Huayu: Everyone's been reborn, who's still going to be an actor?

What are you proving?

Cheng Yuan and Lu Chuan had similar debuts, both starring in dramas with Jiang Wen, and both faced criticism.

Cheng Yuan has faced more criticism, while Lu Chuan's debut novel, "Looking for a Gun," has a stronger ginger flavor.

Cheng Yuan proved himself with his second work, "Hunting".

And what about Lu Chuan?

"Kekexili" is a good work, but unfortunately it was embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, so it can't be considered to have proven itself.

The key point is that Cheng Yuan calls Wu Yusen "director" while calling Lu Chuan "senior," which implies that he is not worthy of being called a "director," since he doesn't have a single work to prove himself.

One of the two works was suspected of being directed by Jiang Wen, while the other was embroiled in a plagiarism controversy.

Cheng Yuan's words, though seemingly friendly, were definitely a direct and blatant attack.

Of course, being surrounded by so many media outlets, he inevitably asked about the rumors circulating online and the criticisms he received from many fifth and sixth generation directors.

"I didn't say those things, but some people actually jumped out and took it personally, which makes me suspicious," Cheng Yuan said. "Did those rumors hit a nerve with them? The most representative directors of the fifth and sixth generations didn't seem to be getting worked up about it."

Not only did they not get angry, but some people even gave "The Hunt" extremely high praise.

For example, Chen Shiren and Zhang Yimou from the fifth generation.

For example, Jia Zhangke, a sixth-generation director, and even Wang Xiaoshuai, a contemporary competitor, praised "The Hunt".

"Focus on different aspects, subject matter, and techniques of expression are just different ways of art," Cheng Yuan said. "Each generation grows up in different environments and has different experiences, so their understanding of art will naturally be different. There's no need to make a big deal out of it."

Cheng Yuan's reply sparked another round of heated discussion.

This also boosted the box office of "The Hunt".

Unfortunately, piracy reappeared, which naturally affected box office revenue.

However, the film made money based on domestic box office alone.

And what about Cheng Yuan?

He then went into seclusion again, staying at home writing screenplays.

He came up with a script and was preparing to film it as soon as possible, which might give him the money to invest in "Taken".

As for "Love"?

Cheng Yuan thought for a moment and decided not to rush.

After all, the questionable actions of Wong Kar-wai, the jury president at next year's Cannes Film Festival, have made Cheng Yuan hesitate.

Moreover, he was unsure whether bringing his work would lead to him being targeted.

Let's wait another year.

The film "The Hunt" grossed over 20 million yuan in just half a month after its release.

Han Sanping called Cheng Yuan to ask if he wanted to throw a celebration banquet, but Cheng Yuan refused.

It's clearly impossible for this movie to reach the box office success of "Buried".

If it doesn't work in mainland China, it's even less likely to work in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

That day, Cheng Yuan returned to school and brought a script to Tian Zhuangzhuang.

"Teacher, I've written a script, but I'm not quite sure about some parts. Could you take a look?"

Cheng Yuan smiled and handed a script to Tian Zhuangzhuang.

"And a script you're unsure about?" Tian Zhuangzhuang said. "About getting it approved? You didn't cross the line, did you?"

Cheng Yuan smiled but didn't say anything, instead gesturing for him to look first.

"The Distinguished Citizen?"

Tian Zhuangzhuang glanced at the script title and then began to read it.

What kind of movie is "The Distinguished Citizen"?

A highly satirical and absurd comedy film that tells the story of a Nobel laureate returning to his homeland after forty years.

It's incredibly ironic, especially the final twist, which is absolutely sarcastic.

After an unknown amount of time, Tian Zhuangzhuang finished reading the script and looked at Cheng Yuan with a complicated expression.

That final turn almost hurt my back.

At first, I thought it was a multi-layered satire and critique of human nature, social phenomena, cultural policies, and the aura of celebrities, using dark humor and insightful social observation.

But that final twist made him feel a strong sense of malice.

It feels like it's mocking both the fifth and sixth generation of directors.

He was no exception.

The literary giant who returned home in glory was met with universal condemnation.

As it turns out, those might all have been fabricated by him.

Isn't this just mocking the works of the Fifth and Sixth Generation directors, implying that the characters were fictional and created solely to win awards?

"If you get too ruthless, everyone will criticize you," Tian Zhuangzhuang said after a moment of silence. "It's not that you can't handle the script; it's that you're afraid of causing public outrage if you film it."

"Who did I insult?" Cheng Yuan said. "Teacher, you can't take it personally."

"Did I take this personally?" Tian Zhuangzhuang said, half-laughing and half-crying. "You've given me a tough one. Aren't you afraid of offending people if you film it?"

"Shall we just stop filming?"

Cheng Yuan asked tentatively.

"Take a picture! Why not take a picture?" Cheng Yuan said. "Come on, let's go and let Principal Zhang take a look."

Cheng Yuan smiled and nodded.

How could Tian Zhuangzhuang not see the quality of this script?

How could it possibly be shelved?

Cheng Yuan was willing to give it up because he had many good scripts in his mind.

Tian Zhuangzhuang was clearly reluctant to part with it, and the school was probably reluctant to part with it either.

If this script is adapted into a film, it has the potential to win awards.

"Please sit down, let me take a look first."

Upon hearing the purpose of their visit, Zhang Huijun smiled and said...

After a long while, Zhang Huijun finished reading the script, looked at Cheng Yuan, and his lips twitched. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

"Don't tell me this script was inspired by those people's insults?" Zhang Huijun said to Cheng Yuan. "But, the coverage area you've covered is a bit too large."

Zhang Huijun could naturally see that the script was full of sarcasm, almost condemning everyone involved.

"Shall we take the picture?"

Cheng Yuan asked.

He neither denied nor admitted it.

It wasn't the criticism that sparked the inspiration, but rather the criticism that evoked the memories.

It was only after being insulted by those people that Cheng Yuan remembered this movie.

Once the movie is released, we can use this to generate hype.

With topics already generating buzz, how could this movie possibly lack any?

How could the box office be bad?

"Take the picture!"

Zhang Huijun said bluntly, "Why not film such a good script?"

As for who he mocked?

None of that matters.

Besides, if we publicize the inspiration behind this film, are other directors from the Fifth and Sixth Generations going to jump out and claim it's related to us?

Therefore, Cheng Yuan's film is a satire of those fifth and sixth generation directors who criticize him.

Those people have little impact.

The influential directors either didn't show up, or, like Chen Shiren and Zhang Yimou, praised Cheng Yuan's film highly.

If Cheng Yuan was praised, then how could this movie possibly be mocking them?

Among the fifth and sixth generation directors, whoever criticized Cheng Yuan, that's the person whose film is being mocked.

What's wrong with mocking them?

So what if they mocked me?

How dare they insult my precious Beijing Film Academy student? Do they really think Beijing Film Academy has no temper?

Zhang Huijun couldn't help but exclaim that this kid's talent was truly amazing.

He was questioned, so he made "The Hunt," which almost won the Palme d'Or.

He got criticized for it, so he immediately made a movie called "The Distinguished Citizen" to mock them back.

What a talent!

With the school's support, it was clearly not enough, so Cheng Yuan took the script to Han Sanping.

Now that he's no longer an unknown figure, he can naturally connect directly with Han Sanping once he joins China Film Group.

"Where's your action blockbuster?"

Han Sanping read the script, rubbed his temples, and felt like his head was about to explode.