The literary era since 1979

The Japanese economy was in dire straits due to the bursting of the bubble economy, and newspapers and television stations were filled with news of people committing suicide on certain days and in certain places every day.

A somber and oppressive atmosphere swept across Japan, replacing the previous decadent, glamorous, and dreamlike joy and revelry.

Fortunately, Shochiku did not dabble excessively in the financial industry like Kadokawa Pictures, so it escaped unscathed when the bubble burst. Ken Takakura, Keiko Matsuzaka, Komaki Kurihara, and others boarded a plane to Germany with a relaxed and carefree mood.

Upon arriving in Berlin, the group immediately headed to the hotel designated by the organizing committee. On the way, they passed the Berlin Wall that had previously divided East and West Germany. The wall had been demolished since November of last year, and now only ruins remain, with some small bricks and fragments still on the ground.

Fang Yan glanced at it coldly, inwardly thinking that Germany was truly lucky.

Although East Germany signed the Plaza Accord, just like Japan, its technology, population, capital, and market were incorporated into West Germany. This meant that Germany would not experience a hard landing after the bursting of the bubble like Japan, but would instead achieve a soft landing, and might even develop better than before.

Just as he was lost in thought, Keiko Matsuzaka keenly noticed his unusual behavior:
"What are you thinking about?"

"This year's Berlin Film Festival is different from the usual ones."

Fang Yan rubbed his hands together.

Why do you say that, Mr. Dialect?

Ken Takakura, Komaki Kurihara, and others were very curious.

Fang Yan explained, "With the fall of the Berlin Wall, this year's Berlin Film Festival is the first film festival after the reunification of East and West Germany. In terms of both scale and attention, it is incomparable to previous years."

Everyone understood the implied meaning and became extremely excited.

"Don't be too nervous."

Fang Yan patted Matsuzaka Keiko's hand, "Just do what needs to be done, and everything will be fine as long as everything goes according to plan."

After calming the team down, I looked out at the city blanketed in snow, wondering when Xie Fei and Jiang Wen would arrive.

…………

The heavy snow finally stopped the next day.

Xie Fei and his group also appeared in the hotel lobby in the afternoon, presenting invitation letters and other documents.

"Damn, it's freezing cold today. Thank goodness I'm wearing a military overcoat."

Jiang Wen, wrapped in a military overcoat, looked around.

"Yanzi mentioned before that he would attend this year's Berlin Film Festival, but I don't know if he's arrived in Germany yet?"

Xie Fei carried his luggage and walked straight to the front desk.

Just then, the manager saw that it was the "Black Snow" film crew from China and smiled, saying that Fang Yan had left a message at the front desk saying that a Chinese film crew had come to the hotel, and asked them to come to his room for a chat. He then gave Fang Yan's room number.

"I didn't expect Teacher Fang to arrive so quickly!"

Jiang Wen's face was full of excitement. He quickly put his luggage in his room and, without even worrying about jet lag, went straight to the fifth floor.

"Dong dong dong."

With a knock on the door, Fang Yan shifted his attention from writing "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" to the door.

As soon as the door opened, familiar faces such as Xie Fei, Jiang Wen, and Liang Tian came into view.

"come on in!"

Fang Yan invited them to sit down, and they exchanged pleasantries with each other.

"Professor Fang, I didn't expect that a Japanese film company would adapt your work for the competition this time."

After learning more about it, Jiang Wen couldn't help but sigh.

Xie Fei repeated "mortician" several times, seemingly having a feeling, "Doesn't it sound similar to a mortician or a paper sculptor?"

"It's closer to the Nanmu Masters of Hong Kong, except that the rituals and deliverance are performed by Buddhist monks rather than Taoist priests."

Fang Yan took out the novel "Departures" from his briefcase. "This is adapted from a screenplay. I came in a hurry this time and only brought these few Chinese versions." He then distributed the novels to everyone. "If you are interested, you can take a look before the film festival starts."

Jiang Wen didn't open it immediately. "Teacher Fang, could you tell us about the story?"

Fang Yan joked, "Are you trying to get information out of me?"

"Ha ha!"

These words immediately caused a burst of laughter throughout the room, filling the air with a joyful atmosphere.

Seeing Jiang Wen awkwardly touch his nose, Fang Yan stopped teasing him and earnestly recounted the plot of "Departures".

Xie Fei and the others gradually became immersed in the story, not because the dialect was spoken as vividly as a skilled ventriloquist in Beijing, but because of the theme and intention of death in "Departures," as well as the clever reconciliation between father and son, husband and wife, and professions at the end.

"The Berlin Film Festival tends to focus on social issues and humanistic concerns, valuing films that reflect social realities and have profound social significance."

According to Fang Yan, this was the key reason why "Departures" was selected for the Berlin Film Festival.

"What a coincidence! Our film 'Black Snow' is also a movie that reflects social issues!"

Jiang Wen slapped his thigh, overjoyed.

Fang Yan thought back carefully but had no recollection of the film. Upon asking, she learned it was adapted from Liu Heng's novel, *Black Snow*, which tells the story of Li Huiquan, an unemployed youth who injured someone in a fight for his friend, resulting in imprisonment. After his release, his mother had passed away, and his home was empty. With the Lunar New Year of the Dragon approaching, Li Huiquan would turn twenty-four; this year was his birth year in the Chinese zodiac.

However, he lived a muddled and confused life. First, his love life was unsuccessful; the bar singer Zhao Yaqiu, whom he liked, did not reciprocate his feelings. Then, his friend Cha Zi, who was in prison, escaped. Out of loyalty, he helped Cha Zi escape, committing the crime of harboring a criminal. As a result, he got completely drunk.

Before he could turn himself in at the police station, he was robbed by two teenagers. He was stabbed in the abdomen, and dark red blood flowed out.

Finally, clutching his wound, he collapsed, his figure lying on the street looking so lonely. He had lived through the boring, lonely, confused, and depressed years of his 24th year, amidst the falling black snow, and then remained forever at 25. The whole story is about the confusion of contemporary youth, with a touch of melancholy.

"Yanzi, what do you think?"

Xie Fei cast an inquiring glance at him.

"A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold; a person faces a hurdle at the end of their life."

Fang Yu said slowly, "But since it's adapted from 'Black Snow,' why is the movie titled 'The Year of My Birth'?"

Xie Fei explained that there was no snow during the winter when the film was being shot, so the creative team felt that they hadn't captured any snow scenes and that using "Black Snow" as the film's title wouldn't be quite appropriate. Then, he had a flash of inspiration and suggested changing the title to "Benmingnian" (the year of one's birth sign), because he did indeed die in his own birth year. And, even more coincidentally, this year happens to be Xie Fei's own birth year, so they simply made "Benmingnian" the film's title.

Fang Yan let out a soft "Eh," and said, "It's such a coincidence that this year is also my birth year in the Chinese zodiac!"

"What a coincidence!" Xie Fei, Jiang Wen, and the others exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, what a coincidence!"

Fang Yan wasn't particularly enthusiastic about winning the Golden Bear or Silver Bear awards, but since it's her birth year, she naturally has to give it her all!

………………

In the dead of winter in February, the entire city of Berlin was covered in ice and snow.

Last night, freezing rain even fell, making the already gray city seem even colder.

Inside, however, it was incredibly hot, and the fighting was raging.

"Phew!" Fang Yan suddenly threw off the covers, exhaled, and rolled out of bed. "Heh, I'm covered in sweat."

"I'm not coming." Keiko Matsuzaka poked her head out from under the covers, her cheeks flushed and her breathing rapid.

"Let's take a short rest." Fang Yan stretched his upper body, which was covered in claw marks.

"Hmph, it's all your fault. You're doing this even though it's morning..."

Thinking about the craziness of the past few days, Keiko Matsuzaka was so embarrassed that she could hardly speak.

"I can't help it, I can't control myself when I see you." Fang Yan hugged him, blanket and all.

"Be careful not to get cold."

Keiko Matsuzaka unfolded the blanket and wrapped him inside, then nestled against his back, her chin resting on his shoulder. "What time is it? We're leaving for the cinema at 9:30, right?"

"It's 8 o'clock, time to take a shower."

"You go first, then I'll go."

"We must conserve water!"

The two of them continued their shameless playful fighting, and the sound of water coming from the bedroom was like stumbling through a pond.

The conversation only ended when Kurihara Komaki knocked on the door. Fang Yan was dressed in a suit and overcoat, with his hair styled in a slicked-back style and slicked-back hair. He had a very sophisticated air about him.

But if you prioritize style, you might neglect warmth.

Thankfully, they had put on heat packs beforehand, and their whole bodies felt warm and cozy. However, Keiko Matsuzaka and Komaki Kurihara couldn't keep up. Their gorgeous kimonos, which had been made in advance, were not resistant to the cold wind at all. As they walked the red carpet with the large group, the cold wind was blowing, and their teeth were chattering. They were beautiful but freezing.

However, the thought of having the opportunity to participate in an international film festival in their lifetime filled the two, who regarded acting as their life, with a burning passion.

Fang Yan glanced at it, unable to tell whether the trembling was due to the cold or excitement.

Originally, the film "Departures" did not attract much attention from the media. Just like other Japanese films that are submitted to other film festivals in the past, unless they are works by Japanese film masters such as Akira Kurosawa, this time it greatly exceeded their expectations.

They only realized it when the dialect-speaking faces appeared in the camera lens.

So it turns out that the behind-the-scenes story of "Departures" is actually about dialect!
Since "Farewell My Concubine" shone at Cannes and the Oscars, and "In the Mood for Love" amazed Venice, novels and screenplays written in dialects have become extremely sought after in the literary and film industries. It seems that only those who can adapt to plays written in dialects can expect to become famous in no time.

"Kakakaka."

The creative team, who were initially ignored, suddenly became highly sought after, with camera shutters clicking and flashes going off all at once, as handsome men and beautiful women blended seamlessly with the vast snowy landscape.

Keiko Matsuzaka and Komaki Kurihara stood on either side of Fang Yan, their faces beaming with smiles. Especially when they looked at him, their eyes were filled with tenderness and affection.

The red carpet stretched all the way to the entrance of the cinema palace, where an elderly man who had been waiting for a long time stood in the lobby.

Moritz Haderden is now the director of the Berlin Film Festival.

At that time, the three major European film festivals were not in the same position as they would be in later years, and Berlin's presence was the least among the three.

On the contrary, the Berlin Film Festival at this time, after his predecessor's sweeping reforms, changed the festival's dates, added new sections, created the European Film Market, and promoted film transactions, becoming the "leader" among the three major European film festivals.

Otherwise, why would a Hollywood film festival like "Rain Man" bother coming to Berlin in the wind, snow, and cold?

It's just that later on, it stopped actively engaging with Hollywood, and without Hollywood stars to support it, its exposure decreased, and its commercial value and influence naturally declined significantly. As a result, it was replaced by the more flexible and inclusive Cannes Film Festival, since the Berlin Film Festival has always favored political films.

It's even "politics first," because the Berlin Film Festival was, from the very beginning, a cultural and ideological stronghold born out of the Cold War.

For example, his predecessor unilaterally included "The Deer Hunter" in the competition section, which caused huge controversy around the world and forced him to resign. Moritz took over the hot potato of the Berlin Film Festival at this time. Fortunately, he successfully opened a breakthrough from East Germany, repaired relations with the Red Alliance and Eastern European countries, and took the opportunity to integrate films from the East and West camps, facilitating cultural exchanges between them. Moreover, he made Berlin a precursor to the Oscars, gradually shedding its Cold War connotations and becoming a highly anticipated world-class film event.

"Hey, Fang, I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Hello, Haderden."

Fang Yan heard him speaking fluent English and understood that he was extending goodwill, so she smiled and shook hands with him.

Moritz couldn't help but exclaim, "After watching your screenings of 'Farewell My Concubine' and 'In the Mood for Love' at Cannes and Venice, I've wondered more than once when I'd see you at the Berlin Film Festival..."

"Then today, as you wish."

He greeted her warmly in a dialectal tone, "I'm here!"

"If I had known that one of your films was in the main competition, I would have gone to the hotel immediately."

Moritz said sincerely, "Instead of only seeing you here today."

"I asked people not to disclose this information during the registration process."

The purpose of using dialects is actually quite clear: to artificially create a contrast, which will allow "Departures" to gain more attention at film festivals. Originally, I would disdain using this kind of trick in Chinese-language films, but unfortunately, Japanese films have been dormant on the international stage for many years.

"That's right."

Moritz exclaimed that it was a pity.

Fang Yan didn't think he was faking it at all, because like Biraghi and Marco Müller at the Venice Film Festival, he has been working hard to promote new Asian films, especially Chinese-language films, to the international film festival stage, such as Zhang Yimou's "Red Sorghum".

Moritz looked somewhat regretful. If he had known that "Departures" was a film in dialect, he would have made it the opening film, just as the Cannes Film Festival did with "Farewell My Concubine" and the Venice Film Festival did with "In the Mood for Love."

He said in a dialect, "Don't worry about it. I do hope you'll be welcome when the movie is shown."

Moritz confidently assured everyone that he would definitely attend with the judges. (End of Chapter)