This director loves making friends.

Xie Fei brought two pieces of news to Qin Keqing during his visit.

Firstly, "A Bittersweet Life" is going head-to-head with "Farewell My Concubine," essentially using "Cannes" to fight "Cannes."

Logically speaking, "Farewell My Concubine" is the Cannes Palme d'Or winner, while "A Bittersweet Life" only won two awards at Cannes, so its prestige is definitely not comparable to the Palme d'Or.

However, although "Farewell My Concubine" was unbanned and allowed to be screened, it was not allowed to have a premiere, was not allowed to be canceled, and was not allowed to be promoted... With only a few days left before its release, almost no media outlets mentioned that "Farewell My Concubine" was going to be released.

"A Bittersweet Life" is different. The media has been reporting extensively on its upcoming release, and many media outlets have been reprinting the interpretations of the film by European media during the Cannes Film Festival.

In addition, I also reprinted many reports from Hong Kong media when the film was released recently—even though Qin Keqing is a director who came to Hong Kong from the mainland, as a film produced by Win's Entertainment, would Hong Kong media dare to report recklessly?

It wasn't that they were afraid of Win's Entertainment, but rather that they were afraid of causing trouble for the newspaper. Those "49ers" had plenty of ways to annoy the newspaper and its editors.

As a result, Hong Kong media coverage of "A Bittersweet Life" became more objective, especially regarding the new style of fighting, which was mostly praised.

This is also related to the fact that "A Bittersweet Life" won an award at Cannes. Media people are also intellectuals, and many intellectuals in Hong Kong admire the West, especially film festivals like Cannes.

In the period leading up to its release, news reports about "A Bittersweet Life" were not exactly overwhelming, but there were a lot of reports almost every day, which "Farewell My Concubine" couldn't match.

Another advantage is that "A Bittersweet Life" was released a day earlier.

Don't underestimate this day.

When you watch an art film that's different from traditional fighting movies, and you really enjoy it, and the key is that it's an art film, you won't be looked down upon by your girlfriend, friends, or colleagues.

Then go watch the traditional narrative art film "Farewell My Concubine"...

In any case, Qin Keqing felt that it was really unlikely that "Farewell My Concubine" could still gross more than 4000 million yuan at the box office like it did in the previous life.

The advantage is... never mind, I won't plant the flag.

Xie Fei came to see Qin Keqing for another reason besides this matter: Qin Keqing's articles published in "Cahiers du Cinéma" and "Screen Daily".

These two articles have generated considerable controversy not only in Hong Kong but also in mainland China.

Can the development and application of CGI change the landscape of global cinema?

Not to mention the Film Bureau, even most of the teachers at the Beijing Film Academy didn't believe it.

Including Xie Fei, most teachers at the Beijing Film Academy, especially those in the directing department, believe that the core of film lies in its literary foundation and genuine insight into human nature, rather than formal techniques or commercial selling points.

It's not a "shortcut" like CGI; visual effects technology created using computers can only be considered an unimportant auxiliary means.

Good movies begin with solid literary merit and profound observation of life; they are a sincere expression of "humanity"!

Xie Fei felt that Qin Keqing had gone astray. Even when making commercial films, it is necessary to coordinate multiple elements such as literature, performance, and image. Visual experience is only one part of the process, not the most important one.

"Ke Qing, our school teachers were discussing your film 'A Bittersweet Life' the other day."

Before leaving, Xie Fei earnestly said to Qin Keqing, "It's a great thing that you've created a new type of fighting style, especially since you've explored the brilliance of humanity on the basis of this cold and realistic style. This is a very good new path."

"but……"

After hesitating for a moment, Xie Fei still said, "Now that you're a well-known director, you must think things through carefully before doing them, especially when expressing your views in important journals or media."

"Sigh, you should know about some things from my time. Articles like yours with such clear viewpoints sometimes become targets for attack, especially as your fame grows. At crucial moments, people will bring this up..."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't be ambitious, nor am I saying you shouldn't have your own understanding and values. It's just that you should think twice before you act. If you do this, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble."

Qin Keqing finally realized that it was probably because of the two articles she had published that Xie Fei had said those words, treating her like a close junior.

"Teacher Xie, did those two articles cause a lot of controversy?"

"After all, you are a Cannes award-winning director, and the article was published in a highly influential European magazine, which has attracted a lot of attention in China and has sparked a lot of discussion within the industry."

Recalling Xie Fei's words, Qin Keqing realized that many people probably didn't agree or took it seriously.

It's good that you don't agree!

When Jurassic Park became a global hit, and when more and more Hollywood films began to conquer Asia, squeezing the living space of Hong Kong films and causing them to suffer repeated defeats...

This only highlights the importance and foresight of those two articles.

This won't take too long.

"Thank you, Teacher Xie."

Qin Keqing was still grateful for Xie Fei's reminders. As Xie Fei was about to leave, he finally said, "Teacher Xie, what if everything I said comes true?"

"Come true?"

Xie Fei frowned.

Even after he returned to school and his office, he was still pondering this matter repeatedly.

Finally, I couldn't help but shake my head. Could it really come true? This viewpoint seems too radical, just like what Screen Daily said, it has a utopian feel to it.

However, if it really comes true and all of this happens, then the name "Qin Keqing" will appear on the top desk!

Whether CGI will become mainstream remains to be seen, but the release of "Jurassic Park" is just around the corner.

On July 29, Jurassic Park was released in Hong Kong.

On July 30, "Jurassic Park" was released in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, "A Bittersweet Life" was released in mainland China on the same day.

On July 31, "Farewell My Concubine" was released in mainland China.

The end of July is the best time for the summer movie season, so there are more than just these few movies being released during this period.

Leaving aside the mainland, the competition in Hong Kong at the end of July was still extremely fierce.

On July 29th, "Ji Gong," directed by Du Qifeng and starring Stephen Chow, Maggie Cheung, and Ng Man-tat, will be released in Xinbao Cinemas.

This film is highly anticipated by the outside world. Both the director and the actors are top-notch. Some media outlets have already "pre-ordered" it as this year's box office champion, saying it will start at least at 4000 million.

Otherwise, the trailer alone wouldn't have been sold for 3000 million in the Taiwanese market and ultimately snatched up by Wang Yingxiang of Longxiang Film Industry.

In addition, Li Lianjie's "Fang Shiyu Sequel" is also scheduled for release on July 30, aiming to compete with "Ji Gong".

After all, it's a sequel, and Li Lianjie's appeal has grown stronger in the last two years, so she's not too intimidated by the combination of Stephen Chow and Du Qifeng.

The film "The House of Flint-Toothed Ghosts," directed by Tsang Chi-wai, also chose this release date, scheduled for July 31. The film boasts a strong cast, including Tsang Chi-wai, Lin Chih-ying, Chu Yin, Sandra Ng, and Cheung Wai-kin.

Nobody took "Jurassic Park," which was released on July 29, seriously.

Hollywood movies?

Haha, Hollywood movies haven't made it into the top five of Hong Kong's box office charts for years, who would care about a Hollywood movie?