New Age Artists

Chapter 682 Breaking the defense!

Inside a hotel in Berlin.

Several reporters from the University of Tokyo who were covering the Berlin Film Festival gathered together. Compared to Cannes and Venice, covering the Berlin Film Festival was more difficult, but it was also a good job.

After all, I was traveling abroad at public expense, the German economy was pretty good, and the entire film festival lasted ten days.

The delay is equivalent to half a month's paid travel.

Therefore, those who can get opportunities basically have a certain background.

"The world is going downhill and morals are corrupt!"

Chen Mo is a well-known print media reporter. This is a reflection of his inner feelings after the farce at the award ceremony.

The colleague next to him sighed.

"Once morals have been corrupted, it will take many years and generations to restore them."

"Ning Hao must have planned to reject the award for a long time!"

"How can you let people lose face? Have you ever thought about the consequences?"

Some people were also worried: "I don't know if they will misunderstand us and not send us an invitation next time."

"I have apologized on your behalf, and my attitude is sincere! But in this case, after all, we are the ones who made the mistake. Where is our team leader? Where are the relevant departments? What is Ning Hao doing? They should take responsibility and apologize!"

Some people gnashed their teeth and said, "They destroyed other people's places. How could this happen? They deserve to be killed!"

"We're having a celebration party!"

Hearing this, Chen Mo took a sip of the dark beer and sipped it twice. The taste of the Royal Dark Beer was just right and much better than the Dongda Beer.

"In today's film industry, all ethical standards have been lost, and all filmmakers care about is money."

Hearing Chen Mo's words, the person sitting next to him sneered: "Money? Can a director in our country who can only bully others at home earn money in the international market?"

"Yeah, he's just a clown who is just trying to attract attention and create publicity."

“How do Chinese-language films sell well and become popular in overseas markets? How many have they actually sold?”

"The overseas box office and sales revenue of Chinese-language films in 12 was only 10.63 billion yuan, in RMB! This is nearly half of the 11 billion yuan in 20.46. There are less than films, and they can't sell!"

Chen Mo nodded.

He interviewed Jiang Yanming, CEO of North American Huashi Film Distribution Company, which distributes domestic films in North America, and the other party explained it very clearly.

In the past five years, Chinese films can be described as disappearing in North America. Even the martial arts films, which are the pride of Chinese-language films, have difficulty gaining much attention.

Currently, the audience for Chinese-language films released overseas is mainly Chinese, and very few Western audiences are willing to pay for them.

Among the Chinese-language films released by Huashi in recent years, the one with the highest box office in North America is If You Are the One 2, but it only grossed $42.6. Films such as Shaolin Temple and Flying Swords of Dragon Gate all had poor box office performances, and Nineteen Forty-Two only grossed $30 in North America.

Everyone tacitly agreed not to mention Shen Santong.

In the eyes of people in their circle, Shen Santong is not making a movie. He is relying on national sentiment and hype, which is not a movie at all.

A man wearing glasses said, "Isn't it right that the movie can't sell at the box office? We don't even deserve it!"

"What Wang Xiaoshuai said is very good. If the domestic market is good, these people will die. Under the temptation of the market and box office, domestic directors have no time to care about other things."

"Even when they participate in exhibitions abroad, they are only seeking more attention at home. They only emphasize box office and lose their artistic pursuits. They don't pay attention to reality and society. They have no patience and conscience."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement again.

He also interviewed Wang Xiaoshuai about the collective silence of Chinese-language films overseas in recent years.

"You are absolutely right! Domestic filmmakers can only bully others in their own backyard, blindly making movies behind closed doors, and looking at their own reflections and pitying themselves! They only focus on self-appreciation and digestion, ignoring the external circulation of the international market, and will be further and further away from the art of film."

"We filmmakers lack international awareness in the selection of film themes and marketing. Things like "Getting Better: Village Night" are just for self-entertainment."

“It is becoming increasingly rare to see Chinese filmmakers on the award-winning podiums of major film festivals around the world.”

"Last year, Chinese-language films failed to win any awards in the main competition units of the three major international film festivals, especially at the 69th Venice Film Festival, where no Chinese-language films were nominated for the first time in 10 years."

"Even Venice, once a paradise for Chinese filmmakers, has closed its doors. At the upcoming 85th Academy Awards, Chinese films have missed the final nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for 10 consecutive years."

"We should enhance artistry and international awareness to restore the reputation of Chinese-language films in overseas markets and prevent the loss of favor from becoming a common phenomenon."

"What about now? You rejected someone's kindness! I can only say that you deserve it!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help feeling heartbroken.

This Chinese movie is not about to end, it has already ended!
"Ning Hao, what a great opportunity! This Berlin Film Festival has given great recognition to Chinese-language films. The red carpet design has added a lot of oriental themes."

"This is the aloof and politically critical Berlin Bear!"

"Chinese films are not as good as before. If you don't participate in the competition as your main purpose, why are you here? You hope to make money from overseas markets and get the opportunity to be released in the international market, but you are hurting others like this?"

"If you don't treat them well, why should they treat us well?"

As everyone chatted, they came to a conclusion.

Chinese movies are ruined.

"Have you finished writing your manuscripts? How do you plan to write about Ning Hao's rejection of the award?" A chubby young man with a smile asked, "I see it's already a hot search on Weibo."

Chen Mo sneered: "Humph! Weibo is just Shen Santong's mouthpiece! He would be so happy about this. Ning Hao and he have an old grudge, and he doesn't think highly of the International Film Festival. Maybe he is secretly happy now!"

Someone asked, “How are you going to write it?”

The happy young man said, "I have already distributed all of mine."

Everyone was shocked: "Have you finished sending it?"

"I posted it from my personal account. My company asked me to switch to self-media, and I also wanted to create an account. I usually prepare several manuscripts, some of which are about domestic films that won awards and some that did not. For this unexpected incident, I wrote it at the venue, made some simple changes, and posted it. This manuscript is not suitable for the company, but it is suitable for self-media. I wrote another one for the company."

Many people read his article and it has received thousands of likes.

Considering the time difference with China, it’s already scary.

It should be the highest among everyone. Their articles are okay in their own print media, but they don't have many clicks when they are put on the Internet. It's not that their articles are bad, but that today's readers are superficial.

Looking at the title again, everyone's eyes fixed.

"New generation director Ning Hao wins the Golden Bear!"

A quick glance at the content tells an impassioned story of how Ning Hao slapped the Golden Bear Award in the face and stepped into the three major film festivals.

The crowd was silent at first and then became angry.

"Can you write like this? Your reporting goes against the truth!"

"Superficial! No content, just gimmicks."

In their view, this is a pure populist narrative, where emotions override everything and violate the basic principles of reporting.

The happy young man was unhappy: "You are just jealous of me, what I wrote is the truth."

Chen Mo said, "Delete it. Such articles will mislead the public."

As soon as this was said, many people echoed it.

The happy young man's expression changed.

The number of followers on his self-media account is increasing very slowly. Ning Hao’s refusal of the award is an opportunity for his personal account and also a great opportunity for him.

The rise of self-media is constantly squeezing the space of traditional media. Everyone here is an employee of a print media unit, including Lehe Youth.

He wanted to set up his own media account, take some advertisements, and earn some money for milk powder.

I didn't quite agree with their ideas in the first place. It's a different era now, and these people are not that old, but they reek of zombies in a graveyard.

The cheerful young man simply stopped pretending.

"Chinese-language films are doing pretty well, breaking records in China and growing rapidly overseas. They are recognized by the global film industry as the market with the best growth rate."

"What's wrong with making money at the box office? I think it's funny to say that we're losing favor or fighting for favor. We are not cultural vassals of anyone. Using the word 'favor' is putting Chinese-language films down a bit, isn't it?"

Seeing that he dared to talk back, many people became angry and shouted at him.

The relationship was broken up, and the cheerful young man didn't stay any longer and just got up and left.

"I need to proofread the manuscript." As the cheerful young man left, two others also left with excuses.

"You! You guys!"

Chen Mo looked at this sad scene. They, journalists, were a combination of historians and censors, and they should lead society with their pens.

The nights in Berlin are long and cold.

But anger was flowing in Chen Mo's veins.

“I don’t think I can cause trouble to others.”

"Yes, Ning Hao's refusal of the award is a scandal, and it is not the focus of the report."

Listening to the words of other colleagues, Chen Mo's heart warmed again.

After all, there are fellow travelers.

Domestic. Shen Santong pulled his hand out from the softness. Da Mi Mi was very tired after being busy all night last night.

While eating breakfast, the assistant did not forget to remind me about the Berlin Film Festival.

"Ouch!"

Shen Santong first glanced at the media reports and hot searches, then looked at the news from Xu Guangtou last night, and was very surprised.

He expected Ning Hao to cause a stir at the Berlin Film Festival, but it was indeed unexpected that "No Man's Land" won the Golden Bear Award.

Shen Santong had thought about it, but it was just a thought because it was verified by reality.

This indirectly shows that the three major film festivals are indeed a bit anxious.

These film festivals are not doing well nowadays. Not to mention art film festivals, even the ratings of the Oscars have been declining year after year.

The year 2013 was the year when the Chinese film industry was in transition, and the sixth generation of directors was in the final stages of their collective foray into international film festivals.

Except for those directors who have trained professionally but have lost their minds, the new generation of directors rarely have a filter for international film festivals.

After all, only a few people truly believe in art.

The reason why I like international film festivals is that there was a gap between China and Western developed countries before, but now the gap has narrowed, the domestic market is booming, and the foreign market is closed.

As long as you are not out of touch with the world, you will know what to choose.

And cultural conflicts are becoming more and more intense.

This was also the time when Western film festivals' "preference for ugliness" for Chinese films reached its peak.

This is how Mo Yan won the award.

It’s hard to win at the industrial level, so we can only continue to win in the cultural field.

"Good guy."

After reading Guangtou Xu's letter and seeing Ning Hao's remarks, Shen Santong's eyes widened.

Logically speaking, Ning Hao's refusal speech should be powerful yet polite, and the message could be passed off as such.

However, Ning Hao used more than a minute of speech on the podium to point out the cultural colonial tendency of the international film festival, refusing to become a "specimen of Orientalism", pointing out the systematic bias, and directly naming colonialism and cultural hegemony.
"Is it so tough?" This was beyond Shen Santong's expectations.

But on second thought, it makes sense.

Nowadays, apart from him, no other directors have made it to the forefront of domestic films.

Those who hoped to get ahead through traditional fifth-generation and sixth-generation channels were in even worse shape. Since 06, their channels have basically been cut off.

Now, seven years have passed, and those who were kneeling have basically been strangled to death.

In terms of interests, there is nothing that can restrain Ning Hao, and he doesn't have to worry about losing interests.

As long as you break the filter in your heart, you can do whatever you want.

"Are you eating?" Yang Mi came out of the bathroom.

She was only wearing a loose T-shirt, which belonged to Shen San Tong. Even after waking up, her face did not look tired at all. Instead, it was rosy and moisturized. Her straight beautiful legs were bouncing around.

Big Mi Mi picked up the bun on the dining table, took a bite, and lay on Shen Santong.

"Ah?" Yang Mi couldn't help but open her mouth and almost spit out the words.

What did she see that Ning Hao refused the Golden Bear Award?

I rely on!

Take another look!
still!

Big Mi Mi was shocked!
Shen Santong looked up speechlessly: "What are you doing?"

Yang Mi asked: "Ning Hao refused the Golden Bear Award?"

Shen Santong nodded.

Da Mi Mi came back to her senses, looked at the documents placed next to the table, and was stunned again.

At the top was a letter from Guangtou Xu, printed out by his assistant.

"Were you the one pushing this from behind?" Yang Mi was even more shocked.

Shen Santong quickly denied: "I didn't, it wasn't me, don't talk nonsense."

Da Mi Mi's IQ is not low, it is definitely high among celebrities. She picked up the letter from Xu Guangtou and asked: "Can you explain it?"

Shen Santong: "I thought about it in my early years and made plans, but because I developed too fast, I put it on hold."

Da Mi Mi: "Then why did Ning Hao refuse the award now?"

Shen Santong: "Guangtou Xu has a lot of thoughts. He probably wants to work alone. I have no shortage of fame and fortune. He probably wants to use this to his advantage."

Da Mi Mi understood: "To please you?"

After all, she is like that too.

He took a special leave from the crew, intending to face the challenge head on, bringing his children with him to join the Three Links, in order to enter the core circle.

Shen Santong shook his head: "Not really, these are all trivial matters. I am more concerned about the changes in public opinion."

Today it is today.

For Shen Santong, trampling on the three major European film festivals is nothing.

Even if you don't go through this method, you can still pay for it.

Yang Mi was confused: "This is one of the three major European film festivals, it's the Berlin Film Festival, brother!"

Shen Santong thought she was quite cute when he saw her like this.

Shen Santong has experienced the feeling of having his filter broken and unable to hold back many times. Some of them were intentional, so he is not surprised.

"Eat, don't move."

Shen Santong asked Yang Mi to eat her meal obediently while he watched the public opinion develop.

Some media are still covering up.

"Unable to Catch the Bear: Berlin Is No Longer a Land of Promise for Chinese Films"

"Although Wang Jiawei served as the jury chairman of this year's film festival, many Chinese films such as "Stranger" participated in the competition for awards such as the New Generation Unit, and "No Man's Land" was shortlisted for the main competition unit, but in the end they all lost."

"Both the Berlin International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival were once the paradise for Chinese-language filmmakers, but in recent years these former paradises have closed their doors to Chinese-language films. Some industry insiders believe that this is a manifestation of the continuous decline in the artistic innovation ability of Chinese-language films."

"The Romanian film "Child's Pose" won the most coveted Golden Bear Award. The film tells the story of a mother doing everything for her son who hit someone with his car. It is permeated with deep darkness and despair."

"The comedy "Prince Avalanche" by American independent director David Gordon Green won the Silver Bear Award. The film describes the life of two road maintenance workers working in the forest. There are no more than 10 characters. The location is a remote mountain forest that has been burned by a fire. The filming time was only 16 days."

"The Berlin Film Festival is known for its emphasis on art and its encouragement of new talent, which has brought a spring in the careers of many young filmmakers. It was also a blessed land for Chinese filmmakers. Many directors, including Zhang Yimou, Wang Xiaoshuai, Wang Quan'an, and Jia Zhangke, became famous through this film festival."

"But in recent years, Chinese films and Chinese filmmakers have frequently fallen out of favor. Last time, Wang Quanan's "White Deer Plain" participated in the competition, and only the film's German photographer Lutz won the Silver Bear Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution."

"This year's Chinese films missed all the awards. The Stranger, directed by mainland director Quan Ling, which was screened in the Forum section, was shortlisted for the Best Debut Award, and Some Praise Intelligence, Some Don't, directed by Yang Jin, was shortlisted for the Crystal Bear Award in the Children's section. Zhou Yan's The Boy from Babylon was shortlisted for the Short Film Competition section, but none of them won any awards in the end."

"When asked about the 'extinction' of Chinese films in this year's list of winners in an interview, Wang Jiawei said there was no need to panic: Just like the changing seasons, everything has its cycle, and I believe there will be more Chinese films coming to Berlin in the future."

Shen Santong frowned slightly.

This reporting direction is the caliber of the three major European countries. Now on the external network, Europe is helping to cover up, and the BBC, which has always liked to stir up trouble, has remained silent.

Only the United States is mocking it on the Internet, and the mainstream media is silent.

However, when he looked at the self-media again, Shen Santong couldn't help but relax his brows.

All the self-media netizens were excited.

Of course, some people were able to break through.

A well-known cultural critic with the online name “Lighthouse Watcher” posted on Weibo: “On one side, a monkey wearing chain mail and golden armor shouted to protect the people! The audience of Dongda University was collectively hypnotized again!”

"On the other hand, the hype of No Man's Land has no bottom line, and Ning Hao has no basic professional ethics."

“Chinese-language movies are over!”

"The context is broken!"

However, the highly praised comments below are all mocking.

[In "The Avengers", Iron Man's chest glows and he shouts "Protect the Earth". Is this a sign that Godzilla will land on the ruins of the Statue of Liberty in New York? ]

[I just read your Weibo in 2011, praising Po in Kung Fu Panda for protecting peace as a universal value, and the Dongda Monkey is a metaphor? ]

[You boasted before that you need to have the spirit of breaking authority, but Ning Hao's refusal to accept the award does not mean that you have to break authority? ]

"Don't make trouble."

Before Shen Santong could read a few comments, Yang Mi took action this time.

Looking at the smiling Yang Mi, Shen Santong waved his hand, asked the assistant to close the door, clean up the table, and began to teach her a lesson.

(End of this chapter)