China Entertainment’s rescue plan is hard to come by

Chapter 936 Fine Tradition!

Sun Yi and Section Chief Jia enjoyed their meal quite a bit, but it wasn't enough.

The two chatted about everything from "Asian rising stars" to the current state of young directors and independent films in China, and then from the creation of "A Touch of Sin" to the trends at the Cannes Film Festival, until the dishes were a mess before they parted ways.

Perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, Section Chief Jia didn't mention anything like, "Brother, my work is also being submitted for selection this time. Can you think of a way to help me out?"

It's definitely not something that can be said outright; how can anyone be so blunt, especially in the arts and culture circle where everyone considers themselves cultured?

Too rough!

But that's definitely the meaning.

It just so happens that you're a judge. You know my work best, so please speak up for me during the judging process. Just make sure the judges understand the core of my film. Whether they like it or not, and whether they vote for it, is up to fate.

That's pretty much it.

Don't be too surprised, saying that this is one of the three most fair, professional, and artistic international film awards in Europe, how could it be like this?

Every award can do this; even the Oscars can openly engage in PR.

As long as it's a human selection process, it will inevitably involve subjective opinions. Even the judges who value fairness can only try their best to eliminate personal subjective views. To say that they can completely eliminate them is simply impossible, at least Sun Yi doesn't believe it.

The idea that art knows no borders is just a way to fool idiots.

Besides, it's only natural for Chinese people overseas to take care of each other.

Just look at how our predecessors did it, and you'll know.

Last year, Su Qi served as a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival, and Mei Feng's "Spring Fever" won the Best Screenplay Award.

At the 2011 Tokyo International Film Festival, Fan Bingbing served as a jury member, and Du Jiayi's "Kora" won the Best Artistic Contribution Award.

At the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival, Shu Qi served as a jury member, and Wang Xiaoshuai's "In Love We Trust" won the Best Screenplay Award.

Although none of them were top-tier awards, at least they all got to appear on stage.

Going back further, at the 93 Berlin International Film Festival, Zhang Yimou served as a jury member and chairman. Xie Fei's "Woman Sesame Oil Maker" and Li An's "The Wedding Banquet" shared the Golden Bear Award.

If Zhang Yimou weren't the president, do you think the Berlin Film Festival would have been able to award a double prize to Chinese-language films?
So, this is all perfectly normal.

To be fair, while Zhang Yimou's films may be a bit awkward for audiences, they have made significant contributions to Chinese cinema.

Sun Yi should learn from him in this respect.

But then again, does this mean that the award's prestige is diminished?

Actually, that's not the case. At the level of the Cannes Film Festival's main competition, it's acceptable for any film to win.

Being nominated means the script is eligible for an award; not winning simply means that the jury or film festival had different preferences that year.

For example, when Hollywood was just starting to see the rise of "Black Lives Matter," if you put a biographical drama with a Black lead at this year's Oscars, as long as it wasn't too bad, it would have a high chance of winning.

The same principle applies to other places as well.

Of course, as I said before, the prerequisite is that you have to reach this level first.

As the old saying goes:
First, you have to be able to do it!

Then, someone has to say you're capable!
Finally, those who say you can do it must actually do it!
This is the complete closed loop, especially applicable to the arts and culture circle.

In this formula, Sun Yi is the one who says he can do it.

Would Sun Yi be a good fit?
Very good, extremely good.

After he agreed to serve as a jury member for this film festival, the organizing committee sent him all the films and related materials for the main competition section of the festival the very next day.

If you have time, you can learn about it in advance; if not, you can watch the films together with the other judges when the film festival starts. Of course, this is Sun Yi's first time, so he thinks it's better to learn about it on his own beforehand.

What if the other judges have already seen it beforehand? If they bring it up during the discussion and he doesn't know anything, how embarrassing would that be? Wouldn't that be embarrassing on an international scale?

Then, Liu Yifei went numb.

I thought that after returning to China, I could finally have a good rest and go out and have some fun. But instead, my husband dragged me home and made me watch art films for three days straight, claiming it was to improve my film literacy.

On the first day, Liu Tianxian was quite excited, feeling that she could experience the thrill of being a judge, since this was a film submitted to Cannes.

I was completely baffled the next day. What was all this about?
Just like how a language arts teacher can't explain reading comprehension without a reference answer.

Although Liu Yifei is considered a film and television professional and has even won a Best Actress award, she genuinely can't stand watching films made by these big-name art-house directors.

By the third day, he was completely numb and refused to watch anything. No matter what Sun Yi said or tried to persuade him, he just lay in bed and gave up.

Finally, having no other choice, Sun Yi could only agree to let her rest for a day and take her out for a stroll.

Upon hearing about going out for a stroll, Liu Yifei immediately perked up, as if she had been resurrected. She jumped up in a flash, barefoot, and ran to the dressing room.

Sun Yi felt that this scene could be filmed as a special effects shot.

In the blink of an eye, the person vanished from his sight.

Only a wisp of fragrance lingers in the air.

The little girl is not only fast at running, but also at changing clothes.

Before I could even smoke a cigarette, I was all dressed, with my clothes, hat, and bag all put on.

For Liu Yifei, who used to agonize over what style to choose when going out, this was simply unbelievable.

Who says women take forever to change clothes?

Scoring results!

Fortunately, Sun Yi arrived quickly. The weather was nice, and he was dressed casually, exuding a great aura.

"Let's go shopping."

Sun Yi stood in front of the door, holding the car keys.

"No way!" Liu Yifei slipped on a pair of classic white sneakers, frowned, shook her head, and then pouted, asking, "You promised to take me out, so shouldn't I decide where we go?"

Sun Yi was stunned. He clearly remembered that not long ago, in the same context, the young lady in front of him, who used her beauty to commit crimes, said, "If you're taking me out, you have to decide on the place first, so that it shows you're sincere!"

Okay, forget about gods and immortals, the premise is that they are all women.
And just like that, Sun Yi became someone's personal driver.

"No, where are we going? You have to tell me how to drive there!"

The girl was acting mysteriously, refusing to reveal her destination even after getting in the car, and just let Sun Yi drive.

With a sly smile, Liu Yifei glanced at her phone and said readily, "Just listen to me. Go straight, turn right ahead, get on the Third Ring Road first, quick! Quick! Clear the way!"

After saying that, she raised her little hand, her pretty face beaming with joy.

Sun Yi pursed his lips, looking helpless. He simply turned the steering wheel and drove off as instructed by his wife.

Today, he risked his life to accompany his wife—no, to keep her company.

We'll face anything, even mountains of knives and seas of fire!
　I've been too busy this month, so there's really no way I can update anymore. But don't worry, as long as I'm still here, I won't abandon this project.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)