Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

at night,

With Feng Kuzi by their side, the three of them eagerly arrived at the hotel where Zhuang Huai'an was staying.

Ever since Zhuang Huai'an revealed this news to Feng Kuzi in the morning, the three of them have been restless all day.

How can a purely commercial film be selected for the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival?

This story sounds like a myth.

But what if?

Zhuang Huai'an opened the door and welcomed the three in. Since it involved underhanded dealings, he was the only one in the room.

He personally brewed a cup of tea for the three of them, took the cigarette handed to him by Feng Kuzi, lit it, and held it between his fingers. Zhuang Huai'an spoke first.

"Director Feng should have already discussed this with the two Mr. Wangs. I imagine you both have some questions that I need to answer?"

The king adjusted his glasses and said in a deep voice, "With Director Zhuang's reputation, I absolutely believe you have the ability. However, there's one thing I don't understand: why did you choose Huayi this time?"

"Your Majesty always seems to ask, why don't I continue my collaboration with Enlight Media, InfoLink, and InfoLink?"

"Yes."

"It's simple, because it's too difficult to make a move if you're too familiar with them."

"Huh?" The three of them were a little confused.

"Is it hard to understand?"

Zhuang Huai'an smiled and said, "This is just an admission ticket. Whether I can win an award is another matter. If I sell it for too high a price, it will hurt our relationship. If I sell it for too low a price, I will be unwilling to accept it. Huayi is the most suitable because we don't have any personal relationship. It's purely a business transaction."

Although it was unpleasant to hear, the two kings were pleased. If it was just about money, they had just secured a large investment and had no shortage of funds.

"What is Director Zhuang's price?" the king asked tentatively.

Zhuang Huai'an stubbed out his cigarette and said calmly, "One dollar. Sell me the overseas rights to 'A World Without Thieves'."

Upon hearing this, the three men's expressions changed drastically. This offer meant that they had only secured a place in the shortlist, while Zhuang Huai'an had taken all the profits.

Xiao Wang and Feng Kuzi looked at Da Wang, but they couldn't get a word in edgewise about this.

After a long silence, the king let out a sigh of relief.

"Director Zhuang, this price is a bit unreasonable. Domestic filmmakers strive for the three major awards, but in the end, it's all for money. Being nominated can fetch a good price, and winning an award brings both fame and fortune, but it's still about making money. With this cut, we're left with nothing but an empty title, which isn't very meaningful."

"Really? I don't believe it."

Zhuang Huai'an smiled and took in the expressions of the three people. "I agree with one point that the King said. Everyone is trying to make money, but this empty title can make Huayi more money in the future."

A while ago, the media listed five top directors in mainland China: Zhang, Chen, Zhuang, Jiang, and Feng. I'm not trying to belittle Director Feng, but the three of you can ask yourselves honestly, does Director Feng deserve to be compared to the four of us?

Feng Kuzi's expression was uncertain. Although the words were harsh, he knew that he was indeed unworthy.

Not only did he not win any awards, but his so-called box office king status was also a case of a monkey dominating the market. While other directors were still making art films, he seized the opportunity to make commercial films.

Once the tiger "Hero" appeared, he revealed his true colors.

The king fell silent again.

In fact, he knew that even just being shortlisted would have commercial value for Huayi Brothers, which had just reorganized its resources, and for Feng Xiaogang, the leading director, that was definitely not something that could be bought for a few million euros.

But he was still a little unconvinced.

Zhuang Huai remained as steady as Mount Tai; his strike had precisely targeted the Hua Yi brothers' vital points.

Enlight Media and Huayi Brothers have already gotten on Zhuang Huai'an's bandwagon, and Bona Film Group has Han Sanping secretly supporting them. If Huayi Brothers wants to become the number one private film and television company in mainland China, relying solely on the children and old guard of the Beijing film circle is not enough.

If the king isn't stupid, he'll agree to this condition.

After a long silence, the king slowly spoke.

"Huayi agreed to this condition, but on the condition that 'No Thieves Under Heaven' actually makes it into the main competition."

"Of course." Zhuang Huai'an nodded with a smile, having secured tens of millions of dollars.

The atmosphere in the room immediately relaxed. Feng Kuzi grinned, showing off his buck teeth, looking like a fool. He hadn't done anything, yet he became the biggest beneficiary of the whole thing.

"Director Zhuang, now that we've decided to collaborate, may I ask how you plan to get this film into the main competition?"

Compared to the king's shrewdness, the little king's question seems extremely foolish. Who the hell would reveal such inside information to an outsider?

But Zhuang Huai'an didn't care. "Why don't you ask me how to act cool?"

"It's very simple. Just give me a producer role in 'A World Without Thieves,' send it to Berlin, and that'll be it."

Zhuang Huai'an pressed down on the corner of his mouth as if he were talking about something trivial, "We're all friends, so I won't hide it from you. Berlin owes me a Golden Bear. To maintain our prestige, they don't want me to achieve a three-gold grand slam so quickly, so they gave me this pre-selected spot."

The words were spoken casually, but a storm was brewing in the hearts of the three.

The two brothers, Da Wang and Xiao Wang, exchanged a glance, their eyes full of calculation.

Feng Kuzi was practically dying of jealousy. Judging from what he said, if it weren't for maintaining his high standards, Zhuang Huai'an would have already won the Grand Slam. Looking at himself, how could he possibly compare?

Thinking about Zhuang Huai'an's achievements, Feng Kuzi was dejected. He was right. Someone who had to buy his way onto the shortlist was indeed not worthy of being ranked alongside him.

"Oh, by the way,"

Before the three could react, Zhuang Huai'an dropped another bombshell, "Do you want an award? The Golden Bear is out of the question, but for scripts and the like, the Silver Bear is still a possibility."

"Is it included in the conditions as well?" The king suppressed his excitement. Even a silver bear could boast.

"How is that possible? That's a different price!"

"How much is it?" Xiao Wang couldn't help but ask.

"It depends on the award. If it's a screenplay, it can be won for 200 million euros. The jury's Silver Bear is worth 400 million euros."

Zhuang Huai'an patted his chest and assured him, "The terms are the same as before; if I fail to deliver, I'll refund your money."

"Do we have to pay first?" Xiao Wang couldn't help but interject.

Zhuang Huai'an was speechless. What a novel way to put it. Huayi has a history of such behavior. It's one thing for Zhou Xingxing to be ignorant, but you want to take advantage of me for free?

Upon hearing this, the king instinctively wanted to refuse, but the intense gaze of Feng Kuzi beside him made him unable to speak.

Seeing him remain silent again, Feng Kuzi was getting increasingly anxious. If he had more money, he would have been willing to pay for it himself. After all, with the award, he could go anywhere in the world.

As for the two kings of Huayi Brothers?

Sorry, we're not acquainted. I, Feng Kuzi, got to where I am today by relying on two words: forgetting my roots!

"How about this, Director Zhuang?"

The king made a decision: "Let's settle the nominations today. As for the awards, I'll visit you again after the nomination list is released."

"Of course, Mr. Wang, you'd better hurry up and send the master tape to Berlin, as they'll be accepting tapes next month."

"I know what I'm doing. Let's leave it at that for today. It's getting late, so I won't disturb your rest."

"Okay, I'll take you."

Zhuang Huai'an saw the three of them to the door, then returned to the living room and threw the used cups into the trash can. He didn't have any problem with the two Wangs, but he was mainly concerned about Feng Kuzi's gray clothes.

Tsk, all I can say is that Xu Fan is ruthless. First Zhiwen, then Zhuangzhuang, then pants, that's a really drastic downgrade. I can't believe she could do that.

Zhuang Huai'an was very satisfied with tonight's result.

Although the king only took one bite after the two hooks were lowered, Zhuang Huai'an believed that once he tasted the sweetness of the first bite, he would naturally take the second.

The core message of "A World Without Thieves" is good, especially Wang Shuo's brilliant touch at the end, which can be described as the finishing touch.

If a film of this type is nominated, it's no problem to make four million euros overseas. As for public relations and awards, our old friend MK2 has plenty of ways to handle that.

Furthermore, if "A World Without Thieves" were to go to Berlin, its chances of competing in this year's Lunar New Year film season would be even better. Although there's a formidable opponent in its path, the two films are of different genres.

It shouldn't be a big problem... right?