A widower's entertainment

Chapter 401 [The Matter of Winning the Award] (Please Subscribe)
Lin Youcheng winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay is absolutely exciting for the entire domestic film industry.

no way!
This award is truly incredibly rare!
It made history in China, which is quite remarkable!
Such astonishing news will naturally give a strong boost to the entire domestic film industry.

Besides Chen Aige, who came to Xinghua Hutong to congratulate Lin Youcheng, Hou Xiaoxian from Taiwan also called Lin Youcheng to congratulate him on winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. Of course, Hou Xiaoxian also expressed regret that the film "Love" did not win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

Lin Youcheng also felt it was a pity, because in his opinion, Hou Xiaoxian's film "Love" definitely deserved the Best Foreign Language Film award.

It's quite obvious, though, that sometimes winning an award really does come down to luck.

Of course, Lin Youcheng's Oscar win this time was really just a matter of luck.

Otherwise, an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay is no small award, since filmmakers are well aware that a screenplay is the true beginning of a film's story.

Besides Hou Xiaoxian, people from Hong Kong also called to congratulate Lin Youcheng. For example, Leslie Cheung called to congratulate Lin Youcheng and expressed his hope to collaborate with Lin Youcheng on his scripts in the future. In addition, Xu Feng, director Wu Yusen, and Tony Leung Ka-fai also called to congratulate Lin Youcheng.

Winning an Oscar is truly amazing!

Anyone in the film industry knows just how remarkable Lin Youcheng's award is.

Actually, it's not just the domestic film industry that's discussing this; the United States is also talking about it. After all, Lin Youcheng, this screenwriter from the East, has made history by winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. That's no small feat, especially since the original screenplay also won the Best Picture award. This further proves that Lin Youcheng's script, "The Truman Show," is undoubtedly brilliant.

Of course, this will also enhance Lin Youcheng's influence and status in Hollywood.

Of course, Lin Youcheng, this screenwriter from the East, has a very strong presence in Hollywood. It can be said that even though he is no longer in Hollywood, the legend of Lin Youcheng still exists there.

It should be said that not only Hollywood, but the entire overseas film industry has once again witnessed the talent of screenwriter Lin Youcheng.

Having won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival and now the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Oscars, along with films like "Atonement," "Amour," "The Truman Show," and "Every Day," which combine commercial appeal with artistic merit, Lin Youcheng's reputation as an international screenwriting master is undoubtedly becoming increasingly dazzling, naturally attracting more capital.

In Hollywood, besides Paramount Pictures being very happy, other companies that received Lin Youcheng's scripts were also quite excited, such as "The Departed" and Paramount Pictures' latest script, "The Hunt," which has become even more popular in Hollywood now.

In particular, Paramount Pictures producer Freeman said that the script is quite brilliant and the acting challenge for the male lead is quite great, which naturally makes many actors in the film industry very curious and want to star in "The Hunt".

Actually, it's not just "The Hunt" that's generating buzz; "The Departed" is also highly anticipated. After all, filming has already been completed, and Warner Bros. plans to give screenwriter Lin Youcheng a good push. When the movie is released, they can leverage Lin Youcheng's influence to promote it as well.

In addition, other Hollywood companies and film producers now want to collaborate with screenwriter Lin Youcheng.

There's no way around it, Lin Youcheng is just too strong!
As an Eastern screenwriter who won an American Oscar, all of this undoubtedly proves one thing: Lin Youcheng's screenplays are truly excellent.

It's not just Hollywood companies; other international companies also want to collaborate with screenwriter Lin Youcheng. Whether for artistic merit or commercial appeal, Lin Youcheng's scripts have been outstanding so far.

Lin Youcheng was unaware that many overseas companies and producers would soon be approaching him seeking collaborations. Even if he knew, he wouldn't care, as this had happened before.

However, this Oscar statuette has undoubtedly elevated Lin Youcheng, this international screenwriting master, to an even higher position.

Newspapers in China have also reported on Lin Youcheng winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. There's no way around it; it's truly an inspiring event. For a Chinese writer and screenwriter to win this award at the American Oscars is something to be celebrated.

Many young people in China who love movies and art are now discussing this issue.

In Beijing, people in all arts and culture circles really know about this.

"Lin Youcheng is really amazing! What is the story of 'The Truman Show'? It even won an Oscar. I heard that the Oscar is the most prestigious award in the United States."

"Yes! I'm really curious and want to watch the movie written by Lin Youcheng, but I don't know where I can find the DVD."

"It's a pity it's not being shown in China, otherwise I could just go to the cinema to see it!"

"To be fair, none of Lin Youcheng's stories, whether novels or screenplays, are bad!"

"That's right! The key is that it even won awards abroad, which really brings honor to our countrymen! It's amazing!"

"Lin Youcheng is really amazing. He's the only screenwriter in China who can write scripts for foreign companies. No wonder I heard that those companies have spent a lot of money to buy his scripts. It seems that the US is also very clear about how good Lin Youcheng's scripts are."

"Of course! Lin Youcheng has won the Mao Dun Literature Prize before, so he is already a very talented writer. His screenplays are naturally not bad either."

……

Discussions on these topics have been endless and numerous, far more exciting than when Lin Youcheng won the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival. There's no way around it; Lin Youcheng won the American Oscar this time, and not only did he win the screenwriting award, but the film itself also won Best Picture. That's truly impressive.

The news reports about this show that even people who don't know anything about the Oscars or have never heard of the award know how awesome Lin Youcheng is.

Xie Shuhua, back at Yanjing Normal University, naturally had many colleagues who had told her about Lin Youcheng winning the award. When she got back, she would naturally mention it to Lin Youcheng, saying with a smile, "Youcheng, the students and teachers at our school are all talking about your Oscar win."

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard Xie Shuhua's words. He knew this matter was quite a big deal, after all, it had been reported in the Beijing Daily. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If a domestic film can win Best Picture in the future, that would truly be something to celebrate." Xie Shuhua didn't expect Lin Youcheng to say this, and said with a smile, "You're right, but in their eyes, your winning the Best Original Screenplay Award is also a historic achievement."

"Now the students are very eager for your film 'The Truman Show' to be shown in China, and they even write to the film department."

Lin Youcheng had also heard about this, which was obviously because "The Truman Show" won an award, and it was related to a domestic screenwriter. Naturally, it was worth introducing it to domestic cinemas so that domestic audiences could take a good look at the script written by Lin Youcheng and see what kind of story it was.

Although many people have already seen the film "The Truman Show" written by Lin Youcheng abroad or through other means, if it can be introduced to China, I believe they will definitely go to the cinema to watch it again.

Lin Youcheng felt that there shouldn't be any fundamental problems with importing "The Truman Show" into China, since "The Truman Show" is inherently positive and uplifting.

"Hopefully, the authorities will be able to import this movie."

Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "After all, this story is really good."

When Xie Shuhua heard Lin Youcheng's words, she didn't think that Lin Youcheng was bragging. After all, there was no need for him to brag. The results were obvious to all. If the movie wasn't so great, how could it have won an award?

Lin Youcheng was talking to Xie Shuhua when Lin Zhaomei and the others came home from school.

Lin Zhaomei, carrying her schoolbag, ran to the main house and said excitedly, "Dad, everyone says the movie story you wrote won a big award in America!"

Seeing Lin Zhaomei's excited expression, Lin Youcheng couldn't help but smile and nod, saying, "Yes."

They even said it was the Oscars.

Lin Zhaomei looked at Lin Youcheng and asked, "Is the Oscar a very prestigious award?"

Hearing Lin Zhaomei's words, Lin Youcheng thought for a moment and said, "The Oscars are actually the same as the Cannes Film Festival awards, nothing special. It's just that they are more difficult to win because they are from the United States."

Clearly, Lin Youcheng didn't want Lin Zhaomei to think that the Oscars were so great. After all, if it weren't for the star power of the Oscars, the three major European film festivals would be more prestigious now. After all, the Oscars are just a film award from the United States.

This is also Lin Youcheng's true thought. If the influence of the three major European film festivals hadn't declined later, the Oscars wouldn't have received so much attention.

Of course, as China's strength increased and foreign influences diminished, awards like the Oscars were no longer as highly valued and sought after as they were at that time.

Hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Lin Zhaomei seemed to have been genuinely thinking about this question, and asked, "Why is an Oscar harder to win?"

"Because the Oscars are an award from the US, just like..."

Lin Youcheng thought for a moment and then said, "It's like our own Golden Rooster Awards; people in the US also find it very difficult to win this award."

Sitting to the side, Xie Shuhua was surprised that Lin Youcheng would use the Golden Rooster Award as an analogy, and for a moment she didn't know what to say. It seemed that although Lin Youcheng was very happy, he didn't actually care much about the Oscars.

Hearing Lin Youcheng's words, Lin Zhaomei nodded, as if she understood something, and then said with a smile, "Dad, it's really amazing that you were able to win an Oscar!"

Lin Youcheng smiled. He didn't say that besides the film's own brilliance, Paramount Pictures' public relations efforts were also crucial. After all, the Oscars require public relations, and sometimes the cost can even exceed the film's production budget. For example, the success of "Anora" in another timeline shows that its producers spent $1800 million on public relations, almost three times the production budget. Through media promotion, jury hospitality, and creating buzz, it eventually won four awards, including Best Picture. There's no way around it; the Oscars' selection process isn't based on a jury from the three major film festivals.

Of course, Lin Youcheng also knew that public relations was only a supplementary means, and the film's artistry was still the core competitiveness. But in any case, Paramount Pictures could not have won four awards without spending money on public relations.

It's just a matter of how much it cost.

Lin Zhaomei looked at Lin Youcheng and said, "Dad, I want to be a director in the future and win an Oscar."

In Lin Zhaomei's view, her father is undoubtedly quite remarkable, being able to win awards in other countries.

Win an Oscar?

Lin Youcheng couldn't help but laugh when he heard Lin Zhaomei's words. He felt that Lin Zhaomei's words made it even more difficult than her previous attempt to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Of course, Lin Youcheng would not tell Lin Zhaomei about this difficulty.

Lin Youcheng said with a smile, "Then you must study hard now, and you must get into a good school in the high school entrance exam. Then try to get into the directing department of the film academy as soon as possible."

However, on the other hand, some students at art schools like the Beijing Film Academy take the entrance exams as early as high school. For example, Duan Long, who studied in Xiamen, applied to the Beijing Film Academy for three consecutive years, starting in his second year of high school. He failed the first round, made it to the third round but was still not selected. He finally entered the acting department of the Beijing Film Academy on his third attempt, ranking first among all applicants from the Northwest region.

The key is that if Lin Zhaomei really wants to make movies and become a director, besides studying, Lin Youcheng can wait for Lin Zhaomei to have a vacation and then let her join a film and television crew to learn from directors like Zhang Guoshi or Jiang Wen. On-site learning is also an option.

The thought flashed through Lin Youcheng's mind, but he didn't tell Lin Zhaomei. Instead, he said, "You must study hard and make progress every day!"

Lin Zhaomei smiled and assured him, "Dad, don't worry, I will definitely study hard."

(End of this chapter)