This director loves making friends.

Barco is considered the head of the Berlin Film Festival organizing committee. His specific position is the Berlin Film Festival Marketing Director and the general coordinator for the selection of films in each section.

In Cannes, this position is called the Film Festival Commissioner, who is responsible for the daily operation of the film festival, industry connections, marketing activities, and coordinating various departments to implement the annual film festival's established arrangements.

He was an absolute confidant of Chairman Moritz, and was a senior figure in the Berlin Film Festival personally appointed by Moritz after he became the president and artistic director of the festival in 1980.

Klopp is also a close confidant of Moritz. As the director of the European Film Market, he oversees the expansion of participants and the setup of sections for the annual film market, and maintains the trading ecosystem of the global film industry. He is the core person in charge of the industry sector.

Of the three major European film festivals, the Berlin Film Festival is arguably the most authoritarian.

Secondly, there's the Cannes Film Festival.

The president and artistic director of the Berlin Film Festival are the same person, and there is no term limit; he has served in this position for more than a decade or two.

While the president and artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival also do not have term limits, they are separate individuals, making it slightly better than Berlin in terms of centralized power.

Well, it's just a little bit.

Because the president of the Cannes Film Festival is usually the president of the French International Film Festival Association, which is the organizer of the Cannes Film Festival. The person in charge elected by the board of directors of the French International Film Festival Association has the official title of president of the Cannes Film Festival in his or her name.

However, the president of the Cannes Film Festival, who is also the president of the French International Film Festival Association, focuses his work on the association. Holding the position of president of the Cannes Film Festival is merely for better oversight.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, unless there are any major changes, the artistic director has the final say at the Cannes Film Festival.

As for the Venice Film Festival, it currently does not have a president position; nominally, the Biennale is in charge, but in reality... the management is somewhat chaotic.

The three of them watched "Oldboy" in the small screening room.

When the lights in the small screening room came on, Moritz turned to look at Barco and Klopp.

"Xie is right, his student did indeed make an art film that is not so commercial."

Knowing that Moritz wanted them to speak first, Barco took the initiative to speak.

"This film does meet the standard of being 'politically and socially prominent,' and it uses highly authorial expression to complete a deep exploration of the boundaries of human nature."

Whether it's the handheld tracking shot in the long corridor or the restrained use of white space in the scene of cutting off one's tongue, he uses highly impactful images to complete a modern translation of the classic tragedy "Oedipus Rex," pushing ethical reflection directly to the level of classic tragedy.

This film met the Golden Bear standard, but unfortunately...

Unfortunately, a movie called "In the Name of the Father" was released this year.

Barco and Xie Fei had a good relationship. Xie Fei's "Woman Sesame Oil Maker" won the Golden Bear thanks to Barco's support, which is why Xie Fei was able to contact Barco after Qin Keqing arrived in Berlin.

Klopp thought for a moment and then said, "It's a good film. It uses an extreme revenge narrative to transform the dark side of human nature, ethical taboos, and the issue of individual alienation into universal experiences, which is quite in line with our consistent focus on 'history and individual trauma'."

After saying this, Klopp looked at Moritz and asked, "I remember Qin was a close associate of Cannes, right? Cannes gave him the Camera d'Or, which is a kind of recognition of his status. Why would he come here?"

Moritz laughed and patted Klopp on the shoulder.

"Klopp, didn't you listen to what Balco said? Didn't he just say that this is a film recommended by Xie, the one that won the Golden Bear Award last year? Xie Fei from Beijing Film Academy, he's also Qin's graduate advisor."

Klopp nodded knowingly after hearing Moritz's words.

So they're from the Beijing Film Academy, which explains their presence in Berlin.

However, he understood Moritz.

Barco was brought in from outside by Moritz, so he might not be very insightful about Moritz's thoughts. Klopp, on the other hand, is someone who climbed up from the bottom. In the last two years, he has become Moritz's confidant by trying to figure out "his superior's intentions".

Klopp estimates that even without "In the Name of the Father" this year, "Oldboy" has little chance of winning the Golden Bear.

The reason is simple: last year, the Golden Bear Award was given to two Chinese films, one of which was Xie Fei's "Woman Sesame Oil Maker". Whether it is to balance the interests of all parties or to avoid creating controversy, it is highly unlikely that the highest award will be given to Chinese films this year.

"I think this film is fully deserving of Best Director, but that's a matter for the jury; this is just my personal opinion."

Klopp spoke up before Moritz could even ask for his opinion.

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As the film festival chairman, if Moritz were to proactively ask his subordinates what awards they could win, wouldn't that be suspected of "pre-arrangement"? It wouldn't be befit his position as chairman.

Barco didn't think too much about it. After hearing Klopp's opinion, he thought for a moment and said, "I think the male lead performed extremely well in the film. We can consider giving him a Best Actor award in addition to the Best Director award."

This can be considered compensation.

This is also the biggest benefit he can secure for Xie Fei, since he still needs the support of directors from the Beijing Film Academy. Maintaining a good relationship with the Beijing Film Academy is advantageous to him, and Xie Fei is the representative of the Beijing Film Academy and also his good friend.

"Haha, your suggestions are all very good. However, we are only responsible for putting good films into the main competition. As for which one will win an award, that is a matter for the jury to consider."

As Moritz was leaving, he patted Balco on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Winning the Best Actor award isn't so easy."

Qin Keqing received a call from Moritz. Moritz didn't say much on the phone. After some polite exchanges, he simply said that Berlin's doors were always open to him. Before hanging up, he said that as long as Qin Keqing worked hard to make a good film, he would definitely be able to realize his dream in Berlin in the future.

from now on!

Qin Keqing grasped the key point.

Then, Qin Keqing received another call from Balko.

The other party on the phone said that Qin Keqing was a good director and told him to keep up the good work.

Based on their conversation, Qin Keqing guessed that this was probably a promise.

Best Director?

If I come to Berlin often in the future, I'll get the Golden Bear sooner or later.

"But this isn't what I wanted!"

Qin Keqing didn't wait any longer and decisively called out, "Let's be friends."

Without any hesitation, he searched for Moritz de Haderden and used 50 points to make him a "sworn brother".

Then, Qin Keqing looked at the remaining 19 points and felt a pang of heartache.

So far, Moritz de Haderden, the president of the Berlin Film Festival, is the person he has invested the most money in and spent the most points on. If he doesn't win the Golden Bear this time, Qin Keqing himself feels that it's a bit of a loss.

Given his status as a Cannes Film Festival protégé, if he were to "spare" 50 points on Gilles Jacob, the artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival, and become close friends with him, the probability of winning the Palme d'Or would definitely be higher than the probability of winning the Golden Bear.

However, Qin Keqing was prepared. If he added the next underhanded tactics, they might be even.

Just as Qin Keqing added points to Moritz de Haderden's score, making them "sworn brothers," Moritz suddenly recalled the scene of meeting Qin Keqing a few days ago.

He was a young director who wore gold-rimmed glasses and had an air of Eastern reserve and shyness, yet was extremely talented.

They are not arrogant, nor do they have the haughtiness of Europeans and Americans.

Moritz enjoys working with directors like this.

This is what Zhang Yimou was like back then.

Xie Fei is also that kind of director.

Qin Keqing seemed more composed than the other two, which was what Moritz appreciated most.

Moritz suddenly realized that Qin Keqing and his son... although they were not alike at all, neither in appearance nor in personality, he really wanted his son to become someone like Qin Keqing.

"Alas, what a pity, why don't I have a daughter? It would be wonderful if Qin Keqing could become my son-in-law."

The more Moritz thought about it, the more affectionate he felt towards Qin Keqing; the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Qin Keqing was exceptionally outstanding in every way; and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that his own son was too rebellious.

"Sigh, how could my education have failed so miserably? No, wait, that bastard seems to have already graduated from Harvard Medical School and is doing quite well... But why did he have to choose to become a doctor instead of a director?"

Then, he brought Qin Keqing into the house as his son.

Without any help from him, he made his first film on his own, which was selected for the main competition at Cannes, won the Camera d'Or, and was unanimously awarded a special prize by the jury.

The second film went to Venice and was selected for the main competition. Unfortunately, the bureaucrats in Venice didn't understand film at all. It was such an excellent film, and it even established that cool new fighting style, but they didn't give it any awards...

Moritz grew angrier the more he thought about it. The Venice Film Festival was a complete pile of dog shit, dog shit in every way!

The third film is an extremely excellent art film, of such high quality that it is absolutely worthy of the highest awards, and it has finally arrived in Berlin!

Berlin?

Moritz was startled and came to his senses.

Berlin……

Moritz sighed heavily.

He felt a strong empathy for Qin Keqing at that moment because Berlin had awarded three Golden Bears to Chinese-language films, and he believed that Qin Keqing had come for Berlin's reputation and wanted to prove himself there.

"Berlin... I'm afraid I'll disappoint you, Qin. I can't help it. We can't give the Golden Bear to Chinese-language films two years in a row, can we? Besides, there's also 'In the Name of the Father' this year..."

That night, Moritz had a dream in which Qin Keqing became his son...

When Moritz woke up in the morning, he was still a little disappointed. He ate his breakfast absentmindedly while picking up today's newspaper, and then he almost spat out the milk in his mouth.

He hurriedly and clumsily wiped it clean, then felt incredibly angry.

The newspaper headline, though not large, was eye-catching: Cannes Film Festival Interested in Poaching Qin Keqing…

Below the title was a photo of Pierre Lissent shaking hands with Qin Keqing.

In the past, a photo of a Cannes veteran film selector shaking hands with Qin Keqing would certainly not have elicited such a strong reaction from Moritz.

However, upon seeing this photo, Moritz couldn't help but think of the time when Chen Kaige's "King of the Children" was temporarily withdrawn from the Berlin Film Festival. The festival was about to open, but "King of the Children" suddenly decided not to participate in the Berlin Film Festival and instead go to Cannes!

This is absolutely outrageous!

That incident put him in a very passive position, and also gave Cannes an invisible advantage over Berlin.

To save face and make Chen Kaige regret his decision, he immediately awarded the Golden Bear to the replacement film, "Red Sorghum."

This time, no matter what the considerations, we absolutely cannot allow Qin Keqing to withdraw from the application and go to Cannes.

Moritz was angry, anxious, and disappointed.

He skipped breakfast and was about to rush to the office, but he turned back as soon as he took a step.

He cannot handle this matter in the office.

Furthermore, it is unacceptable for anyone to believe that Qin Keqing "betrayed" Berlin.

So he went back to the living room and called Qin Keqing directly.

The phone rang only once before Moritz frowned and hung up. This matter couldn't be explained over the phone; he should go to Qin Keqing's hotel and talk to him in person to ask what he thought.

Qin Keqing thought Moritz would call, but he didn't expect him to come to the hotel in person.

"Mr. Moritz..."

Before Qin Keqing could finish speaking, Moritz, contrary to his usual behavior, hugged Qin Keqing and patted her arms with both hands, his expression looking somewhat off.

"My n……"

As soon as he said it, Moritz seemed to realize something was wrong. He shrugged and quickly explained, "Qin, you know, that's an elder's affectionate way of addressing a young man. I've always considered you my junior."

Qin Keqing was somewhat skeptical.

If you hadn't explained, I could have assumed it was a term used in a specific context, but your explanation is a bit superfluous.

Immediately, Qin Keqing became suspicious. Wasn't it supposed to be a "sworn brotherhood"? Judging from Moritz's concerned expression and what he had just said, this didn't seem like the kind of "sworn brotherhood" they were talking about.

"Qin, I only have a few words to say. I have to rush back after I finish. I can't let this matter escalate. You should understand what I mean."

"Qin, you are still young. Don't do anything foolish just for short-term gains. You should understand that if you offend Berlin, even if I treat you as my closest junior, you can forget about winning any awards in Berlin in the future. Even I can't help you."

"Qin, although you are a Cannes Film Festival director, I also consider you a Berlin Film Festival director, and it's more than just a direct descendant... You should know that the Beijing Film Academy and Berlin Film Festival have a deep friendship, and this friendship will continue."

"Qin, what Cannes can give you, I can give you too. This is my promise to you."

"Finally, Qin, you might not believe it, but I really treat you like a junior. You can call me uncle in private from now on."