Best Director in Literature Department of Huayu

Chapter 128 People's Choice Award

Two days after the Venice Film Festival, Jia Zhangke, who won the Golden Lion, didn't even return to China. Instead, he was put on the fastest flight to Toronto by Focus Features.

On September 12, the Toronto International Film Festival was halfway through.

In a Cantonese tea restaurant in Toronto's Chinatown, the ambiance wasn't particularly upscale, but the air was filled with the savory aroma of roasted meats.

In the far corner of the table, two porcelain cups gently clinked together. The cups didn't contain expensive champagne, but rather Shanxi Fenjiu liquor that Jia Zhangke had personally brought all the way from the Lido Island in Venice, smuggled in in mineral water bottles, and almost confiscated at customs.

"Ha!" Jia Zhangke tilted his head back and took a big gulp, a sickly flush rising on his somewhat swollen face.

"Great! These foreign liquors taste like plain water, while our Shanxi-brewed pure grain liquors are much stronger."

As Jia Zhangke spoke, he pulled over a rough napkin to wipe the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, then carefully tucked the plastic mineral water bottle containing the wine into his pocket as if it were a treasure.

He then looked Lin Ruiyang up and down for a long time before finally sighing, "Junior brother, to be honest, all I could think of on the plane was what you looked like two years ago. Back at the Venice Film Festival in 04, I was carrying 'The World'..."

Back then, you were a freshman who had just entered the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy, right?

Back then, you made a tiny independent short film with only a few thousand yuan in funding from the school, and surprisingly won the Silver Lion for short films. I remember you were even worried about selling the overseas rights back then!

Lin Ruiyang also picked up his porcelain cup and took a sip of Fenjiu. The spicy liquor slid down his throat, instantly bringing back the taste of the sea breeze from Lido Island two years ago: "Senior brother, it's no fun to expose my past now."

Then a hint of disbelief crossed Jia Zhangke's eyes: "But look at now, it's already 06 in the blink of an eye. In just two years, you haven't even warmed your seat as a director in China, and you've already come all the way to North America to develop your career... If it weren't for knowing a teacher..."

He's your direct senior; otherwise, I'd really suspect that our Beijing Film Academy's Literature Department has produced some kind of freakish genius.

The two talked about everything from Venice back then, to school, and then to filmmaking, until they finished their drinks and parted ways.

After seeing Jia Zhangke off, Lin Ruiyang didn't have much time to savor the lingering memories of their time together.

As the Toronto International Film Festival enters its second half, this largest city in Canada has become a place where real money paves the way.

The heads of various films contacted their agents, hoping to sell more overseas rights as soon as possible before the film festival ended.

Like Jia Zhangke, who leveraged the Golden Lion Award to conquer the Toronto International Film Festival with "Still Life" and "Eastern City". His manager, Emily, recently announced that in just three days, 25 countries worldwide had signed distribution contracts for Jia Zhangke's two new films, encompassing almost all major film markets in Europe and America. This not only recouped the costs of the two films but also generated substantial profits.

This is the most direct monetization capability of the Venice Golden Lion Award in the Toronto trading market.

At the Toronto International Film Festival, art, though priceless, can be measured in the most precise dollars and distribution contracts.

On the evening of September 16, the Ryerson Theatre hosted the final public screening of "Dallas Buyers Club" in Toronto.

The hall with 1,200 seats was packed, and even the aisles were crowded with enthusiastic movie fans who had bought standing tickets at the last minute.

Lin Ruiyang sat in the shadows of the last row, secretly observing everyone's reactions.

Less than three minutes into the movie, when a full-body close-up of Matthew McConaughey appeared on the big screen in front of him for the first time, Lin Ruiyang clearly heard a suppressed yet distinct gasp of surprise erupt throughout the entire screening room.

"Oh my God..." Two young movie fans in the front row exclaimed in disbelief.

As Jared Leto appears, his condition worsens, forcing him to change back into a sharp but ill-fitting men's suit and go to his estranged father's office to humbly beg for money to buy life-saving medicine.

"despair."

Lin Ruiyang heard the sound of tears falling and suppressed sobs coming from not far ahead.

At the end of the film, the audience not only applauded, but the audience also cast their ballots from the red ballot box.

The voting method for the Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Awards is somewhat comical in its primitiveness, but also very pure: when the audience leaves the theater, they must manually tear off one of the three categories (Excellent, Average, Terrible) from their movie ticket stub and drop it into the corresponding box.

At this moment, at the theater exit, an endless line had formed in front of the red ballot box set up by the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Roy Thomson Concert Hall was brightly lit, and the VIP seats were packed with film giants from all over the world.

Lin Ruiyang sat upright in the very center of the film crew, but before the filming began, he saw Harvey Weinstein sitting not far away with a gloomy face, his fat fingers tapping irregularly on the armrest of his chair, as if he were extremely restless and uneasy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the closing ceremony of the 31st Toronto International Film Festival."

The crystal chandelier on the stage slowly dimmed, and a dazzling pure white spotlight instantly shone on the center of the stage.

As is customary, the first award announced is the International Federation of Film Critics Awards, which is specifically for the "Discovery" and "Special Screenings" sections. It is voted on by senior film critics from around the world and has always been a self-congratulatory event for European art films and academic directors.

On stage, the host picked up his cue cards.

"The winner of the International Federation of Film Critics Award at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival is," he glanced around the room, "*The Death of the President*!"

Next up were the local awards.

"Best Canadian Short Film: Days"

"The Best Canadian First Feature Film Award goes to 'The Trail of Igor Ritz'."

"Best Canadian Film Award: Artificial Landscape"

"Cultural Innovation Award - 'A Man's Fear of God'"

People came and went on stage, giving speeches, expressing gratitude, and applauding—everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

With the pre-award ceremony underway, the air temperature inside Roy Thomson Hall began to rise steadily.

Finally, the process entered the part everyone had been holding their breath for, and Toronto Film Festival President Pierce Handling walked to the microphone under everyone's watchful eyes.

"This year marks the 31st anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival. Over the past ten days, we have welcomed hundreds of excellent films from around the world, but what I am most proud of is still the purest passion for film shown by the city of Toronto... Our staff told me that tens of thousands of audience members braved the heavy rain to queue up this year, expressing their respect for cinema with the most basic ticket stubs."

Pierce then deliberately waved the gold envelope in his hand, symbolizing the highest honor: "Now, it's time for the fans."

He smiled as he opened the gold envelope, his gaze precisely fixed on a spot in the audience, and drawled, "Tonight, the winner of the Grossch People's Choice Award at the 31st Toronto International Film Festival is *Dallas*."

Buyers Club》 Directed by Ryan Lam! "