This director loves making friends.

After agreeing on the time and place, Duame hung up the phone and looked at her husband, Marco Müller.

"Honey, why do you insist that I make this call? Aren't you closer to people at the Beijing Film Academy? Xie Fei called you, saying this is his student and he's introducing her to you. You should have made the call yourself to show you value her, right?"

Looking at Marco Müller, who was smiling but saying nothing, Duame was somewhat puzzled.

This is her husband, so if there's anything she doesn't understand, she certainly won't hold back and will ask directly: "Am I wrong? Besides, Qin Keqing is no nobody; he just won the Golden Camera and a special prize in Cannes four months ago."

Your work is currently focused on East Asia. Shouldn't you be paying more attention to a director with such potential?

"Ha ha……"

Marco Müller laughed. "Darling, I only have one question for you: Did Qin Keqing come to Venice this time through my recommendation?"

Du Amei shook her head.

Regarding this question, as a Frenchman who works at the French National Cinema Center and interacts with people in the film industry, Duame is quite well-informed about the French film scene.

"He came to Venice through that guy Pierre-Lysent."

Marco Müller spread his hands and said with a smile, "Yes, he came through Pierre. You know, although Pierre is someone that Gilles Jacob, the artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival, relies on, he also likes to get involved in Asian affairs, especially in the Chinese-speaking world."

Seeing that his wife still didn't quite understand, Marco Müller simply said, "Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige from Beijing Film Academy, Yang Dechang and Hou Xiaoxian from Taiwan, these are all my old friends, but in the last two years they have been getting very close to Pierre and Cannes."

Through Pierre, Chen Kaige won the Palme d'Or, Hou Xiaoxian won the Jury Prize, and Zhang Yimou won the Buñuel Special Prize... I don't object to them going to Cannes, but Pierre brought Qin Keqing's film to Venice this year.

Du Amei was beginning to understand what her husband meant. "So, he crossed the line?"

Marco Müller smiled but didn't respond to that question. Instead, he said, "I'll definitely give Xie Fei face, but I can't make that invitation call. I think he'll understand what I mean."

Du Amei glanced at her husband and understood; this was a clear indication that he wouldn't help.

Thinking of helping, she suddenly remembered something.

"Marco, I heard that Pierre has been working on making Qin Keqing's film the closing film. Now you've decided to revive that dispensable tradition of choosing the closing film from the competition section. You're the one who spearheaded this, aren't you?"

Marco Müller smiled without saying a word.

Pierre Lissent's home turf is the Cannes Film Festival, where he will certainly be able to take the lead in many things.

But where is this? This is Venice! Not Cannes.

Pierre-Lysent's reach went too far.

The Marco Müller couple's invitation to Qin Keqing to dinner wasn't just a casual gesture; they chose a very interesting place where, through the window, one could see the entire cinema palace not far away.

The Palazzo Cinema on the island of Lido in Venice has a long history. Since the 1930s, it has served as the main venue for the Venice Film Festival, undertaking the core functions of opening, screening, closing and awards ceremonies.

When they were almost finished eating, Marco Müller pointed to the Palais des Festivals and said with great interest, "Ke Qing, do you see that? That's the Palais des Festivals, where the Golden Lion Awards are held. It's the place where filmmakers can best realize their life's value."

He picked up a napkin folded in half and laid flat on his lap, elegantly touched the corner of his mouth, and said with a smile, "Last year, the film I recommended, 'The Story of Qiu Ju,' won the Golden Lion in this movie."

"And the Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's 'A City of Sadness' also won the Golden Lion here."

Marco Müller looked at Qin Keqing with a smile and added, "By the way, I also chose 'A City of Sadness'."

At first, Qin Keqing wasn't sure what Marco Müller meant, but after hearing his additional sentence, she was immediately 98% certain.

"Is this some kind of 'fight' for me? Probably."

Qin Keqing hesitated for a moment before deciding to test the waters.

"Mr. Muller..."

"I've told you so many times, you are Professor Xie Fei's student, and I have always regarded myself as a junior in Professor Xie Fei's eyes. You can just call me Marco."

Marco Müller interrupted Qin Keqing, correcting him with a smile.

"Alright, Marco, we're all on the same side. You're a high-ranking official at Venice. I'd like to inquire whether my film, 'The Man from Nowhere,' still has a chance of being the closing film?"

Qin Keqing had already guessed the outcome, but he still decided to test the waters to make a final confirmation.

Marco Müller shook his head regretfully and said with a tone of pity, "Ke Qing, you are a director with great ideas and creativity. In my opinion, 'The Man from Nowhere' is a pioneering film with humanistic reflections, which is the type that Venice likes."

"It's a pity. If we had met earlier, I could definitely have gotten this film into the main competition, and it would have had a very good chance of winning an award, instead of ending up in the off-competition section."

He gazed at Qin Keqing and said in a sincere tone, "Keqing, I studied in China for so many years and have many good friends with many people at the Beijing Film Academy. We are like family, so I will speak frankly about some things."

Pierre is a very capable man, and I have always admired him. However, he is a key assistant to the artistic director of Cannes, so it would be difficult for him to fully utilize his abilities in Venice.

If you're planning a trip to Cannes with a movie in hand, Pierre is definitely the first choice, but this is Venice.

There's no time left this year, so this is the only option. If you bring a film to Venice again next year, let me know in advance. As long as the film meets Venice's requirements, I promise you won't leave empty-handed.

Qin Keqing smiled and nodded; he understood.

So, without hesitation, I called out "Let's be friends".

Before coming to Venice, he had 27 points, but considering that he might need to use them to come to Venice, he "shamelessly" used his connection with Huang Baiming to make cameo appearances in six movies, earning 6 points.

As a bigwig in the Hong Kong film industry and the owner of Oriental Cinemas, it would be very easy for Huang Baiming to introduce Qin Keqing to a few movies for cameo roles.

With these 6 points, Qin Keqing now has 33 points.

After a moment's thought, he used up 30 points and became good friends with Marco Müller through drinking and eating.

The points were almost completely depleted in an instant, leaving only 3 points standing there all alone.

Marco Müller saw Qin Keqing staring blankly with his head down and assumed he was pondering his meaning, so his gaze involuntarily fell on Qin Keqing.

Before this, his impression of the name was limited to industry rumors: a young man who pioneered a new style of fighting, a young director who could well blend commerce and art, and a filmmaker who was very sensitive to the industry.

However, for some reason, the more he looked at Qin Keqing, the more familiar he felt with him, as if... as if he were an old friend of many years.

That goodwill transformed from initial doubt to curiosity, and finally settled into a firm trust and appreciation!

What an outstanding young man!

Xie Feizhen has a good eye.