Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 115: King of Venice (Free for a limited time only)!

Venice time, September 9, the day before the award ceremony, in the office of the jury.

"Li! I hope you save some spots for European films! This isn't Hollywood! This isn't Peking!"

"This is Venice! Venice, the city that stands up to Hollywood!"

The first to rise up in rebellion was Jacques Audiard, a French screenwriter who won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes in 1996.

Gong Li's English name is Gong Li, and the other judges on the organizing committee all call her Li. Foreigners pronounce this word more accurately.

She also disdains to give herself an English name and is even unwilling to speak English.

Gong Li refused to give in, slammed the table and stood up, yelling at Jacques Audiard.

"What do you mean by leaving some spots open? Good is good, bad is bad. Do we even need to consider the so-called balance when it comes to the Golden Lion Awards?"

"Whiplash is a notch above The Sisters in terms of its balance between commercial appeal and art form, its use of camera language, and its ingenious reversals in narrative structure."

"Balance is no reason for you to break the rules!"

According to word of mouth and audience response, the two films are evenly matched, but European filmmakers are not satisfied with De Harden's suppression and want to fight hard for the Golden Lion Award.

After all, most of the previous major awards went to Asian and American films.

After all, this is Venice, the home ground of Europeans.

Seeing that Jacques was no match for him, Italian actress Francesca Nelli also joined in at the right time.

"Whiplash has too much of a Hollywood vibe, which runs counter to the spirit of Venice, not to mention that the Best Actor award had already been given to Feng Yuanzheng."

"I still think Peter Mullan's 'Butterfly Sisters' is better."

"Exactly! Or maybe you'd rather give up the Best Actor award to Whiplash!"

"I support 'Sisters in the Brothel'!"

“We demand that the vote continue!”

Peter Mullan is the director of "Butterfield Sisters."

He was previously famous as an actor, and movie fans should have seen his "Trainspotting" and "Braveheart".

His strong network of contacts across Europe also laid a solid foundation for this feature film to win the award.

It was this religious film that actually won the Golden Lion Award in later generations.

The current situation is somewhat unfavorable.

Supporters of "Sisters of the Brothel": French screenwriter Jacques, Italian actor Nelli, Turkish director Usta Ogu, German producer Forsberg

Support for Whiplash: Chinese actress Gong Li, Hungarian photographer Kovacs
Among the seven judges, there was also a Russian poet who was more Buddhist and did not express a clear opinion.

Gong Li looked down at the six European judges on the stage with a stern expression, mentally trying to figure out how to make friends with those far away and attack those nearby.

"How about this, let's put the Golden Lion Award aside for now and choose the Silver Lion Award, the Grand Jury Prize, first."

"Let me first suggest the Russian film 'Mental Hospital'!"

Gong Huang looked at the Russian judge Yevtushenko with a sharp gaze. He joined the judging panel as a poet, and at this moment he gave him a knowing look in return.

It passed without much controversy.

Gong Li counted the votes in her mind.

One vote from Russia and one vote from Hungarian photographer Kovacs, who are her relatively certain allies.

Three to four, what to do?
Should we put aside democracy and concentrate first?
Suddenly the door of the conference room was pushed open and Chairman De Harden stepped in.

"Dear judges, please speed up the process. We need to leave enough time to notify the crew."

Then he pretended to smile casually and asked Gong Li: "Li, what's the result so far?"

"There's still one Golden Lion left, and there's some controversy, and it's still under discussion."

Jacques and others were keenly aware that something was wrong and protested loudly.

"Mr. Chairman, please leave first. Discussing the winners is the job of the judges. You have to understand the rules!"

DeHaden smiled indifferently and did not argue with him. He just gave judge Forsberg a hidden look before leaving.

This is a senior producer from Germany.

And he is the former chairman of the Berlin Film Festival who has been in charge for 20 years.

"Li, please compete for the Golden Lion Award film as soon as possible."

"Yes, Mr. Chairman."

Gong Li stood up, supported the table with both hands, and spread her wide sleeves on the conference table, like a queen ruling the world.

"Everyone!"

"I'm not saying that 'Brothel Sisters' is bad, but the film delves too deeply into religious themes. I think it's a malicious provocation to Catholicism."

"You can go and read the local Vatican newspaper. It's a shame that Mullan generalizes the hypocrisy of religious imagery to all priests."

"Is this the true meaning of the movie? No! This is a gimmick! This is hype! This is using religion as a pretext to gain favor!"

"I know you Europeans all have your own religious beliefs, but that can't be a reason to influence your judgment of film art!"

"I'm the chairman of the judging panel. This is the rule I set, and it's also the rule of film art. There are no exceptions! There's no such thing as balance!"

The six judges looked at each other. They didn't understand, but were shocked.

Gong Li suddenly turned to the translator and said solemnly, "Translate every word!"

Gong Li is a veteran actress who is very good at controlling her emotions. She doesn’t wait for the enemy to regroup and build an offensive, but directly initiates the final vote.

If that still doesn't work, she might use her power as the jury chairman to force the Golden Lion Award to be given to "Whiplash."

But that would be a blow to the authority of the award and would be far less convincing than the results of voting.

"I propose the Golden Lion Award winner of the 59th Venice Film Festival, China, The Road is Broad, Whiplash!"

"Who supports it? Please raise your hands!"

Russian poet Yevtushenko returned the favor and took the lead in expressing his position.

Next is Hungarian photographer Kovacs.

Jacques and the others looked around and were very glad that they had just driven De Harden away in time, preventing him from taking the opportunity to express his opinions and exert pressure.

He raised his hands with an air of victory.

"Now I propose..."

“I agree, Whiplash!”

Jacques and others suddenly turned around and saw their staunch ally, the German producer, Forsberg.

"you!"

Forsberg smiled and said, "Chairwoman Gong Li has convinced me. 'Sisters in the Brothel' has unavoidable flaws on religious issues and contains deliberate flattering, anti-film behavior. I thank Chairwoman Gong Li for reminding me of this."

"You're welcome, Mr. Forsberg!"

"Alright! Voting is over, meeting adjourned!"

Gong Li slammed the table and without giving others a chance to react, she quickly ordered the staff to notify Chairman De Harden.

She also breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in the chair, thinking that the matter was settled.

The Queen's disdainful eyes swept over the dejected European filmmakers.

Do you think you are all Adjani? Do you want to unite and attack Asian films?
I was a judge that year and could still fight with Ajani for 300 rounds.

Now I am the chairman!

My rules are my rules! "This is a film that explores the pursuit of art and the extremes of human nature, filled with sweat, blood, bursting drums and intense dramatic conflict. All of us judges were deeply moved by the ending of the story."

"A line in the movie's narration left me feeling restless for a long time. There's no more damaging comment than the word 'not bad'!"

“So this isn’t just an okay movie, it’s a true masterpiece!

"The film that finally won the Golden Lion Award at this film festival is!"

"Whiplash, China, the road is wide!"

“Congratulations Lu Kuan!”

Gong Li proudly cheered for China's "Whiplash" and young director Lu Kuan on the stage, and European filmmakers were collectively speechless.

The audience also stood up and applauded. These audiences who frantically requested for extra screenings were undoubtedly the movie's strongest fans.

They don’t care what country your movie is from. If it’s good, I’ll praise it. If it’s bad, I’ll criticize it.

If you don’t believe me, go take a look at the “Give me back my money” billboards; they’re all European and American movies.

"Xiaolu! Congratulations!"

This is a rare sight to see Tian Zhuangzhuang celebrating wildly. He is even happier than when he won the award himself!

"Xiaolu, you really did it!"

This is Feng Yuanzheng, who had just calmed down. Before this, he was very regretful that he won the Best Actor Award and estimated that the Golden Lion Award would go to someone else.

"Lukuan! You are so sad!"

This is Jay Chou, whose ankylosing spondylitis condition has just improved slightly, and he swore regardless of the occasion.

"grass!"

This is Lu Tailang, who feels like there is something stuck in his throat, a thorn in his back, and he is sitting on pins and needles.

"FUCK!"

Is this Harvey who regrets not being a little more generous that day? Maybe this movie could have won the Golden Lion Award.
Where is Concubine Liu Yi?

Concubine Liu Yi was sitting next to Lu Kuan and hugged him excitedly!

The little girl's strong arms tightly embraced Lu Kuan's body.

She was so excited! So excited!
She watched step by step how Lu Kuan fought back from the desperate situation;

How he painstakingly mentored her and Jay Chou, two newcomers;
How to work hard to win the award;

Just like what Lu Kuan said to Feng Yuanzheng, Concubine Liu Yi also wanted to say something to him.

You deserve it.

Boss Lu: First of all, let me make it clear that she was the one holding me, and I did not violate her wishes!

Even though he had honed his character over decades, his heart still skipped a beat when Gong Li made the announcement. At that moment, his soul flew out of the body of this little Taoist priest.

I flew to my previous life, flew to Beijing Film Academy, and flew to the University of Southern California.

I flew to the time when I had to give up my dream due to wasted years.

He came to his senses, first bowed to the audience and filmmakers who gave him long applause, then excitedly hugged Tian Zhuangzhuang and playfully kissed him on the old face.

Then there was Feng Yuanzheng, and Jie Lun, who was too shy to refuse.

As for Liu Yifei, forget it. The camera is filming. I’ll wait until you grow up.

Tian Zhuangzhuang felt a lot of emotions when he saw him striding onto the stage. Even this experienced old filmmaker couldn't help but be moved.

It has been many years since the Beijing Film Academy produced such a director, and it has been many years since the Venice Film Festival received such rave applause for a Chinese-language film.

This penniless young man, who had gone through many hardships to make his first film, finally reached his rightful place.

Art films have the power to shock people's hearts, and special effects films have the power to shock people's eyes.

In a movie that is almost entirely indoor scenes, the audience can find the characteristics of the first two.

This is the ability of a talented director to adapt and control a movie.

Han Lu and Xie Xiao in the media interview area were both very excited. After spending so many days in Venice, they had deeply felt the arrogance and prejudice of the West.

Even black people get more convenience here than Asian people.

Both their interviews and the arrangements of their media positions and legal rights are being subtly targeted and squeezed.

It is an honor to see a Chinese director break through the shackles of nationality and culture and win such a prestigious award.

Lu Kuan walked up to the podium with great grace, and the two men quickly raised their equipment to take pictures.

"Congratulations, Xiaolu."

Gong Li stretched out her hand with a smile on her face, but Boss Lu laughed and hugged her, holding his fellow film queen tightly in his arms.

"Sister Gong Li, thank you!"

Gong Li was a little dazed by the strong masculine aura from him, and gently patted Lu Kuan on the back.

He then handed over the microphone with a smile, and watched with great grace as this unknown young director suddenly became successful.

"It took me twenty years to walk from a poor village in Jiangsu Province to the podium of the Venice Golden Lion Award."

The first sentence is full of such heavy emotion. Boss Lu has already begun to establish himself as a small town director and a talented young man.

But if Zhuang Xu was present, he would definitely be able to see through him at a glance.

A poor mountain village in Jiangsu Province?
That is Su Daqiang’s small mountain village in China, and it is the ancestral home of the Zhengyi Sect!

The GDP of a county-level city is equivalent to that of a prefecture-level city. To exaggerate a little, it is equivalent to that of half a province!
The popular Taoist temples on Mount Mao are just like the popular temples on Mount Wutai, with tens of billions of yuan in their accounts.

Haven’t you heard that in later generations, the Shanghai Municipal Government borrowed billions of funds from Jing’an Temple?

Twenty more years? You've been scamming people like a Taoist priest for at least eighteen years.

He also didn't know how this junior fellow who grew up with him suddenly became enlightened and seemed to know everything.

If we must seek an explanation, we can only say that it was the appearance of Emperor Wenchang in the Taoist temple.

But the audience and filmmakers in the audience were all slightly moved, and Lu Kuan's fluent English made it easy for them to capture the sadness and tears in the words.

This young director must have overcome numerous difficulties and obstacles to get to where he is today, right?

“There are so many people I need to thank along the way. I am an orphan, but I am not alone.”

"I have the best producer, Mr. Tian Zhuangzhuang, the best actor, Mr. Feng Yuanzheng, and the most dedicated actors, Jie Lun and Yi Fei."

"Including my cameraman Ning Hao, Huang Bo who was willing to play a supporting role, and every member of our Whiplash crew."

"This Golden Lion Award belongs to you and to Chinese films! Thank you!"

The audience once again gave him a warm round of applause, and when he walked through the interview area, countless reporters swarmed over him.

Of course, the European media is full of sarcastic remarks.

"Lu, do you think you deserve the award?"

"Lu! Excuse me, did you deliberately insert Hollywood themes into the film to please our conference chairman?"

"Lu, you were able to secure funding and talented actors to create a film in your twenties. Do you have a strong government background?"

What the hell is the problem?
Boss Lu took the microphone calmly and used his strength to defeat his opponent.

"Everyone, have you seen Titanic? I have only one line to answer you, only today, only at this moment."

"I'm The King Of The Venice!"

(End of this chapter)