Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

January 25th, Beijing Airport.

Zhuang Huai'an and Wang Jingsong looked at each other, carrying their luggage.

"Teacher Wang, my son and I are probably the most unfortunate crew among the nominated films."

"It's alright. Film festivals are about the quality of the films, not who has more people participating." Wang Jingsong was quite open-minded. The fact that his film was nominated for one of the three major film festivals was the most authoritative affirmation of his status as an acting teacher.

An elderly person and a young person boarded the plane.

Like Cannes, there are no direct flights from Beijing. Zhuang Huai'an chose the route from Beijing to Rome and then to Venice, which is expected to take about 16 hours in total.

The journey was long, but thankfully he had bought a first-class ticket.

After landing in Venice, it was already evening of the 26th.

As before, staff members picked me up from the airport, helped me check into the hotel, and distributed film festival materials.

In the hotel, Zhuang Huai'an was about to open the window to let in some fresh air when a stench of sewage hit him, startling him so much that he quickly closed the window.

"Damn, this godforsaken place is in a Chinese textbook? Did the person who wrote this article actually ever visit Venice?"

Zhuang Huai'an grumbled and cursed, feeling cheated. "Let the opening ceremony start and the event end quickly."

Now he only hopes to win a big prize this time, preferably the Golden Lion, and then he'll run away and never come back.

Whether it's a person or a place, the first impression is really important.

the next day,

Zhuang Huai'an suffered an unexpected accident. He didn't know if he had eaten something bad or if he was really suffering from acclimatization issues, but he vomited and had diarrhea all day.

Wang Jingsong looked at Zhuang Huai'an, whose face was pale, and was very worried. "Huai'an, should we go to the hospital to get him checked out?"

"I can't trust places that use bloodletting to cure all diseases."

Zhuang Huai'an's voice was weak. He had changed his mind. Regardless of whether he won the grand prize this time, he would not come again.

Venice designated Keta!

Nothing has gone smoothly since I was shortlisted!

The organizers did send someone to offer their condolences, but when they saw that Zhuang Huai'an absolutely refused to go to the hospital, they let him be.

However, after Gong Li heard about this, she had her assistant send some medicine over, for which Zhuang Huai'an was very grateful.

He did feel much better after taking the medicine, but he still looked very weak.

The release of "Seaside Town" required Wang Jingsong to coordinate with the China Film Group, which left the old man somewhat overwhelmed.

Fortunately, on the third day, the four great generals, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong, arrived.

Because the normal visa process wouldn't grant them visas, the group had to resort to unconventional methods and booked a seven-day tour of Italy. Unfortunately, they still couldn't wait for the closing ceremony, as they had to return home two days before the awards ceremony.

"After hearing about your situation, we were thinking of bringing some montmorillonite powder or similar medicine from China, but they were all confiscated at customs, and we were fined 500 euros," Wang Zhiyong said with some shame.

"It's alright, it's good that everyone's here," Zhuang Huai'an said with a slightly better smile. "Once you've rested, go help Teacher Wang."

"Okay, then you should get some rest." Everyone left the room to go about their own business.

Zhuang Huai'an couldn't tell whether he was happy or sad. He looked at the stinking ditch outside the window and inexplicably laughed out loud.

There's really no way to deal with this.

Every night, Wang Zhiyong would come and report the news from outside to him.

The ratings for "Seaside Town" are out, and ICS and other festival publications have unanimously given it a high score of 4.5, which is currently the highest score and a strong contender for the Golden Lion.

Numerous film critics also gave it high praise in their own sections.

Zhuang Huai'an no longer cared about this. Compared to whether he could win the award, he was more concerned about whether his body would suffer any aftereffects. Since his rebirth, he hadn't even had a minor cold, which was quite unusual.

But since he was already there, he couldn't just give it a shot. So he contacted Leo from MK2, and the two plotted in the room for a long time. When Leo left, he had a clear smile on his face.

Zhuang Huai'an's anticipation finally reached the closing ceremony on September 8th.

That morning, a group of people gathered in the living room of Zhuang Huai'an's room, and the phone rang as expected.

"It's the organizing committee that's insisting we attend." Zhuang Huai'an put down the phone, his expression calm.

It's not that he wasn't excited, it's that he dared not get excited.

After experiencing intermittent diarrhea for ten days, he lost all confidence in his sphincter muscles.

"Great!" Wang Jingsong clapped his hands and laughed, "Our movie is a success!"

Everyone's faces lit up with joy.

At 3 PM, the organizing committee finally got to act as human beings.

Knowing that Zhuang Huai'an was still in a weak state, they actually had a wheelchair sent over.

"It feels like we're not there to win an award."

Sitting in his wheelchair, Zhuang Huai'an glanced around at the group of men in black suits and remarked, "It's like you're sending me on my way."

"What nonsense is this kid spouting?" Wang Jingsong glared at him.

"I don't care, I'm not going to go out in a wheelchair, it's too damn shameful."

Zhuang Huai'an stood up with a little effort, and just when he thought he would be swaying like he had been the previous two days, he was surprised to find that he could actually stand steadily.

He tried taking a couple of steps and felt that apart from the ground being a little soft when he stepped on it, everything else was fine.

"Thankfully," Zhuang Huai'an exhaled a breath of relief, "it didn't let us down at the crucial moment."

Seeing that he no longer needed a wheelchair, the organizing committee staff packed it up and left.

The two actors, Zhuge Liang and Feng Chu, had to return to China the day before yesterday, leaving only one old and one young member of the crew.

It was the same old uninspired red carpet.

Zhuang Huai'an had already gained fame in Europe with "The Hunting," and this time "Seaside Town" received the highest score at the film festival. The media had long wanted to interview him, but he had been in seclusion to recuperate and only made his official appearance today.

In the interview area, Zhuang Huai'an selectively selected CCTV News, The Hollywood Reporter, and a local media outlet. After briefly answering a few questions, the old man and the young man entered the auditorium.

After they sat down, Wang Jingsong joked, "Huai'an, some actors in China want to come to the three major film and television production companies to gain prestige even without any works to their name. They can't wait to stay on the red carpet for half an hour. You are a well-known director now, so why can't you even say a few words during an interview?"

"You know those are actors who need exposure. As a director, I don't need it. It's actually better if not many people know me; it's more peaceful."

Zhuang Huai'an smiled. He really didn't like being watched by people. Besides, insiders know the ropes. He only needed to have a status in the entertainment industry. As for the general public, why would so many people care about him?

Time passed slowly, and after the closing film was shown, the awards ceremony officially began.

The processes at the three major European countries are all similar, starting with the lighter tasks and progressing to the heavier ones.

It's worth mentioning that Tian Zhuangzhuang's remake of "Spring in a Small Town" won the Best Film award in the "Against the Current" section, the San Marco Award.

The so-called "reverse flow" category is a consolation prize for those who have registered but are not qualified to enter the main competition.

I don’t know if it was for the same reason, but Lao Tian didn’t come to the scene either. Instead, an employee of China Film Group went on stage to receive it on his behalf.

After the foreplay, Gong Li took the stage to give a speech, thus beginning the competition.

Wang Jingsong, a seasoned veteran, failed to win Best Screenplay, Jury Special Award, and Best Actress for "Seaside Town." Now, it's almost time for Best Actor. He shows no signs of nervousness whatsoever.

The Best Actor and Best Actress awards in Venice are not shaped like lions, but are called the Volpi Cup. It is a very ordinary-looking trophy, named after Giuseppe Volpi, one of the founders of the Venice Film Festival and an Italian director.

He lost out on Best Actor again, with the award going to an Italian film.

Wang Jingsong remained even more calm in response.

The Grand Jury Prize was then won by "Mental Hospital," and to Zhuang Huai'an's surprise, the Best Director award, which should have gone to South Korea, was given to Peter Mullan, the director of "Madeleine Fallen Girl."

"The winner of the Golden Lion at the 59th Venice International Film Festival is," Gong Li said, looking at Zhuang Huai'an on stage, "the crew of 'Seaside Town.' Congratulations!"

Wang Jinsong was no longer calm and burst into laughter.

Zhuang Huai'an also breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, I can get out of this awful place.

(Based on the author's true experience, I had diarrhea for 4 days immediately after landing and was weak for 7 days.)