The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1861 Special Invitation

Anson shrugged slightly. "That's not my achievement. I'd give all the credit to the director. Gus has been exploring all along. He's a true film enthusiast, unlike me, who's already been corrupted by Hollywood."

Thierry chuckled softly, "I don't think so."

"To be able to keep a clear head in such a noisy heatwave, that's truly impressive. You have every right to be proud, after all, those worthless actors in Hollywood have nothing left but confidence and pride."

Sharp. Incisive.

"I'd venture to guess that collaborating with Alfonso was your own choice, wasn't it? A clever move."

Anson neither confirmed nor denied it, saying, "Is this a compliment to the director? Alfonso would be very happy to know."

Thierry looked at Anson quietly. "You should also be commended. I trust your eye for selecting works."

Anson gently raised his chin. "So, you came to London specifically to invite me to join the judging panel?"

The situation took an unexpected turn, and the guest took the lead.

Now, Anson gets straight to the point, catching Thierry off guard.

However, Thierry remained completely calm, a smile spreading across his face as he said, "Of course."

This time, it was Anson's turn to be surprised.

Thierry: "I'm serious. Anson Wood, an actor who combines good looks and taste, has his own insights into both commercial and art films. In Cannes, we warmly welcome such film enthusiasts to join the jury and select the Palme d'Or together with the vast number of film fans."

"In fact, if you have the opportunity, you should serve as the jury president and let people see your taste, your aesthetic sense, and your understanding and perception of film."

Little by little, Thierry's inspiration burst forth, and he became excited, thinking more and more that it was a great idea.

This year marks Thierry's first promotion, taking on an important position at the Cannes Film Festival and beginning to wield significant power over the festival's style and positioning.

Thierry has a lot of inspiration and ideas. On the one hand, he needs to compete with Berlin and Venice; on the other hand, he is eager to establish Cannes' own brand and truly make the film festival a grand event for film fans.

Thierry is a typical academic, having never formally studied film but having grown up in the film archive. Logically, he should be a scholar, but his non-professional background gave him the courage to break frameworks and traditions. He respects academia and art, but does not believe that these are the only important things.

For example, the members of the judging panel.

According to Thierry, a good director is not necessarily a good judge. For example, Quentin Tarantino is domineering on the jury, refusing to listen to opinions and only believing in his own aesthetic sense, with impulse and passion taking over his mind. On the contrary, an ordinary actor or even a pretty face may have top-notch aesthetic sense. Appreciation taste and professional ability are two completely different things.

Anson, standing before us, is the best proof of this.

If Anson is invited to serve as a judge, or even as the chairman of the jury, the viewership and taste are guaranteed. Thierry is also very curious about Anson's choice, and what kind of work he will choose as the Palme d'Or winner.

This is an interesting proposal.

However, the time is not right now.

Thierry quietly kept his thoughts to himself, then changed the subject, "But that's not the reason I've come to visit today. I've come to invite 'Walking with Song' to enter the main competition."

Anson: ...

Thierry looked at Anson's speechless expression, a smile creeping onto his lips, and finally he couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

Anson shook his head slightly. "You hurt Alfonso." Thierry laughed, "Ha ha." He couldn't help but laugh. "To be honest, I've seriously considered 'Children of Men,' even if you're still filming it right now."

Thierry believes that it's best to act first when it comes to the works of top directors and actors. Invitations should be extended while they are preparing and filming, otherwise Berlin and Venice are also eyeing the market, and Cannes may not have an advantage.

Perhaps one day in the future, Cannes will become a temple in people's hearts, and everyone will be honored to go to the Cannes main competition. Then Thierry can feel a little more at ease.

but not now.

Therefore, invitations should be extended as early as possible.

"However, I have consulted with relevant people, and the filming of this work is very complicated, and the post-production work is even more tedious. Your goal is to release it the year after next, not next year, right?"

"Therefore, even if we were to invite 'Children of Men,' it should have been at Cannes in 2006, not 2005."

"Our current goal is to 'walk with the songs'."

Anson raised an eyebrow slightly. "This person involved...could it be Lucas Wood?"

Thierry laughed. "You know I'm supposed to keep my informant a secret, right?"

Anson was speechless. Now he finally understood why Thierry had been able to appear in London so quietly.

From Forest Pictures' perspective, they naturally hope that their invested and produced projects can enter Cannes and gain exposure before officially hitting theaters. Whether they win an award is not important; what matters is marketing and promotion.

Anson gave a helpless smile and shook his head slightly. "He owes me dinner."

Thierry smiled but said nothing.

Anson: "If you're looking for 'Songs Along the Way,' you should be looking for a director. James Mangold would be more than happy to accept the Cannes invitation."

In its previous life, "Walking with Song" did not take the route of film festivals. According to rumors, 20th Century Fox had considered submitting it to the Venice Film Festival.

After all, Venice is considered a prelude to the awards season. Although the connection was not obvious in 2004, and people did not yet regard Venice and Toronto as the beginning of the Oscars season, many films aiming for the Oscars were indeed willing to premiere in Venice and start their publicity campaign there.

However, after an internal screening at 20th Century Fox, they lacked confidence and tentatively inquired at Venice. Realizing the competition was too fierce, they simply gave up. Rather than facing the test of word-of-mouth in Venice, they decided to go directly to theaters and follow the conventional distribution route.

To some extent, 20th Century Fox's judgment was correct. The quality of "Walk the Line" was indeed mixed, and it ultimately failed to win nominations for Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars. The focus was entirely on the two lead actors, and the Academy's public relations strategy during the awards season was also slightly different.

Otherwise, given James Mangold's reputation after years in Hollywood, it wouldn't be difficult for him to register for the Venice or Toronto Film Festival.

The difficulty lies in whether or not they can make it into the main competition.

Now, the butterfly effect has changed everything, and "Walking with the Song" can be regarded as a completely new movie, with a completely different situation and circumstances.

Thierry even personally came to invite them.

Thierry shook his head slightly. "No, we invited Anson Wood, not James Mangold."

Anson pursed his lips, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and his gaze fell meaningfully on Thierry once more.

"I thought that in France, film is the art of the director, everything revolves around the director, the director is the soul and core of the film, and the actors are just a part of the film. So, after you took office, are you planning to start a brand new wave of reform in Cannes?"

(End of this chapter)