Hollywood starts with an agent

Chapter 206 Necessary Public Relations

For Wang Zhuxian, she was most familiar with Leslie Cheung among the crew of Farewell My Concubine;

However, for Aaron, among the Chinese-speaking actors he only pays attention to Jack Cheng and Jet Lee, and perhaps also director John Woo.

"Let me take you back, Joey!"

Wang Zhuxian's English name is Joey, and Aaron took her arm and walked towards the hotel.

"Thank you," Wang Zhuxian did not object, and the two walked back along the beach together.

"By the way, we're filming 'Rumble in the Bronx'. Should I join the crew early?"

"Joining the crew early?" Aaron smiled. "The crew is still in preparation. It's mainly composed of people from Golden Harvest, and Shuguang is responsible for coordination."

"The filming location is Canada, where the cost of living is lower than in New York, so the filming cost is cheaper!"

After arriving at Wang Zhuxian's hotel, Aaron kissed her on the cheek and said, "If you'd like, you can travel to the United States or Canada for a while. I'll arrange it for you."

Wang Zhuxian nodded and said, "Thank you for accompanying me tonight!"

"Who wouldn't want to be with a beautiful woman? Are you going back to Hong Kong directly next?"

"I will stay in Europe for a while, and then go directly to Canada. 'Rumble in the Bronx' will start filming in early July, and I want to adapt in advance!"

"By the way, in a couple of days, come with me to Sainte-Marguerite Island to see the scenery. It's covered with green trees and it's the time when jasmine and gardenia are in bloom."

Aaron extended the invitation.

Wang Zhuxian smiled, "Aren't you busy?"

"I'm not busy. The company has a lot of employees, and there are many things I don't need to worry about personally. I'll come pick you up when the time comes..."

Most of the deals at the Cannes Film Festival took place in hotel rooms, but apart from "Farewell My Concubine" and "The Piano Lesson", Shuguang didn't have any new films that interested him!
At night, in the room of the yacht, Aaron Anderson rolled off Sophie Marceau and took a few deep breaths.

Sophie Marceau propped up her head and ran her hand over Aaron's body. "The young director Steven Soderbergh, with whom you've worked before, directed King of the Hill, which has also been shortlisted for the main competition. Have you been paying attention?"

"Steven Soderbergh?" Aaron shook his head. "No, the film 'Kafka' he directed two years ago was just average."

"I know about the film shortlisted for the main competition, Much Ado About Nothing, directed and starred by British director Kenneth Branagh. It didn't even get a single nomination at the previous Oscars!"

The movie Much Ado About Nothing stars not only Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, but also Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves;
Moreover, Aaron also discovered Kate Beckinsale, the future heroine of "Underworld", another British rose.

Sophie Marceau yawned. "I heard Brad Grey from your company mention a Spanish movie called 'The Four Thousand Daughters';"

"It was released in Spain last year and earned 7.25 million Spanish pesetas!"

7.25 million pesetas, which is equivalent to 550 million US dollars.

"I know that Sony Classics has the North American distribution rights for this movie," Aaron knew about "The 40th Anniversary Lover" because he met the sexy Spanish girl Penelope Cruz at last year's Venice International Film Festival.
At the time, Penelope Cruz's Spanish drama "Ham, Ham" won the Silver Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. Penelope Cruz had just finished filming "The Lover of the Golden Girl" not long ago, and the North American distribution rights were acquired by Sony Pictures Classics.
When "The Golden Flower" was released in Spain at the end of last year, it won the annual box office championship in Spain!
"Okay, go to sleep. You're the ambassador of the Cannes Film Festival now, and you have a lot of activities to attend during the day."

Aaron said, patting the other person.

With the screening of "Farewell My Concubine" during the Cannes Film Festival, it received numerous praises!
Gilles Jacob, President of the Cannes Film Festival, gave it high praise: "Farewell My Concubine depicts a magnificent epic with its fantastic story. After learning about modern Chinese history, the film makes us feel even more immersed in it because it takes us back to that time and space, allowing me to resonate with it. It is one of the best films of 1993!"

Empire Magazine: "With stunning sets and a dramatic revolutionary backdrop, director Chen Kaige perfectly captures the relationship between the two boys."

Film Weekly: "Farewell My Concubine flows at such a tight pace that all its connections seem logical. It's filmed with such visual brilliance that any possible objections are swept aside."

Time Magazine: "Farewell My Concubine is a deeply moving epic film!"

The word-of-mouth of "Farewell My Concubine" was overwhelming, and it became a monument in the history of Chinese-language films, enjoying great success.

In the crew of "Farewell My Concubine", the 41-year-old director Chen Kaige is full of vigor and vitality, the 37-year-old actor Leslie Cheung is unparalleled in the world, and the 28-year-old actress Gong Li is peerless!

Dawn's distribution manager Brad Grey and the film's producer Ms. Xu Feng also spoke highly of the film.

"We at Shuguang previously released Zhang Yimou's film Ju Dou, which was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

"The following year, another film directed by Zhang Yimou, Raise the Red Lantern, was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film;"

“The artistry of Chinese films is trustworthy!”

Xu Feng smiled and said, "Mr. Gray, what do you think of Farewell My Concubine? What are its chances of being nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar?"

"Shortlisted, that's for sure!"

Brad Grey is very confident, "But the competition for the Oscars is huge. It's not only about the artistic quality of the film itself, but also about publicity;"

"Based on the promotion and marketing plans for Chinese-language films after they were nominated, it seems that Chinese-language filmmakers don't pay much attention to the publicity of their films."

Xu Feng was a little puzzled. "The Oscars are the highest honor in international film. Shouldn't the quality of the film be the standard?"

Brad Grey shook his head. “Although the Oscars value the quality of films, publicity is also essential if you want to win an award.”

"There are many judges at the Academy Awards. Only after the film has been promoted can it be known to them. Otherwise, it will be forgotten!"

"So, what does Mr. Gray mean?"

Doesn’t Xu Feng want to win an Oscar? Definitely not, she wants it too much;

Although the awards at the Cannes International Film Festival are also high honors, they are inferior to the Oscars in terms of fame and influence.

Brad Grey offered a pertinent suggestion: "During awards season early next year, the crew of Farewell My Concubine should go to Hollywood in advance to conduct the necessary public relations activities..."

(End of this chapter)