Huayu: I was immediately ensnared by Jing Tian as soon as I entered the industry.

Harvey is a shrewd film businessman; if he took the initiative to talk to you, he definitely didn't have good intentions.

Sure enough, the chubby man said, "Wang, you're not only a superb actor, but also an excellent film producer. I'm very interested in the North American rights to 'Buried'."

Wang Xuan didn't reply, but swirled the red wine in his glass, waiting for the rest of the conversation.

Harvey was a Jewish businessman, and selfishness and profit-seeking were his nature. He was in charge of the North American distribution of "Hero," buying out the rights for 20 million US dollars. The film grossed over 53 million US dollars, making a huge profit.

Having tasted success this time, he set his sights on Chinese-language films, distributing movies like "Shaolin Soccer" and "The Promise" in North America...

"The movie 'Buried' contains content that is suspected of smearing American official institutions, and only I was able to get it released in North America."

Harvey wanted to lower the price.

Wang Xuan's heart sank, but he remained outwardly calm.

I thought people in China would bring this up, after all, a loyal dog protecting its master.

But I didn't expect this American to point it out first.

Does mocking the insurance company for inaction and belittling the military for not providing assistance constitute a smear campaign?

Of course there are.

However, the majority of the sentiment is anti-war.

The US is currently embroiled in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and anti-war sentiment is rising domestically.

Forget mocking him, even if you point your finger at George W. Bush and curse him, they'll say you're not cursing him hard enough.

Wang Xuan shook his head: "You might be mistaken, this is an anti-war film."

Hearing this, Harvey felt a surge of resentment. He was obviously drawn to the film's anti-war core message and its thriller elements, which were commercial attributes that art films typically lack.

Seeing that Wang Xuan wasn't fooled, he changed his tone: "How about this, we'll buy out the copyrights for North and South America for $50."

"I can get the movie released in North America. Hollywood is there; filmmakers from all over the world want to make movies there. I can recommend you there."

The offer sounds very tempting; if it were any other actor, they might have agreed on a whim.

But Wang Xuan didn't believe a single word of the fat man's promises.

"The value of 'Buried Alive' is far more than what you're saying. Don't try to fob me off with $50. Don't treat me like one of those idiots who don't understand Hollywood rules."

Wang Xuan wasn't afraid of offending Harvey. Harvey was a Jew who believed in pragmatism. As long as something was valuable to him, he could tolerate even the harshest words.

Harvey said with a sneer, "Even if you just won the Silver Bear, you're still an unknown actor in Hollywood. Miramax can make you famous in North America, so you'd better seize this opportunity."

Wang Xuan scoffed dismissively: "I haven't considered making a name for myself in Hollywood yet, but if you want the film rights, you'll have to pay $200 million, and it's only for the North American market."

Lu Yang's English was so-so that he could barely understand the conversation between the two. He was stunned when he heard Wang Xuan's quote. He knew the cost of "burying alive"—less than one million RMB.

Just by opening your mouth, you can make dozens of times the profit.

Who says investing in movies can't make money!

This is such a great deal!

"Impossible. This movie is only 90 minutes long, and the plot is depressing. Hollywood audiences prefer blockbusters."

"You don't have to buy it."

Wang Xuan silenced Harvey with just one sentence.

If you really don't want to buy it, why waste so much time talking? You would have just walked away.

"You have two days to think it over. Contact me again when you've made up your mind." Wang Xuan handed over a business card.

The price he quoted was inflated; it would be even better if we could rip off this fat pig.

Given the Jewish nature, if you have value, they might even step on your face with their shoes.

Therefore, Wang Xuan is not afraid of offending Harvey, who started out making art films and is very clear about the commercial nature of "Buried".

···

It was already past midnight in China, but media professionals were still on duty, pushing firsthand news from Berlin to various websites.

Wang Xuan led Lu Yang away from the banquet, preparing to meet with film distributors from other regions the next day.

The copyright for "Burying Alive" now costs several times more than before.

As Wang Xuan drifted off to sleep with a smile, the morning news in China began reporting on the victories of [Buried Alive] and [Left and Right] in Berlin.

The film and television industry can be described as being in a state of frenzy.

Discussions about Wang Xuan have surpassed those about Wang Xiaoshuai, a sixth-generation director.

"Chinese young actor Wang Xuan wins the Silver Bear Award for Best Actor!"

"Wang Xuan's acceptance speech..."

"A first-year film school student shines in Berlin, winning an honor that no Chinese male actor has ever received before."

"The teaching quality of the Performance Department at Beijing Film Academy..."

"..."

The entire news section of the film and television page was filled with news about Wang Xuan.

The leaders of Beijing Film Academy were overjoyed and bought several news pages while the topic was trending.

This year's admissions brochure will need an extra page.

Let's see who dares to say that Beijing Film Academy only trains stars and not good actors. Even freshmen can win Best Actor awards. Who will question the quality of teaching?

Although it's still winter break, the banner has already been hung on the main gate of the school.

"Professor Wang, congratulations! You've nurtured a promising talent; this guy's a Berlin Film Festival Best Actor winner!"

"Haha... It's all thanks to the students' hard work, it has little to do with me as the teacher."

Wang Chunzi spoke modestly, but her face was full of smiles.

She received so many congratulatory calls that she couldn't stop talking, but she still enjoyed it immensely.

That's all.

I just want to hear praise.

···

In Berlin, Wang Xuan was woken up by Lu Yang.

"The film festival is over, can't you let me sleep a little longer?"

"Wake up! The film company can't contact you, so they've come to me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan realized that he had turned off his phone before going to bed last night to avoid being disturbed.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and got ready to get up.

Sleeping is not as important as making money.

Wang Xuan then noticed that Lu Yang's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked listless, as if he had been overindulging himself.

"Old Lu, you're still young, don't overwork yourself, taking care of your health is the most important thing!"

Wang Xuan spoke earnestly, patting him on the shoulder.

"Get lost! I was so excited I couldn't sleep all night, and I just fell asleep when the phone call woke me up."

Lu Yang offered a weak explanation.

Wang Xuan smiled meaningfully and didn't argue with him, which made Lu Yang really anxious.

"I really didn't hit him, you have to believe me~"

"Yes, I believe you."

Wang Xuan brushed his teeth, speaking unclearly and with a perfunctory attitude.

···

Wang Xuan had a question: Why do domestic art films consistently have low box office returns, yet directors still keep making them one after another, seemingly enjoying it immensely?

Now we know why.

Take Wang Xiaoshuai for example. He is an independent filmmaker, and his films have never grossed much at the box office, but there are still people willing to invest in them.

The real reason is that I went there for the film festival.

As long as you win an award, or even just get a nomination, the copyright is easy to sell, and the price is not low, directly saving you the revenue sharing with the distributors and theaters.

Arthouse film directors such as Jia Zhangke and Lou Ye follow this approach.

Before meeting with the film distributor, Wang Xuan received a call from La Peikang, who asked if he needed any help. He said that China Film Group was definitely a professional when it came to buying and selling film copyrights.

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