HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

The Qingming Festival film season is booming.

The heat is unreasonable, it's unbelievably hot.

"Silent Witness" has seen its box office soar to 42 million in just three days since its release.

The first week ended with nearly 80 million in sales!

Keep in mind that this is a legal film without action effects, erotic gimmicks, or even a decent large-scale scene.

It managed to hold its own against the Hollywood blockbuster "Alice in Wonderland," which was in its second week of release, thanks to its solid script and the stellar dialogue delivered by the award-winning actors.

The two films have revitalized the traditional "graveyard festival" during the Qingming Festival.

This is a real hardship for films released during the same period that were hoping to find a niche release during a less popular time slot.

Andy Lau's "Future X-Cops," Wong Jing's "Beauty on Duty," and Tang Wei's comeback film "Crossing Hennessy" were all relegated to the sidelines, trembling in fear, with dismal box office returns.

Oh, and also drawing circles in the corner is Jiang Wenli's directorial debut, "We Meet in Heaven".

For this reason, Wang Yong from Xi'an Film Studio even made a special phone call to Li Yan, jokingly and feigning complaint:

"Xiao Li, you don't know, Jiang Wenli had her husband come to the factory yesterday to complain."

"They said she finally managed to direct a movie, and even chose a slow release period, but our studio had a big project and didn't even tell her. Now look what's happened, all the screenings have been squeezed out."

"Haha, you don't need to worry about that. She was just saying it casually, but what she really meant was that she wanted to get to know you through the factory."

"Hey... what else could it be? She's always wanted to bring her niece out with her! I guess she's hoping you can lend a hand if you get the chance."

"Alright, you go ahead with your work. When you get home, the factory will definitely throw you a big celebration banquet!"

……

With the offline box office booming, the internet, Li Yan's stronghold, was even more lively.

The clips, trailers, and behind-the-scenes footage of "Silent Witness" have consistently garnered high viewership on video websites.

Although China Film Group took the lead this time, Youku, an old friend, failed to secure the online exclusive, but that didn't stop Dong Tianlei from riding the wave of popularity, displaying the banner on the homepage more frequently than anyone else.

The rating on Douban has temporarily stabilized at 8.2, and the short review section is flooded with comments.

"Wow! Legal dramas can have plot twists like this?! What's wrong with the screenwriter's brain?"

"The scene where Liang Jiahui and Wang Zhiwen confronted each other in court was fantastic!"

"To be honest, when it comes to dialogue, Wang Zhiwen is still the best. Listening to him with your eyes closed is a real treat!"

"Fan Bingbing looks so handsome! From now on, please call him Master Fan!"

"Jing Tian didn't hold us back? Li Yan did a great job!"

Of course, there are all sorts of birds in a big forest, and there are quite a few weirdos among them.

"The box office figures must be inflated, right? Who goes to the movies during the Qingming Festival? Are you kidding me?"

"It's still a terrible movie built on star power, with the plot relying entirely on coincidences. I'd rather go watch 'The Founding of a Republic' and count the stars."

However, these voices were quickly drowned out by the emotion of "Dragon Back Wall" and the discussion of the ending.

Recent entertainment headlines have almost entirely been about the "dark horse" of the Qingming Festival film season.

Ding Xiaoxiao's phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from reporters these past two days.

"Where's Li Yan? We want to interview Director Li!"

"What is your response to the rumors regarding inflated box office figures for 'Silent Witness'?"

Is the rumor about Director Li and Fan Bingbing having an affair true?

"Why hasn't director Li Yan appeared at the recent promotional events? Has he been blacklisted?"

Even Zhang Qiang was finding it hard to keep up with the relentless barrage.

He slumped on the office sofa, looking pale and hungover, and weakly spoke into the phone:

"Boss La... Oh my dear brother, why are you having a celebration banquet? I want to have one too!"

"The main character is nowhere to be seen, who am I supposed to celebrate with?"

"Alright, alright, once I catch him, I'll tie him up and take him to you right away! Bye!"

……

Meanwhile, there was an inconspicuous little clubhouse by Houhai Lake.

The two people in the private room sat facing each other, neither of them speaking, only the rustling sound of papers turning.

Opposite Li Yan was Daniel Katz, who had come all the way from New York.

Right now, this future godfather of independent films is flipping through the English script in his hands with shining eyes—Moonlight.

Time passed second by second.

Katz didn't look up until he turned the last page; his brown eyes gleamed like a wolf that had seen blood.

"God... Lee, this is even crazier than you wrote in the outline!"

Katz excitedly waved the script in his hand:

"Black people, slums, drugs, homosexuality, the underprivileged, growing up..."

"You've crammed all those 'correct' elements that Hollywood dares not touch but must 'respect' into a damn story!"

He stood up and paced back and forth in the private room:

"You know what? Those old guys in academia have been getting themselves into a media frenzy every year lately, this script is practically a fig leaf handed to their faces!"

"Once it's filmed, no matter who directs it or how it turns out, the judges will have to hold their noses and vote for it! If they don't vote, that's discrimination! That's wrong!"

Katz stopped, turned around, leaned on the table, and stared at Li Yan with emotion, saying:

"Remember what I told you in Venice, Lee? You really know how to satirize this world!"

Li Yan sat in the armchair and calmly poured Katz a cup of tea.

He certainly knew the power of Moonlight.

This is a masterpiece that snatched the Oscar for Best Picture from La La Land.

This is exactly what Katz wanted, as he is now looking to establish his own independent faction.

"Since we're friends, Daniel..."

Li Yan put down the teapot, took out a pre-prepared film and television copyright transfer agreement from beside him, and gently pushed it to the center of the table:

"Then this script is my gift to you."

"I know you want to leave Guggenheim and go solo. I think your new company needs a stepping stone, a breakthrough that can kick open the door to Hollywood and shut everyone up."

Katz grabbed the agreement and glanced at it twice; his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

Once he signed the contract, this priceless script would be his.

Moreover, the transfer fee column only had a symbolic "1 US dollar" filled in.

There are no additional terms or conditions, and no subsequent revenue sharing.

Katz took a deep breath, forcing himself to put down the agreement and look at Li Yan again:

There's no such thing as a free lunch in the world, especially in America, where "Greed Is Good."

"Li, what do you mean? I can offer a high price!"

Li Yan looked directly at Katz and said:

"Friend, if I were in it for the money, I could just send this script to that fat guy Harvey. With his keen eye for Oscars, I'm sure he'd be happy to write you a check that's worth much more than you do, and maybe even throw in a few dinners that you and I both know what I mean."

"Don't mention that fat bastard!"

Katz waved his hand dismissively. "He won't last two years! Lee, I know what you want, just say it, what's your price?"

Li Yan straightened up and said, word by word:

"I want my new film, 'The Father Trapped in Time,' to be shown on the big screen at the Kodak Theatre next year."

Katz frowned, then breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand:

"Best Foreign Language Film? No problem! As long as the film is of high quality..."

Li Yan interrupted him before he could finish speaking:

"more than."

"Not just?" Katz paused, then asked, "What else do you want?"

"I also want... a Best Actor nomination!"

"What?!"

Katz was so excited he almost jumped out of his chair, raising his voice:

"A foreign language film! You want an old Chinese man who speaks Mandarin to compete with those Hollywood guys for a Best Actor nomination?! You're dreaming! Absolutely impossible! Those old fogies at the Academy will never agree to it!"

Li Yan refused to yield an inch:

"If it were just some minor foreign language film award, would I need to trade 'Moonlight' for it?"

"Daniel, don't tell me it's impossible. Roberto Benigni won the Best Actor award!"

"I don't care what methods you use—whether it's lobbying through your Jewish connections, hiring a top PR firm, or even making a deal with Harvey, whom you despise!"

"That's the result I want!"

Katz gritted his teeth, staring at Li Yan, his chest heaving violently.

He was weighing his options.

On one hand, there was "Moonlight," a film that was practically a guaranteed Best Picture winner and the cornerstone of his instant fame.

On the other hand, there is a seemingly impossible task, involving huge public relations costs and the drain on personal relationships.

but……

If he could actually help a Chinese actor reach the finals of the Oscar for Best Actor, what a terrifying boost that would be for Daniel Katz's reputation in Hollywood and even Wall Street!

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Katz picked up the script for "Moonlight" again:

"Are you sure you just want a nomination? And nothing else? Like... winning an award?"

Li Yan smiled and shook his head:

"I'm not that crazy. It's not the right time for Chinese-language films to win acting awards. I just want a nomination, just for my name to appear on the big screen at the Kodak Theatre!"

He was very clear about his purpose.

With this nomination, not only will Mr. Lan's artistic career be fulfilled.

Li Yan has now achieved his goal of becoming an "international director"!

Forget about the Beijing circle, the Shanghai circle, the Northwest circle, forget about seniority and the bottlenecks in approval processes—all of that has to give way to him!

At that time, he will be the real boss!

"This is what I wanted." Li Yan tapped the agreement on the table again. "Deal?"

Katz stared at him for a long time, then finally said fiercely:

"If you can guarantee that the old gentleman's acting is really as good as you say..."

He picked up the pen and heavily signed his name on the $1 transfer agreement.

"make a deal!"

Li Yan raised his teacup, using tea instead of wine, and gently touched the cup in front of Katz:

"Don't worry, you'll see a textbook performance."

"A pleasure working with you, the future king of Hollywood."