China Entertainment's Standout

Chapter 1017 The Big Boss's New Film, The True Face of Zuo Shandiao

The Shanghai International Film Festival came to a successful close, only to be overshadowed on its own doorstep.

This sudden move was completely unexpected by Ren Zhonglun.

He seized the opportunity during Governor Zhou's interview with foreign media to mutter to himself, "This guy really managed to stir up a huge commotion without making a sound."

To be fair, the cast of "The Climbers" is quite impressive.

Moreover, the release of the news, taking advantage of the Shanghai International Film Festival, caused a sensation in the film and television industry.

In fact, after Han Sanping, La Peikang went on to manage several major projects.

Looking at films like "Sky Hunter" and "Manhunt," they were all touted as top-tier blockbusters when they were first promoted. If any of them were to become a hit, La Peikang's reputation would surely soar.

Unfortunately, the series of defeats would have been unsustainable for most film companies, but fortunately, China Film Group has a deep foundation and a large margin for error.

The previous "Shanghai Fortress" and this "The Climbers" are like the Dragon Slayer Saber and the Heaven Sword, giving the martial arts leader ample confidence.

"Chairman Ren, you're being too petty."

Zhou Yutang joked.

Ren Zhonglun's secretary, standing nearby, was sweating bullets.

Dude, are you kidding me?!

Only someone of his boss's status, Governor Zhou, would dare to joke with him like that.

Ren Zhonglun, however, showed no displeasure whatsoever. Instead, he smiled gently and said, "I asked you to attend the Golden Goblet Forum lecture to convey the philosophy of our Chinese films to foreigners, but you're either in meetings or too busy. I heard that Sichuan Airlines contacted Chen Xi?"

"Chairman Ren, you really are well-informed; nothing can be kept from you."

"Haha, is there anything about Shanghai that I don't know?"

Ren Zhonglun pushed up his glasses and said enthusiastically, "Whatever you say, Shanghai Film Studio will definitely give you their full support."

"The project is still under evaluation, we'll talk about it later."

Zhou Yutang gave a vague and evasive answer.

Discussions about "Dying to Survive" have been ongoing since the project was first announced.

After all, it was personally directed by Governor Zhou, which was enough to attract attention. However, it was not screened on a large scale at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival, which disappointed many long-awaiting viewers.

One should always be wary of others.

Although Jiangdong is powerful, it's hard to say whether a rival would resort to underhanded tactics.

Jiangdong's marketing department operates quite maturely, in order to prevent the potential negative impact of unauthorized filming on the film's box office.

This time, only an internal special screening was held, inviting well-known film critics, as well as some marketing account content creators with a large number of followers, and also giving back to a group of loyal fans of Jiang Dongjia.

After a limited internal screening, film critics and marketing accounts unanimously gave it extremely high praise.

Time flew by and the day of the closing ceremony arrived.

The day the awards are decided is definitely more exciting than the opening ceremony.

By around 6 p.m., a red carpet stretching for hundreds of meters had been laid out outside the Shanghai Grand Theatre.

As the economic center of China, Shanghai's prosperity and elegance need no further explanation.

This year's Shanghai International Film Festival has generated considerable buzz and expanded its international influence. In addition to local Chinese journalists, many blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners have also been present, carrying their cameras and microphones.

The foreigners were sweating profusely, staring in horror at the fervent crowd of Chinese fans, chanting "Om My God" nonstop.

Because of the unprecedented popularity, the local authorities even deployed over a hundred doors to maintain order.

Tonight, Governor Zhou will be the finale on the red carpet with the cast of "Dying to Survive," along with the crews of several other films from Jiangdong Entertainment, including Zhu Yilong, Wu Jing, Zhang Songwen, Shen Teng, and Mary.
It was a dazzling array of stars, quite eye-catching and captivating.

After walking the red carpet and signing their names on the autograph wall, they were led to their seats in the front row of the inner venue by staff members dressed in cheongsams.

As Governor Zhou was talking to the daughter of the bandit leader Zuo Shandiao beside him, some of the actors on stage had a slight gleam in their eyes.

Some people promptly sat up from their seats, glancing occasionally in Zhou Yutang's direction, observing the opportunity and wondering if they could strike up a conversation.

—Not to mention that he was spotted by Governor Zhou and rose rapidly through the ranks.

It would be an incredible stroke of luck to leave an impression on this deity at this moment.

Soon someone took action, and then Han Jianu felt a little short of breath.

In an instant, all the male and female actors, with smiles on their faces, rushed forward to greet Governor Zhou respectfully.

Zhou Yutang simply nodded and smiled faintly, when suddenly a familiar voice rang out, "Boss Zhou's demeanor is utterly disgraceful!"

"Old Hu."

Zhou Yutang tilted her head slightly and smiled.

Bystanders stopped in their tracks, their envious gazes falling on Tangren's top star.

Everyone knows that Hu Ge is a close friend of Governor Zhou, with whom he has had a friendship of over ten years.

When they met at the Magnolia Hotel before, they only had time to exchange a quick greeting because Zhou Yutang was talking to Mr. Wang from SMG the whole time. Hu Ge was very perceptive and didn't go up to disturb them.

Since we happened to be at the awards ceremony today, I naturally had to come up and chat for a bit.

"Boss Zhou, it's all up to you today. Make sure the Golden Goblet Award stays at your doorstep."

"Hehe, we'll see when the time comes."

Zhou Yutang joked, "Congratulations on working on two big productions."

"So-so, but Boss Zhou, you can mentor me if you have the chance."

Hu Ge offered a humble remark, but the corners of his mouth curled up more uncontrollably than an AK.

"Do you still need me?"

Zhou Yutang raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled, "Director Diao is very capable, this team has a good chance of winning an award."

"Haha, I hope you can take my good wishes to heart."

"."

Before the awards ceremony even started, people kept coming to disturb them, so Zhou Yutang simply pulled Hu Ge aside and started chatting with him offstage.

Tangren's top star, who was ridiculed as a box office poison, broke the curse of being a box office poison by clinging to Zhou Dudu's coattails and relying solely on the "Now You See Me" series.

The pepper powder was overjoyed and called Governor Zhou "the Emperor of Heaven".

After that, groups of top-tier fans would often go to Zhou Yutang's Weibo to leave comments and promote him, which was quite amusing.

After Hugo's meteoric rise to fame, he naturally received a constant stream of film offers.

In the past two years, apart from the heavyweight "Hunting Ground", there have been two other patriotic projects, which have been quite low-key.

Two days ago, Diao Yinan, director of "Black Coal, Thin Ice" (a film produced by China Film Group), who was just officially announced to be participating in the film, also announced the main cast of his new film "The Wild Goose Lake" at the Golden Goblet Forum.

Both of the core lead actresses in "Black Coal, Thin Ice" are present, but Hu Ge is the lead actor.

Yes, the production company is still Happiness Blue Ocean. This company has Jiangsu Province capital behind it and is also somewhat related to Zhou Ningfeng.

There are rumors that this man is a relative of Governor Zhou, and that the two are core members of the Suzhou-Shanghai clique.

Many industry insiders speculate that Hu Ge will be able to obtain the best resources he has ever had in the film industry since his debut.

With a Berlin Golden Bear director leading the way and a Silver Bear Best Actor in supporting roles, it's possible that Governor Zhou was behind the scenes strongly recommending it.

In fact, Zhou Yutang was too busy managing his time to care about Hu Ge.
However, the investors behind the scenes took this relationship into consideration and promoted Tangren's top star to the position.

Hu Ge couldn't help but laugh when the topic came up. He hadn't taken on many projects in the past two years, allowing himself to fully settle down and prepare for a smooth transition, hoping to improve his acting skills.

This film by Director Diao is also the most important project he has taken on in the past two years.

Getting carried away with the conversation, Lao Hu handed over his phone, wanting Zhou Yutang to give him some advice.

Wow, they really did a lot of preparation.

The book contains tens of thousands of words of character biographies, including detailed analyses of the script.

"Mr. Zhou, do you have any suggestions?"

Hu Ge put his arm around Zhou Yutang's shoulder and humbly asked for his advice.

In terms of both honors and achievements, probably no one in the Chinese film and television industry can surpass Zhou Yutang.

His words naturally have significant reference value.

Seeing that Tangren's top star was a little unsure, Zhou Yutang glanced through the script and asked with a smile, "What kind of person is Zhou Zenong?"

"Very complicated."

After a moment's thought, Hu Ge said, "He's not a good person, but he's not beyond redemption either. It's the invisible pressure from society that has gradually driven him to the brink."

"So, what do you think is the difference between yourself and Zhou Zenong?"

"?"

"To truly understand this character, you need to eliminate any sense of incongruity for the audience."

Zhou Yutang chuckled and said, "How can I make them believe that you are Zhou Zenong?"

"I also want to know."

"Imagine what Zhou Zenong's life would be like? You can't just imagine it; you have to personally observe and understand the common traits of this type of person, and then incorporate those details into your performance."

Aside from Governor Zhou, who doesn't readily offer acting guidance to his younger sister, he made an exception today and gave his old friend a little extra help.

"I understand."

Tangren's top star nodded thoughtfully.

Besides drama, he was also an honorary student of the Mountain School.

He had studied and improved himself in private, and now, after being enlightened by Zhou Yutang, he seemed to have a breakthrough.

"Understand Zhou Zenong, become Zhou Zenong."

Hu Ge muttered to himself, "We can't really go and steal it, can we?"

"Figure it out yourself, haha."

Zhou Yutang patted Hu Ge on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Good luck."

To be honest, he wasn't very optimistic that Tangren's top actor could fully grasp the role.

Because Lao Hu's talent isn't top-notch, and his idol-style acting over the years, just like Yang Mi's, has become a path dependency, which is difficult to change in a short time.

The reason why "Project Gutenberg" amazed everyone is because of the invisible hand of Governor Zhou behind the scenes. Without sacrificing the integrity and fun of the film, the entire story setting is to some extent serving the character of Ruan Zhu, which can be regarded as the method of evil cultivation.

"The Wild Goose Lake" was directed by Diao, and every director has their own ideas and standards, so Hu Ge could only try his best to get closer to them.

From a friend's perspective, Zhou Yutang still hopes that Lao Hu can break through his limitations.

More importantly, it depends on his fate.

"Distinguished guests, colleagues from the film industry, and dear audience members—"

The Shanghai Grand Theatre is dazzling with stars tonight.
The 21st Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Awards ceremony is now officially open!

Tonight's host is Cao Kefan, a pillar of Shanghai's Tomato TV, who is now dating Isabelle Huppert.

The two opened their presentations in both languages, taking turns to briefly introduce the film festival's theme and the jury lineup, which earned them enthusiastic applause from the audience.

However, the most enthusiastic response came from NINE PERCENT, the boy group to which Kun Kun belongs, when they took the stage to perform.

"That's it?"

Chen Duling used an old man's phone emoji on the subway and subtly nudged Zhou Yutang with her elbow: "Boss, your brother-in-law made a mistake again."

Zhou Yutang looked up and couldn't hold back any longer.

The audience is truly blessed.

Kun Kun's professional level in boy bands is worrying; this kind of performance mistake on stage is a major incident.

Thinking back to the invincible Hengtai Dance Troupe led by Belt Bro, Governor Zhou somewhat misses his own girl group.
He couldn't listen to it anymore, so he turned to Chen Duling and started talking about his work schedule.

Fortunately, it only lasted for one song. Afterwards, young pianist Niu Niu collaborated with the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra on the "Piano on the Sea" suite. The LED background displayed the magnificent night view of the Bund, which amazed many people and redeemed the score.

When the formal awards ceremony began, Zhou Yutang's attention returned to the stage.

On stage, Mari Okada held up her cup with tears in her eyes. "Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms" won the Best Animated Feature Award.

"The animation industry is, after all, Japan's most prized asset."

Looking at Zhou Yutang's well-defined profile, Chen Duling felt that his deep gaze seemed to transcend the stage and reach into the distance. She couldn't help but lean closer and whisper, "Boss, is this why you sent people to Japan to organize an exchange and learning program?"

"It's always good to open your eyes and see more of the world."

Zhou Yutang clapped her hands gently, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

Respecting objective reality and having a clear understanding of oneself is also for the sake of making greater progress in the future.

Before Vision Media took off, he would send the Jiangdong Special Effects Team to Hollywood to learn from them year after year.

The animation industry is a very important part of the future of Jiangdong's film and television sector. For this reason, during the Shanghai International Film Festival, Governor Zhou made a special trip to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.

The technical awards were more evenly distributed, with Zhang Zhen and Zhao Tao awarding the Best Cinematography prize to Tye Sheridan's "Friday's Child".

The Best Artistic Contribution Award went to the French-Belgian co-production "Carnivores," while the Dutch film "The Long Season" won the Best Documentary Award.

When the screenwriting award was presented, Han Jianu, who was sitting next to him, visibly became uneasy.

Zhou Yutang glanced at the corner of his eye and a slight upturn of his lips.

Before the closing ceremony, Han Jianu pretended to be calm.

But how could someone who says they don't care actually not care in their heart?
This is, after all, her first nomination for a major award, and she naturally hopes to gain recognition.

"I remember Mr. Zhou saying that film is the art of creating dreams. And the script is where this dream begins. A good script can give laughter and tears a place to rest, and can make the silent cry heard by the world."

Qin Hailu, one of the judges for this year's Golden Goblet Award, is indeed a seasoned reader of online novels, and his remarks are quite eloquent.

She smiled and opened the envelope, then read aloud: "Congratulations to Han Jianu, screenwriter of 'Dying to Survive,' winner of the Golden Goblet Award for Best Screenplay at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival!"

Oh wow, upon hearing her own name, Han Jianu stiffened, then stood up as if springs had been inserted into her buttocks.

Han Sanping wasn't at the scene; he was discussing the tribute film with his old friend Huang Jianxin.

With his phone hanging upside down, broadcasting a live stream on Bilibili, Old Han's wrinkles around his eyes smoothed out as he saw his daughter standing on stage.

"Oh, my niece won an award?"

Huang Jianxin peeked over and joked, "Old Han, didn't you say you weren't going to look?"

"I don't know how this phone turned on by itself," Han Sanping muttered.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and press down that corner of your mouth."

(End of this chapter)