This director loves making friends.

Qin Keqing took a shower at the hotel and lay in bed trying to adjust to the time difference, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter what she did.

He summoned "Make Friends" and, looking at the large number 37 available points following his available points, the corners of his mouth involuntarily began to turn up.

We've never been this rich before!

Of the 37 available points, 10 were the Golden Bear reward for "Woman of Desire," and the remaining 27 were obtained by shamelessly asking Stephen Chow, Chen Jiashang, and Wang Jing for extra roles during this period.

Of course, there's also Zhang Min.

Qin Keqing knew very well that these people would not understand, but they also might not respect.

It's very likely that they told it to their friends as a joke, especially Wang Jing and Chen Jiashang, who didn't have much of a relationship with him to begin with. They might even say behind his back that this "mainland guy" must be desperate for money.

Therefore, we must succeed!

If successful, these things may be given special meaning, or at the very least, they may be considered a "celebrity's" little hobby.

If you fail, you'll face all sorts of distortions and ridicule.

Thinking of this, Qin Keqing lowered the corners of his mouth, took a deep breath, and began to carefully consider Pierre-Lissent's words today, and the things that could be connected behind them.

"Pierre said he wanted to create a huge buzz, to build a 'Chinese Grand Ceremony' in Cannes."

Qin Keqing thought of the Champs-Élysées, one of the world's three most bustling avenues, lined with posters of "Farewell My Concubine" that were "riding the coattails" of French national treasure actress Catherine Deneuve.

"Did Pierre Ristine originally intend to promote 'La Dolce Vita' at the Cannes Film Festival as well?"

Immediately, Qin Keqing felt like laughing.

"If Pierre really had this idea, then he has miscalculated."

"Damn, what if Pierre gets angry and disappointed and abandons 'La Dolce Vita,' and then it won't even get into the screening section?"

Qin Keqing sat up abruptly in bed, frowning. Casual acquaintances are still unreliable, especially for older white European men who prioritize self-interest.

He had originally planned that if "A Bittersweet Life" made it into the main competition, he would use 30 points to "make" three casual acquaintances among the judges.

Or you could simply use 30 points to "bully" a casual acquaintance among the judges, who might even help you "win" a small prize.

Even a consolation prize would be fine.

But now it seems we were too optimistic.

After thinking for a while, Qin Keqing made a decision, cursed, and opened "Make Friends".

He looked at the friends section.

There are two casual acquaintances: Zhang Yimou and Pierre-Lysent.

There were also two close friends who were only friends through drinking and eating: Xie Fei and Zhou Xingxing.

Xie Fei was initially just a casual acquaintance, but after Qin Keqing became his personal assistant and assistant director of the film "Woman Sesame Oil Maker," Xie Fei "upgraded" to a close friend through drinking and eating as their contact increased and they got to know each other better.

Hopefully it will work.

Qin Keqing reluctantly added 20 points to Pierre-Lissent to make up the "difference," and in an instant, Pierre-Lissent appeared in the "Friends" section.

Qin Keqing currently only has 17 points left, which is just enough to make one more casual acquaintance.

"I thought I could make three casual acquaintances on the judging panel, and with a little effort from those three, I could win an award for 'A Bittersweet Life.' But now, there's only one left..."

"Go to sleep, go to sleep, and leave it to fate."

Pierre Lissent watched "La Dolce Vita" twice more, but his brow was still furrowed.

The film's pacing is entirely designed like a commercial film; in other words, it's essentially a commercial film with a touch of metaphor and skillful use of cinematic language.

This kind of film... with a little packaging, it might barely make it into the main competition, but winning an award would be too difficult.

Especially the grand prize, that's practically out of the question.

Cannes is, after all, one of the top three European cities. Although it is the most "commercialized," it still has some dignity and a certain bottom line.

"F...K!"

Pierre-Lysent shook his hand, feeling both angry and resentful at being fooled.

I misjudged it!

Who would have thought that the assistant director of a Golden Lion Award-winning film and a Golden Bear Award-winning film would direct a somewhat commercial film for the first time?

It’s just...

hateful!

"I thought I'd found a young partner with whom I could work long-term. I even had a plan out in advance on how to operate the business and how to collaborate with the French film company. How could this happen..."

Pierre-Lysten couldn't resist using some elegant, universally understood language again.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Let's just do our duty as film selectors and give the film festival a push. We won't worry about the final outcome. That'll be doing right by Qin."

Pierre-Lysent muttered something to himself, stood up, and prepared to leave the small screening room.

However, after getting up, Pierre-Lysent somehow recalled Qin Keqing's confident appearance, and an angle he hadn't considered before made him freeze in place.

"Putting aside its artistic merit, as a directorial debut, this film's storytelling and flow are extremely mature, yet it doesn't feel like something a newcomer would make... How can I not be satisfied with a film like this for my directorial debut?"

"I see!"

Pierre-Lysten slapped his thigh hard, his eyes wide, and finally "found" the reason.

"Qin's movie was filmed in Hong Kong, the investment company was Hong Kong, the actors were Hong Kong, the crew was Hong Kong... What kind of place is Hong Kong? It's filled with the decadence of commercial films, a wasteland for art films!"

"In that environment, under the constraints of the film company, and with the staff working in a 'clumsy' manner, Qin was still able to create a film that explored desire, rules, and the dilemmas of human nature at the pace of a commercial film. That's incredibly difficult!"

"Damn cultural wasteland, damn Hong Kong film companies, they are absolutely the culprits in killing art!"

"Qin is definitely a very talented director. With a little guidance, who's to say he can't make even more artistic and profound films?"

"Damn it, I have to help Qin! I have to save him! I have a feeling this is the best investment I'll ever make. We'll become best friends and partners!"

Pierre-Lysent thought for a moment and then had an idea.

"I can't find any more 'artistic' aspects in the film myself, but I have many film critic friends who will definitely find more merits from angles I wouldn't even imagine!"

Immediately, Pierre-Lysent took out his phone book, carefully selected six well-known European film critic friends, some of whom were invited film critics with newspaper columns, and others were independent film critics.

Pierre Lissent called them one by one, inviting them to watch the film.

Then Pierre Lissent thought that since this was a Chinese-language film, perhaps it would be easier for Chinese people to find the "angle"?

However, there don't seem to be any well-known film critics among Chinese people in Europe.

But this was clearly no challenge for Pierre Lissent.

France has a national film school under the Ministry of Culture, which admits only a small number of students each year and trains a large number of Cannes award-winning directors. There may even be Chinese students in the school.

France also has the Louis-Lumière National School, one of the oldest film schools in Europe, with a world-class cinematography department. Graduates have worked on more than 40% of the films in the main competition at Cannes. The school may also have Chinese students.

Furthermore, Germany has the Munich Film Academy, the German Film and Television Academy, and the Barbesberg Film University. Are there no Chinese students in these schools?

There's also the Lodz Film School in Poland, the National Film School of Italy, and the London Film School of the British, etc...

In addition, Pierre Lissent thought of someone else: Hou Hsiao-hsien from Taiwan. As a director, Hou Hsiao-hsien should be able to find a better "angle".

It is widely acknowledged in the industry that Pierre Lissent was a key mentor and driving force behind Hou Xiaoxian's international success, and Hou Xiaoxian would never refuse such a small favor.

The key point is that Hou Xiaoxian came to see him recently.

Hou Xiaoxian has a film called "The Puppetmaster" this year, which will also be participating in this year's Cannes Film Festival. He hopes that Pierre Lissent can help him.

This means that this year's Cannes Film Festival will feature three films: "Farewell My Concubine," "The Puppetmaster," and "A Bittersweet Life."

This is also why Pierre Lissent said he wanted to create a big buzz and build a "Chinese Grand Ceremony" in Cannes.