Huayu: Director started with art films

Chapter 22 [Going to Italy, Little Rich Woman Gong Li] Please read
Situ Zhaodun introduced Li Yishu who was following him: "Director Zhang, let me introduce you. This is Li Yishu, our school's graduate student this year. She is your junior. You, my senior, have to take good care of her when you go to Venice this time."

Li Yishu took a step forward, extended her hand and said warmly, "Hello, Director Zhang."

"Hello, Director Li."

Zhang Yimou looked at Director Li Yishu, who was nominated for the Venice Film Festival like himself, and was actually a young man who looked to be in his twenties. He couldn't help but sighed: "I didn't expect Director Li to be nominated for the Venice Film Festival at such a young age. It makes me ashamed. When I was your age, I was just an apprentice."

"You're too polite. I was just lucky to be shortlisted. I don't expect to win a prize, but it's great to be able to go there and gain some experience."

Li Yishu still admires this great director very much.

It's not just because the films he shot were good enough, but most importantly, he directed several large-scale national events in the future.

The 08 Olympics, in particular, really boosted people's morale at the time.

"You can talk about luck in other things, but there is no such thing as luck in this matter."

Zhang Yimou shook his head. The Venice Film Festival is not a small award. As one of the three major gold awards in Europe, it naturally has its own unique features and style. If the work is not good enough, it is absolutely impossible to be shortlisted.

Li Yishu smiled and said nothing more. Being humble once is enough. Any more would be a bit too much. As Zhang Yimou himself said, being shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival is not something that can be determined by luck.

If it is just for the domestic market, this year's "Raise the Red Lantern" by Zhang Yimou is enough to meet political needs, and there is no need to add another Chinese-language film.

"Okay, you two directors who were shortlisted for Venice Film Festival, stop complimenting each other."

Situ Zhaodun said with a smile, "Director Zhang, I'm leaving Yishu to you. You're also his senior. This is his first time going abroad, so please help take care of him in Venice."

"Don't worry, I will take care of Director Li when we get there."

Zhang Yimou nodded. There was no need for Situ Zhaodun to say more about this matter. He would naturally take care of the other party within his ability. "By the way, Director Li, have you arranged the hotel?"

"not yet."

"Then I'll talk to our crew and see if I can order one for you."

"Is this not necessary, Director Zhang? I can just go there and order it myself."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to book a room there. Once the Venice shortlist is released, the hotel rooms there will basically be fully booked. Even if there are any, they are far away from the film exhibition."

Hearing this, Li Yishu felt that if she went there to make an order, she might not be able to get one, so she simply nodded and agreed: "Then I'll trouble Director Zhang."

"You're welcome. We are all family. We must help each other when we go to Venice this time."

Zhang Yimou suddenly changed the subject: "Come to think of it, I'm really curious about what story Director Li's movie is about."

Situ Zhaodun said, "The school has a copy. If Director Zhang wants to see it, he can go to the screening room."

Zhang Yimou was somewhat tempted, but after thinking about it, he shook his head and declined: "Forget it. I'll go to Venice tomorrow. It won't be too late to watch it at the film festival."

After chatting for a few more words, Zhang Yimou left in a hurry.

This time, Zhang Yimou is not like Li Yishu who is going to the Venice Film Festival alone. In addition to him as the director, a group of people from the "Big Red Lantern" crew also have to go to Venice.

There is no need to say much about the heroine Gong Li, she will definitely go.

There are also film producers, such as Qiu Fusheng, the boss of Hong Kong Era Film Company, and producer Hou Xiaoxian, but they flew directly from Hong Kong to Venice, so they did not need to meet up in Yanjing.

Therefore, the only people who actually set out from Yenching were Zhang Yimou, Gong Li and a few assistants who knew translation, and Li Yishu who was also shortlisted.

There were six of us in total, and we flew to Italy the next morning. At present, there are no direct flights from Yanjing International Airport to Venice, so we need to transfer in Rome or Milan.

Li Yishu and his group chose to rest in Milan for a night and then fly to Venice the next day, just in time to adjust to the time difference.

"This is Milan—"

Li Yishu was attracted by the cityscape of Milan outside the car window. This is different from the architectural style in China, and there are Gothic-style buildings everywhere.

He didn't know much about Milan, he only knew that Inter Milan and AC Milan, the two giants in the football world, were located here.

In the car, Gong Li said, "Yishu, didn't you say you wanted to buy a suit? There seem to be a lot of private suit shops in Milan, why don't you buy it here?"

After sitting on the plane for most of the day, Li Yishu also became familiar with Gong Li.

Although the roles played by Gong Li in movies often give people the charm of a mature woman, she is actually only 26 years old this year, and she was only 22 years old when she starred in "Red Sorghum".

The age difference between her and Lee Yi-su is not that big, and Gong Li herself is a generous person, so the two soon started calling each other sister and brother.

"Sister Gong Li, let's go to Venice to buy it."

Li Yishu wanted to find a private handicraft shop in Milan to make a custom-made suit, but he was short of money.

He brought a total of 300 US dollars this time, which is more than 1600 yuan according to the exchange rate. He exchanged his royalties and the 1000 yuan sponsorship from the school.

As the world's fashion and art center, Milan is the birthplace of hundreds of luxury brands, large and small.

Among the world's top brands are Armani, Versace, Fanta, Prada, Valentino... and so on, and there are even more local small and medium-sized luxury brands.

Luxury goods are expensive, and Li Yishu certainly can’t afford them, but he can’t afford those handicraft workshops either.

If you run a suit workshop in Milan without some skills, it would have gone bankrupt long ago.

For a technically sophisticated suit shop like this, the cost of custom-made clothes is definitely not cheap. Even if you buy ready-made clothes, it would cost at least one or two hundred dollars.

Li Yishu didn't want to spend all of her only $300 public relations fee on buying clothes.

“Wouldn’t it be better to buy it here?”

"that……"

Seeing that Li Yishu had changed her previous attitude and was hesitant, Gong Li didn't understand at first, and then she realized that she might be short of money.

Seeing that it was because of this that she didn't want to buy it, Gong Li waved her hand and said generously: "Buy it here, I'll pay for you."

As the mainland's most internationally influential actress, Gong Li has a considerable fortune.

In recent years, she has filmed many movies, several of which are set in Hong Kong or Taiwan.

Even if their pay is less than that of actors in Hong Kong and Taiwan, it is definitely much higher than that in China, even dozens or hundreds of times higher.

The salary of the heroine in "God of Gamblers 2: The Shanghai Beach" alone is at least tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands, and it is not impossible for her to earn a million.

So Gong Li can definitely be considered a small wealthy woman these days.

Seeing Gong Li's determination to pay for her, what else could Li Yishu say? She couldn't just say "It smells so good", right?

　Thanks to A-Lin for the reward, and thanks to everyone for the monthly tickets. Dear readers, please give me more recommendation tickets and monthly tickets!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)