlets such as Variety, Screen, Screenaily, and The Hollywood Reporter also came.

Most of the film distributors who had previously shown interest in "The Coffin in the Mountain" came, and Su Jin reserved a good spot for them.

Foreigners were quite interested in the films that were nominated for the main competition, and all 2300 seats were filled.

The movie tickets are free; they are specifically distributed free of charge to media reporters and filmmakers.

Sometimes, if the premiere is about to start but there are still many seats available, the organizers will let some viewers in for free.

The lights in the lobby dimmed, and the movie began.

The movie opens with the logo of the Golden Palm, followed by the logos of the three squares, and then the screen goes dark.

"Smack."

The traditional movie opening technique is a black screen, the sound of a lighter being lit, and a woman burning incense.

Then, Yu Nan, who plays Liqin, appears in the shot. She is kneeling on the ground, facing the screen.

This scene corresponds to the final overhead shot at the end of the film, showing the White Tiger burning incense.

Both of these shots are directly facing the audience, which is known as "God's-eye view".

What we can see is far more transparent than they think.

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The deeper meaning is that they are not worshipping faith, but rather desires and selfishness, or in other words, they are praying for something to go smoothly.

The screen went black, and the camera switched to Liu Hua's character, Da Zhuang, driving Chen Zili, played by Feng Yuanzheng.

Liu Ye glanced at the sleeping Chen Zili, his gaze fierce.

The screen went black, and the camera switched back to Liqin, who was now wearing mourning clothes. Her face wasn't shown in full view, only in close-up shots of her in the mourning clothes.

The camera then switched to Liu Hua, who was standing next to the passenger seat, holding a large rock and staring fiercely at the sleeping Chen Zili.

The scene shifts to a distant view of a landscape, accompanied by a "bang," and the words "Heart Maze" appear.

Then the main feature begins, with Su Jin riding a scooter into the village to go home, where she makes eye contact with Xiao Jianguo, the village chief played by Zhang Guoli.

Then comes a seven-minute long take, during which all the main characters of the film appear one by one.

"How is it? Gong Li, I didn't lie to you, did I? Isn't it great?" Zhang Manyu suddenly said to Gong Li, who was standing next to her.

Gong Li didn't say anything, but simply nodded slightly.

The opening ten minutes were handled well, especially this long take, which was executed perfectly and left the audience in suspense.

The producers, buyers, journalists, and other filmmakers remained silent, watching the film in quiet.

The audience members didn't whisper among themselves; the fact that they came in shows they all like movies and have plenty of patience.

Su Jin and her group sat backstage, enjoying snacks provided by the organizers as they waited for the movie to end.

Guo Tao and Liu Hua were truly carefree and in no hurry at all. They pulled Sister Xia into playing Dou Dizhu (a card game).

Zhang Guoli was a little anxious. He had been making films and television dramas for more than ten years, and this was the first time he had stood on the international stage. He was a little worried about the outcome.

They were worried that the film's quality would be poor and that the audience's reaction would be strong.

He wasn't the only one who hadn't seen the finished film; none of the main creators, except for Su Jin, had seen the whole movie.

Fan Wei and Yu Nan sat quietly, seemingly lost in thought.

Su Jin sat in a corner with Huang Jiaqiang and Zhong Li, discussing the sale of the film.

"Su Jin, are you sure you'll receive an invitation to the closing ceremony?" Zhong Li looked directly at Su Jin with a serious expression.

"I'm not entirely sure either, but that's what Zhang Manyu hinted at to me," Su Jin replied somewhat uncertainly.

Zhong Li said this because Su Jin told Huang Jiajia and Zhong Lilao about Man Shen's hint as soon as she got back last night.

The three discussed it for several hours and finally decided not to sell it for the time being, but to wait until they won the prize before selling it, at which point the price would be much higher.

Of course, not selling doesn't mean not negotiating.

"Boss, why don't you go ask Zhang Manyu again?" Huang Jiaqiang said cautiously.

"Why don't you just ask? How can you be so explicit about something like this?" Su Jin retorted directly.

"Alright, stop arguing," Zhong Lifang said. "Su Jin, I hope your feeling is right, otherwise, this trip will have been a waste."

Their trip cost a lot of money. She did the math and found that the airfare, accommodation, promotional materials, and other expenses added up to at least 70 euros.

Time slowly passed, and an hour later, the movie came to an end.

The village chief staggered to the white tiger's coffin, and Xiao Zongyao had also arrived there at some point.

A wide shot shows a solitary coffin in the center, with a father and son looking at each other in silence.

In the two-minute scene, there is only one line: Xiao Zongyao's belated refusal to say "Dad" to Xiao Weiguo.

The screen did not display the "surrender" subtitles. Just when the audience thought it was about to end, the scene changed, and Huanhuan, played by Liu Shishi, and her best friend, played by Yang Mi, were on the phone.

Then Huang Bo, who plays Baihu, walks past Yang Mi with his hands in his pockets and goes inside to burn incense and pray.

In the distance, one can still see Teacher Xi Meijuan burning incense.

The video ends here, and the list of acknowledgments appears.

As the lights came on, Su Jin and her entourage walked to the center of the stage.

"Splash!"

The entire audience rose to their feet and applauded, paying the highest tribute to the main creators of "The Coffin in the Mountain" for eight minutes.

The Cannes Film Festival has a tradition that the more the audience likes your film, the longer the applause lasts.

Last year, the applause for "Pan's Labyrinth" lasted for 22 minutes.

Foreign journalists and film distributors were very interested in "The Coffin in the Mountain" after watching it because it was exactly like the China they had imagined.

Poverty, backwardness, ignorance, negativity —

These stereotypes were created in the 1990s when the sixth generation of directors appeared at film festivals.

That's why the higher-ups are so determined to apply for the Olympics, even if it means losing money, to show the world what China is like today.

Domestic journalists were pleasantly surprised, feeling that "The Coffin in the Mountain" was better than Wong Kar-wai's "My Blueberry Nights".

Over the next ten minutes, Su Jin answered a series of questions, all revolving around "The Coffin in the Mountain," including her initial creative intentions, her confidence in winning an award, and her thoughts on "My Blueberry Nights."

After the interview, Su Jin went down to thank each of the guests present, and the renowned director gave her positive feedback.

Feng Kuzi: "The younger generation is truly formidable."

Wong Kar-wai: "Chinese cinema needs young people like you."

Section Chief Jia: "You're much better than I was back then."

Su Jin didn't take these words seriously. He knew his own family was the best judge of them, and these weren't his real talents, so he had no reason to be proud.

"Su Jin, I have something to attend to, I'll be leaving now."

Su Jin had just arrived beside Gong Li and Zhang Manyu when she heard her words, and immediately replied, "Take care, Goddess Man."

.

Zhang Manyu waved to him and turned to leave.

Gong Li looked at Su Jin with surprise, "What did you just call Manyu?"

"Goddess Man!"