Become famous another day.

Last year, Lu Yanhe was crowned emperor in Xitour.

This year, Lu Yanhe became the youngest invited guest to the Xitul Master Class.

Especially at this moment - when the Cité International Film Festival has such a great influence on the Oscars, such a move will undoubtedly help Lu Yanhe build momentum for winning the award this year.

The significance of a top film festival building momentum at such a critical time is self-evident.

How many Oscar judges have won awards in Sitour, and how many people have "cleared their names" in the film industry here in Sitour?
Just like Lu Yanhe twenty or thirty years later, if Xitul needed him, would he not show up?

Lu Yanhe's film career is basically closely tied to the Xitul Film Festival.

The first film was in the main competition section of Sitour, and it became famous because of it.

It was also Sitour who won his first major overseas acting award, and because of this Best Actor award, he became a hot favorite for this year's Oscars.

To be honest, without Xitul, Lu Yanhe might still have become famous with his miraculous box office results, but his status and influence in the mainstream film industry might not have been as high as they are now.

These things all complement each other.

Another Chinese-language film has been shortlisted for this year's Xitul Awards.

"In the Waves", the third directorial work of a young director Wang Shuai.

Lu Yanhe didn't know this director.

Of course, this director was not famous before. His previous two works were shortlisted for other categories of the West Tull Film Festival, but the response was not particularly good.

No one expected that his new film would suddenly be shortlisted for this year's main competition unit.

This movie is a semi-documentary.

The only professional actor in the movie is the main character, Cheng Ben, a lesser-known talented actor.

The reason why it is called a semi-documentary film is that the filming of this film was under the name of "shooting a program", allowing other people to participate in the film process with their real images.

There was no script before filming began, only a concept.

The entire process was shot handheld.

After each day of filming, the director would work with Cheng Ben in the evening to plan what Cheng Ben would say and do the next day. Then, through Cheng Ben’s performance the next day, he would stimulate the feelings of others. In this way, the filming of the movie was completed.

The movie tells the story of the living conditions of young people in a factory.

Finally, the director edited a movie based on the filmed footage.

Very artistic.

The day Lu Yanhe gave the master class was the day before the film’s first screening in Xitul.

Wang Shuai specifically invited Lu Yanhe to attend the premiere through someone he knew.

Lu Yanhe actually wanted to participate, but he had to leave early tomorrow morning.

There is still work arranged in the United States.

Lu Yanhe specially added Wang Shuai on WeChat and sent him a message, explaining why he could not attend and apologizing. He also hoped to have the opportunity to support the movie again when it was released in China.

Wang Shuai expressed some regret and hoped that there would be opportunities for cooperation in the future.

Lu Yanhe said, he definitely would.
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After arriving at the hotel, Lu Yanhe had a brief chat with the local contact person and learned that there were not many Chinese filmmakers participating in the Xitul Film Festival this year.

His hotel was booked by the film festival organizing committee.

Generally, the hotels for the film crews shortlisted for the main competition unit are provided by the organizing committee.

It’s just that many wealthy crews (especially those with big names in Hollywood) will book hotels with better environments.

Lu Yanhe asked one more question, whether the crew of "In the Wave" were staying in this hotel.

If so, he was prepared to visit him in person.

Lu Yanhe has attended many film festivals himself and knows very well how nervous a few young filmmakers would be when they come to a top film festival in a foreign country.

At the beginning, in order to act in the drama "The Golden Age", he was struggling and tangled before sending a text message to Luo Yuzhong. He still remembers it vividly.

Perhaps Wang Shuai had the same feeling when he sent him a message inviting him to attend tomorrow's premiere.

Lu Yanhe thought about it and decided that even though he couldn't attend, there were always other ways to show his support.

At the very least, a group photo posted on social media will attract everyone's attention.

As a result, the contact person said that the crew of "In the Wave" did not choose the hotel provided by the organizing committee. It was said that it was because they could not afford the cost of the hotel, so they found their own accommodation.

Lu Yanhe was stunned.

Generally speaking, in China, for any film crew that is shortlisted for a top international film festival, no matter how low the budget of the film is, the production company behind it will definitely not skimp on the festival schedule.

Because for the film industry, this is not only a journey of honor, it also means that film producers from all over the world will come to buy your films, and you will not be short of money at all.

The title of a shortlisted film in the main competition unit of the Sitour Film Festival is valuable in itself.

Lu Yanhe immediately went to ask which production company made "In the Waves". It turned out that the film was made by Wang Shuai himself - all the funds for the filming came from his savings, because no domestic film company was willing to invest.

But the most embarrassing thing happened. So far, even though "In the Wave" has been shortlisted for the main competition unit of the West Tur Film Festival, no domestic film company is willing to distribute this film.

It's a semi-documentary with no stars, and neither the subject matter nor the cast has any selling points at all.

Unless Wang Shuai is willing to sell it for several million.

Otherwise, in the eyes of domestic film companies, this movie will not be profitable and is doomed to lose money.

Lu Yanhe was surprised.

It was Chen Yin who helped him get the information.

Lu Yanhe thought about it seriously and sent a message to Chen Yin: If there is still no domestic company to take over after the film festival, you can contact them and see what Wang Shuai thinks.

Chen Yin agreed.

Lu Yanhe sent a message to Wang Shuai: Director, I just arrived in Xitul and checked into the hotel. Where are you staying? Is it convenient for us to meet now?

It is now ten o'clock in the evening local time.

If it weren't for Lu Yanhe's work schedule tomorrow, he wouldn't want to ask him out at this time.

Five minutes later, Wang Shuai sent a message: It's convenient! Which hotel are you in? We will come to find you!

Lu Yanhe: Oh, let’s leave you alone.

Lu Yanhe: [grinning]
Lu Yanhe: Is it inconvenient for you to call a taxi here? Or you can send me the address and I will send a car to pick you up. This is convenient and I can clean up first.
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Wang Shuai and Cheng Ben were already standing downstairs at the agreed place, waiting for the car sent by Lu Yanhe to arrive.

The night is covered.

They literally don't have a car today.

They just rented a car the day after tomorrow so that they could attend the premiere.

This time, even only the two of them and the film's producer Luo Song came to Sitol.

Because there is really no more funding to support more people coming.

After the news of "In the Wave" being shortlisted for the Xitul Film Festival came out, several film companies did contact them, expressing their willingness to distribute the film and support their trip to Xitul. However, the conditions offered were too... how should I put it, it made people lose hope.

It cost Wang Shuai a total of 920 million yuan to shoot this movie, which was his life savings, including the income from the two previous movies he had shot.

Cheng Ben only received 30 yuan for starring in this movie, and he filmed it for half a year.

It can be said that the production cost of this movie was really all spent on production and post-production.

And the prices offered by domestic film companies are really...not enough to recover the costs at all.

Although many people say that if you are shortlisted for Xitul, your overseas sales will definitely be good and you will definitely make money, it doesn’t matter even if you don’t make money domestically.

Wang Shuai thought that if that was the case, it would be better not to sell it.

Xitul gritted his teeth and borrowed some money from his family for this trip. In addition, Cheng Ben also felt that being a director was not easy, so after hearing about the situation, he offered to pay for the hotel expenses.

But Cheng Ben is not a very rich actor.

He is not an actor who is a star. When things are going well, he can make 700,000 to 800,000 yuan a year. When things are not going well, he may not even make 30,000 or 40,000 yuan. It all depends on whether there is work or not and how much the work pays.

Because the official hotel recommended by Situ, even though it had a much lower price for the crew members of the main competition unit films, it still cost thousands of dollars a night, so they finally decided to rent an apartment in a slightly remote place for a short period of time.

"Lu Yanhe arrived so late?"

"That should be it." Wang Shuai nodded. "I just saw the video of his fans picking him up at the airport online."

Cheng Ben: "Alas, it's such a pity that he will be gone again the day after tomorrow morning."

"He is indeed very busy. He is very likely to win an Oscar this year." Wang Shuai took a deep breath, his eyes flickering. "Speaking of which, the film "Tropical Season" started from the West Tur Film Festival."

"Yes."

Both of them had a leisurely voice, with some meaning hidden in their words, not revealed. But the meaning was actually understood.

Who doesn’t have some ambition and aspirations?

Cheng Ben smiled and said to Wang Shuai, "Actually, Director, if you had invited Lu Yanhe to star in the film, the situation might be completely different now."

Wang Shuai shook his head, "No, this movie can't be played by someone with a celebrity aura, it can only be you."

Cheng Ben was stunned.

Wang Shuai suddenly realized that what he said... was quite unemotional.

"Uh, that's not what I meant."

Cheng Ben smiled and said, "It's okay. After starring in this movie, I will have a movie that will be shown on the international stage. I am no longer an unknown person, right?"

Wang Shuai patted his shoulder.

"It will definitely work."
-
That night, Lu Yanhe met Cheng Ben and Wang Shuai at the hotel. When they arrived, wine and snacks were already on the table.

He talked to them for a long time about the story of the filming of "In the Wave", and took a photo with them with a smile. He said that it was a pity that he could not catch the premiere of "In the Wave" in Xitul this time. When "In the Wave" is released in China in the future, he will definitely try his best to support it.

Neither Wang Shuai nor Cheng Ben expected that they would have such a pleasant chat in the evening.

They didn't even mention to Lu Yanhe any of the difficulties in filming the movie, but rather the excitement, happiness, and sense of self-identity they felt during the filming and creation process.

Lu Yanhe was very surprised by their attitude. However, generally speaking, good film directors and good filmmakers must have such an idealistic and pure side regarding film art.

Lu Yanhe said, "I wonder if you are free tomorrow night? After my master class this afternoon, I will have dinner with some friends in Xitul. If you are free, I would like to invite you to come and introduce you to each other."

Wang Shuai and Cheng Ben showed some surprise when they heard this.

"Okay, tomorrow night..." Wang Shuai paused for a moment, then immediately said, "We are free. We are not celebrities, so we don't have any plans."

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "When the day after tomorrow comes, you will find that it is completely different."

He has experienced it himself and felt it.

Really, overnight success.

Sitol is one such place.

As long as your film is good, you will be treated like a god here.

He didn't do anything like booking two rooms for them so that they could sleep here and not have to rush back late at night.

He knew what a person would be sensitive to, what he would mind, and what his self-esteem would care about when he was in a low position. He also felt that there was no need to show "good intentions" at this time and in this place.

The real kindness, the gesture of respect they needed now, was the opening of his social circle in Sitour to them tomorrow night.

This is also the photo he posted on various social media platforms thirty minutes later.

——I arrived in Xitul late at night and talked with the talented director Wang Shuai and teacher Cheng Ben about "In the Wave". I can't wait to watch this movie and look forward to the moment when it meets us the day after tomorrow!
It was also before Wang Shuai and Cheng Ben left that Lu Yanhe said to them -

Bring some invitations to the premiere the day after tomorrow tomorrow, maybe they will be useful.
-
I washed up, went to bed, and the next morning, I couldn't sleep until I woke up naturally, so I was woken up by Wang Biao at 8:30. I washed up again, and then had to start putting on makeup and changing clothes early in the morning because there were media interviews, and I was only given 20 minutes to each company.

As soon as every reporter came in, Lu Yanhe would always say sorry first, because the schedule was particularly tight this time, so he could only give twenty minutes.

When each reporter left, Wang Biao would give them a note, saying that because the interview time today was indeed very short, if they had any additional questions that needed to be asked, they could send them to this email address and Lu Yanhe would respond as soon as possible.

Although the six media outlets came and went in a hurry, they still felt like they were in the spring breeze.

At noon, Lu Yanhe had a working lunch with Wintour, the artistic director of CITOUR.

Lu Yanhe hugged him warmly.

What Wintour said was: "Welcome back."

The two of them sat together, of course, talking about movies.

They talked about this year's films, directors and actors, as well as some interesting stories during the North American awards season, including Chen Bige's "astonishing" dress.

Wintour said: "I wish that dress was worn on our Westwood red carpet."

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "I will convey your words to her."

Wintour also asked about Lu Yanhe's upcoming film projects.

Lu Yanhe mentioned "Dingfeng No. 1" and the play that director Wang Zhong wrote for him and Chen Bige.

Wintour asked: "Can Dingfeng No. 1 wait until this time next year?"

He was clearly keen to secure the film for Sittur.

Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "I don't have the final say on this. I have to ask Liu Bige and Longyan Company for their opinions, but I will convey it."

Wintour said: "The films you made in Hollywood can also be premiered at the West Tour. We will arrange screenings that are no less daunting than those in the main competition."

Lu Yanhe nodded: "If the time and schedule are suitable, I will definitely give priority to showing it in Xitul."

Wintour nodded with satisfaction.

In the afternoon, master class.

Lu Yanhe made a sharing.

Talk about his past experiences as an actor and screenwriter, and his understanding of movies.

There will naturally be a free exchange session afterwards.

What everyone is most interested in now seems to be the journey to the Oscars.

One even asked directly: "Do you think you have a chance to win that Oscar this year?"

Lu Yanhe smiled, lowered his eyebrows and closed his eyes with high spirits. He smiled for a few seconds before looking up, nodding, and saying, "Of course, if there were no opportunities, what would I be doing in the United States recently? Would I just go to various cocktail parties and dinner tables to eat and drink for free every day?"

The whole audience burst into laughter.

Wintour also had a good laugh.

He is the host of the Masterclass.

After the meeting, Lu Yanhe took a short rest and then rushed to the restaurant to have dinner with his friends in Xituluo and introduced Wang Shuai and Cheng Ben to them.

They were all famous filmmakers from various countries, including directors, actors, and screenwriters. They were all friends that Lu Yanhe had met at the film festival and had kept in touch with afterwards.

Including the judges of the main competition unit of the CITIC Grand Prix for "Three Mountains", the famous Spanish actress Fellaini Ricci, and the British actress Lily Welton, who had previously caused a misunderstanding because of "facial paralysis" but later became friends with the help of Shang Yongzhou.

During the meal, Lu Yanhe had some private conversations with everyone.

When the meeting was almost over, Lu Yanhe and Wang Shuai handed the invitation letters to each of them personally.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Lu Yanhe rushed to the open-air screening.

Two of his films will be screened here in the evening.

"Three Mountains" and "Late Spring".

Thousands of spectators gathered here.

As soon as Lu Yanhe came on stage, he was greeted with thunderous applause and cheers.

Wintour is at it again.

He served as the opening guest of the event.

He was present at every opportunity, including his lunch at noon, his master class in the afternoon, and his screening in the evening.

The official media account of the film festival, with full coverage.

The courtesies and honors were given enough, and the creators of other films shortlisted in the main competition units did not receive such treatment.

After the screening, Lu Yanhe stood in the night wind and suddenly felt deeply touched.

"At this moment, I was very moved in my heart, because I was actually a little tired recently, but just now, sitting down and watching the movie on the big screen, I suddenly calmed down in my heart in the movie. I have never watched a movie with so many audiences. I have to admit that I didn't watch it very attentively, because I kept secretly looking back at your reactions - I have watched these two movies many times, and what I want to see now is actually how you watch them. Then, I saw the concentration in the eyes and faces of many of you, the concentration of being completely immersed in a movie, and I suddenly felt a very solid sense of power, as if I was revived with full blood. Thank you all for watching these two movies here tonight, and thank you for soothing me like the gentle breeze tonight."

He waved goodbye to this year's Sitol Film Festival.

A photo was taken of him waving goodbye as he left the stage in the night breeze. His eyes were clear and bright, and his smile was innocent, as if he was still the boy who first came to Xitul with "Three Mountains".

When he was on the plane flying back to the United States, at the premiere of "In the Wave", the media at the scene had no idea that this unknown and unnoticed movie would actually have several big names appearing.

After the premiere, "In the Wave" did not miraculously receive unanimous praise, and the reviews on the film's theme were somewhat polarized.

However, almost every media outlet expressed appreciation and respect for the film's director and leading actors.
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At the same time, the Sundance Film Festival in the United States also began.

Li Zhibai appeared at the Sundance Film Festival with the movie "Buried".

Because the production company is Parameter, it is not eligible to register for the Sundance Film Festival. "Buried" will only be screened at this film festival and will not compete for any awards.

In fact, there are no awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

For movies, the characteristic of this film festival is that if the word of mouth of a movie gets a big hit at the Sundance Film Festival, the market rating of the movie will be raised by several levels.

It's kind of like a "pre-field" test.

"Blood Simple", "Sex, Lies, and Videotape", "The Past", "The Hearing Girl", "Manchester by the Sea", "Whiplash"... A large number of independent films that won both Oscars and box office came out of this film festival. Even James Wan's "Saw" came out of this film festival.

Many movies were not originally intended to be released in theaters but were sold directly on DVD. However, due to their screening at this film festival, they received great word of mouth and eventually reversed their fate, were released in theaters, and even became box office hits.

Yes, the typical representative of them is "Saw".

Parameter wants to screen "Buried" at the Sundance Film Festival because it is a very suitable film for the Sundance Film Festival. If it goes to the four major international film festivals, the effect will definitely not be as good as in Sundance——

To some extent, it can be said that the Sundance Film Festival is the American equivalent of the Jose Antonio Marie Film Festival.

It is a film festival for audiences.
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Lu Yanhe also showed up as the screenwriter.

The Sundance Film Festival’s exposure in the United States is top-notch.

Lu Yanhe's attendance is also part of his public relations activities during this awards season.

The huge box office success of "Home Alone" has already won him crucial swing votes in this year's Oscar battle. It can be said that as long as there are no unexpected events in the future, this year's Best Supporting Actor award will be his.

The momentum is here.

With the success of "Home Alone", everyone's expectations for "Buried" have also increased.

It's just a chain of events.

Then, the reputation of "Buried" unexpectedly exploded.

It’s not word of mouth, but response.

All media and audiences were attracted and shocked by the creativity of this movie.

Everybody is talking about this movie.

With this level of discussion, this movie will definitely do well at the box office, unless it fails miserably.

Because there is no precedent.

Throwing an actor into a coffin to shoot an entire movie is unprecedented.

For audiences, this is why they go to the cinema.

Is there any gimmick more thrilling than this that makes people want to see what’s going on?

In just half a year, Lu Yanhe has been on a roll, from the Oscar-nominated film "Wet Season" which won awards, to the box office success of the screenplay film "Home Alone", to the great response at the Sundance Film Festival for the screenplay film "Buried".

In the entire Hollywood, no one can compete with him in the past six months.

Faced with all that was happening before his eyes, Zeby Doyle even felt a little inexplicably confused.

Really, just as Lu Yanhe said, it exploded.

Although it hasn't been released yet, we don't know how it will perform at the box office.

But the production cost of this movie does not even exceed 150 million US dollars.

It is this movie that attracted the most discussion and attention at the Sundance Film Festival.

"Lu, is Buried Alive developing a second part?"

"Only this one." Lu Yanhe smiled and shook his head.

Zebe Doyle: "Would you consider it?"

Lu Yanhe said: "Zebi, you should think carefully about the matter of "Speed"."
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Then, on February 2, at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Lu Yanhe won the second Best Supporting Actor award among the four major awards, almost as expected.

Apart from Clarke's Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, the only other award left is the British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actor.

However, at this time, no one seemed to think that Clark could still pose a challenge to Lu Yanhe.

February 2th, British Academy Film Awards.

Clark won the Best Supporting Actor award, which was a big surprise. He walked up to the podium in disbelief. Then, he was so excited that he lost his composure and said "Fuck, Wow, My God" three times in a row...

Although Lu Yanhe was a little surprised, at this moment, he finally had the composure of a veteran.

He controlled his expression and smiled.

After the BAFTA Awards, everyone told him that it didn't matter, nothing would change, and that he would definitely win the Oscar this year.

Lu Yanhe smiled and waved his hands, saying, "Don't give me any encouragement. Anyway, we have tried our best. Whether we win the award or not, I have already gained a lot."

He puts everybody at ease, it doesn’t matter.

Nothing can go smoothly all the time.

It’s okay, wait for the wind to come.

No rush. (End of this chapter)