Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 254: The Troublesome Awards Ceremony

The last ten seconds of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" seemed like time had stood still.

From the burrs in the first act, the backlight in the second act, to the soft light in the third act.

It is like a beautiful article with unique style, telling the audience the whole life of Li Ming.

When the movie ended, everyone felt as if a piece of their heart had been hollowed out.

In the long scroll of history spanning 70 years, two narrative lines, the love of the little man Li Ming and his country, overlap.

Not only ordinary audiences, but also professional film critics, directors and actors are deeply addicted to it and cannot extricate themselves.

As if realizing it belatedly, warm applause surged like a raging storm and lasted for a long time.

Boss Lu brought Zhang Manyu, Li Xuejian, Zhang Songwen, Fan Bingbing and others back to the main stage several times to take their bows, and received screams and cheers.

The crew of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" held a high-end cocktail party after the premiere, inviting film critics from the program, film media from various countries, and well-known actors, directors, and producers to attend.

This is also the standard configuration of almost all crews.

Bosnian director Kusturica first found Lu Kuan: "Although I have prepared myself mentally, after watching the movie, I still cannot find words to describe your masterpiece."

"Lu, come to Cannes in May? I invite you to be the president of our jury."

Boss Lu was a little surprised, but then he agreed calmly: "No problem, I still have to shoot a short film called 'Paris, I Love You'. See you then."

Kusturica clinked glasses with him and left, and a bunch of presidents of small film festivals flocked to him!

They all came to get acquainted with Boss Lu.

For these small film festivals, increasing their fame means increasing their efficiency, because only works by famous directors or high-level juries and organizing committees can attract high sponsorship.

Currently, the three major A-category film festivals in Europe are all exclusive. Being shortlisted for one of them means automatically giving up the others.

But these small film festivals are not in competition with Class A film festivals.

They don’t mind the leftovers. If you awesome directors, those with box office and honor appeal, are willing, please continue to come to us!
For example, someone like Rikutaro who likes to flatter himself might be able to win a few small awards and show off back home.

Harvey walked over with a handsome guy. "Lu, do I need to introduce this guy?"

Robert De Niro extended his hand enthusiastically: "I don't need an introduction. I've heard Martin Scorsese talk about you many times."

"He told me that Leonardo was very angry because he had to film your film 'Alien Land' and he had to delay joining the set of 'The Aviator' for three months."

“But after watching your films ‘Outlander’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’, he felt that Leonardo’s decision was right.”

Boss Lu laughed heartily: "I hope we can have the opportunity to cooperate."

Robert De Niro nodded happily: "Of course, I saw your role in the movie, and I like to work with directors who understand acting."

"It's a word."

The Berlin Film Festival program the next day gave it a high score of 3.8.

The Berlin Film Festival's program is mainly judged by the Daily Screen magazine and uses a 4-point system, with 4 stars being perfect and 1 star being terrible.

Except for one extreme critic who gave it 1 point, the average high score of 3.8 dominated this film festival. The second place was the South African film "Carmen de Khayelitsha".

Roland, president of the festival's jury, personally wrote a film review for the program:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a life epic that is told in a leisurely manner. It uses a fantastic and warm brushstroke to outline a unique life trajectory, bringing endless emotion and thinking to the audience.

For many veteran foreign movie fans, this technique of integrating the joys and sorrows of ordinary people into the tide of the times reminds them of two other Chinese-language films that are famous both at home and abroad.

"Farewell My Concubine" and "To Live".

The American magazine Variety published a film review: The film has the unique narrative technique of "Road-style movies", and the setting of the protagonist's reverse aging in the original novel at the beginning is wonderful.

Through this unique setting, the director breaks our perception of the inherent order of birth, aging, sickness and death, making the whole story seem shrouded in a mysterious and romantic aura.

It does not simply pile up fantastic ideas, but cleverly connects many important life stages and emotional experiences through Li Ming's reverse-time life, making the film's narrative both novel and full of tension.

As a local newspaper, the Berlin Morning News also gave its own evaluation. The writer had obviously carefully studied that period of modern history and his description was quite pertinent:

Beyond the magical love story of the hero and heroine, we see a hidden thread of the times.

From 1919 to 1988, the ups and downs of social livelihood and national destiny of the Eastern Dragon can be seen.

Through Li Ming's life, we see that amidst the changing political and economic situation, the advanced thoughts of the times were forced to structure themselves in such a dilemma.

If you understand this movie, you will understand China from 1919 to 1988.

The most authoritative film media, such as "Daily News" and "Hollywood Film Report", have also given it extremely high praise.

Only Britain's Empire seems to be singing a different tune:
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" lacks a profound interpretation of history and reality. Unlike the images directed by Director Jia Kechang, which accurately reflect and refine the anxious reality, in this movie we do not see any humanistic thinking on hot topics such as consumer frenzy and social status quo.

In other words, your Lu Kuan movies portray Chinese people and the country too well, without showing even a hint of bad qualities, and we don't accept that!
Of course there is, but it’s the Kuomintang.

The next day, Boss Lu was bored and flipping through various newspapers and magazines that had received rave reviews, as well as the huge popularity that had been transmitted back to China through the live broadcast of Wenjie Video.

In fact, what he is most looking forward to are the reviews and ratings from the two magazines.

France's "Cahiers du Cinema" and Britain's "Sight and Sound".

Cahiers du Cinema was the driving force behind the French New Wave in cinema.

The New Wave's position in the international film scene is equivalent to that of the Impressionism that broke through the iron curtain of traditional European oil painting and brought new perspectives and expressive techniques to movies.

The main theoretical basis for the survival and criticism of Huang Shixian, Zhu Dake and others is the New Wave.

"Cahiers du cinéma" has discovered and helped many unknown film directors, such as Hitchcock, who has always been frustrated in Hollywood, and the sixth-generation director Jia.

"Cahiers du Cinema" gave Lu Kuan's new film a full score of 5 points, which is also the only full score at this year's Berlin Film Festival.

It is obvious that "Cahiers du Cinema" prefers art films and auteur films, and they look down on films that are too vulgar and story-oriented.

For example, domestic directors Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou have never been recognized by "Film Handbook", but art film masters Hou Xiaoxian and Jia Kechang are highly praised.

Cahiers du Cinema's review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button directly quoted Martin Scorsese:

I once said that every twenty years someone invents a new film because talented directors and photographers are constantly evolving.

It's incredible that I saw this in a young director who had only made four films. It's amazing!
"Sight and Sound", which has the same tone, also praised it highly. The magazine believes that this is a movie that will go down in history.

In particular, the gradual use of burrs, backlighting and the final soft light in the film are interspersed in a way that violates the basic language rules of the film.

It's like a mute singing to you, how can it not be amazing?
When the news reached China, Huang Shixian, Zhu Dake, and even Old Lu, who wanted to take revenge on Haodaer Taro because of the feud between Haodaer Taro and Lu Kuan, fell silent.

I can’t spray it!

The basis of their theory is the New Wave, a "highbrow" art that ordinary audiences cannot understand. Otherwise, how can they express it in a way that makes them look awesome?

But the New Wave's ancestor, Cahiers du Cinema, gave "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" a full score. If you continue to criticize it, you'll be slapping yourself in the face!

Huli.com has no memory, but Blog.com does.

They had no doubt that if they continued to criticize him, the official blogging website would give all their previous blog posts to Boss Lu as a weapon for his counterattack.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Didn't you take the room card?"

Lu Kuan walked over and opened the door in confusion. He thought it was Bingbing who had taken another room card before.

"Hello, Guide~~~"

Looking at Bai Ling, who was wearing revealing clothes, Boss Lu felt a bit of physical disgust.

"Hello, what's the matter?"

"Won't you invite me to come in and sit for a while?"

Lu Kuan leaned against the door. "There will be criticism, Ms. Judge. You are going to vote for me. It is not appropriate for us to have private contact."

"If you are a smart person, you should know why I came here today."

The sexy Bai Ling unscrupulously displays her female advantages, but in the eyes of Boss Lu, she is no different from a prostitute.

The main reason is that the soul is too ugly and simply disgusting.

Standing at the door was too conspicuous, so Lu Kuan let her in and watched her sit down on the bed.

Bai Ling certainly had a purpose for this trip.

He had seen the news in North America about "Alien Land" winning the Golden Globe Award, and had heard of Boss Lu's name. He also knew that he was handsome and very good at making money.

It's just that Bai Ling is attracted to him because of his special ability...

It’s not his specialty there, it’s that he has a close relationship with the General Administration and the Film Bureau!
It goes beyond the subordinate relationship between an ordinary director and an administrative unit, as can be seen from Han Shanping's courtesy and praise of him in public.

Bai Ling has a core demand: she is "forced" to repent after making mistakes in the first half of her life and wants to obtain permission to return to China to develop.

The banana man's method was very simple. He came to find Boss Lu and exchanged his vote for the Golden Bear Award for his central introduction.

Lu Kuan listened calmly and said, "You've got the wrong person. I'm just a small soldier. How can I possibly influence the overall decision-making?"

"I've found out everything. Lu Kuan, you're quite capable."

"You're a senior consultant at the Radio and Television Research Institute, and you're finding new ways to get your TV and movies approved..."

Boss Lu put down his crossed legs. He couldn't stand this ugly woman who was unaware of her own coquettish behavior and wanted to ask her to leave.

Bai Ling walked over, leaned over to look at the young director, and unrestrainedly released her sexual charm.

"Do me a favor, and I'll get you the Golden Bear, and..."

She licked her lips and bit them lightly with her teeth.

Fuck you, you almost made Boss Lu sick to death.

"road..."

Bingbing swiped his card to come in and stared at the strange scene in amazement.

Boss Lu pushed her away and pulled Bingbing over.

"Bai Ling, did being a banana man in America ruin your brain?"

"Look at your ugly face. It looks like a fucking car accident scene. Your figure is also not curvy."

"Why is God so unkind to you, shutting the door to your intelligence and welding shut the window to your face?"

Bingbing chuckled when he heard this, and Bai Ling's face turned pale.

Looking at the beautiful Bingbing who had dressed up carefully to serve him in the emperor's bed, Bai Ling wanted to refute his bad words, but then she felt that she was indeed admitting defeat.
"We'll see."

The door slammed shut, and Boss Lu hugged Bingbing and quickly washed his eyes, and then washed them again...

Early in the morning on the 16th, Boss Lu hosted interviews from several domestic film media in his suite.

Ju Wenpei of "World Film Journey" is an old friend, and she is still very concerned about the expected honors of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

The media outlets were full of praise, fans were holding up signs at the entrance of the main venue every day requesting additional screenings, and the presidents of non-A-class film festivals came to visit in an endless stream.

All the positive feedback made the creators full of confidence. No one doubted that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" would win an award. The only suspense was what award it would win.

The highlight of the film lies in the adaptation and narrative that interweaves light and dark lines, as well as the genius of lens language and photography ideas.

Therefore, although they were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, Lu Kuan and Zhang Manyu did not hold high hopes.

Especially Zhang Manyu, she doesn’t have many scenes, and the main line of the story is entirely about the male protagonist.

Everyone was chatting casually and relaxedly, and different predictions for the winners were made on the phone and online.

Some people say that the hot favorite "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has basically secured the Golden Bear. The president of the jury and the president of the conference attended the premiere together and praised it even more.

Even "Sight & Sound" and "Cahiers du Cinema", two of the most authoritative film media in the world, included and praised Lu Kuan's films for the first time.

However, there are also local film media that hold opposing views, claiming that two or three people on the judging panel have strong objections.

One of them is Bai Ling, an actress of the same ethnicity as the young director.

Her main reason for opposition was that the film's narrative and character emotional expression relied too much on special effects and means, such as the emotional interpretation of the male and female protagonists at different ages.

From this perspective, it is absolutely impossible for the Best Actor and Best Actress awards to be given to two people, and even the Golden Bear should be carefully considered.

Of course, many people are also optimistic about the South African film "Carmen de Khayelitsha".

The program book score was second only to "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", and it highly fits the slogan of this year's Berlin Film Festival, "Politics and Sexuality", and is also an excellent film from the third camp.

The flowers are so numerous that they dazzle the eyes, but they cannot shake Boss Lu's mind.

After the brief interview, everyone went downstairs to eat. Ju Wenpei said regretfully, "I'm always so nervous. I wish I could get a spoiler about the award in advance."

"I was expecting you to interrogate Roland or Koslik."

Boss Lu smiled calmly and invited her to have dinner with him in the restaurant.

Ju Wenpei looked around, walked over and whispered, "Director Lu, I interviewed Bai Ling yesterday, she..."

"She doesn't seem very friendly to you. She said a lot of things that vilified and attacked you."

"This person is not suitable to appear on screen yet, so we have temporarily cut out her interview with the judges in this episode."

Lu Kuan raised his eyebrows when he heard this.

These two days are the final competition for the Golden Bear Awards, although the program brochure and external evaluations have no direct impact on the final result in terms of procedure.

But the judges are also human beings, and they are emotional animals. These negative news are always uncomfortable.

Bai Ling, a formerly pure actress who was born into a literary and artistic background, has become a seductress in Hollywood by backstabbing and slandering others. Now she is really unscrupulous in doing things.

"You guys go to the restaurant first, I'll make a phone call."

The vengeful Abbot Lu called Harvey's cell phone.

"Which agency is Bai Ling signed with in Hollywood? APA or CAA?"

"Lu, she's too old, let's get a new one."

"???"

Boss Lu was speechless: "Harvey, Bai Ling is trying to sabotage 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' from winning the Golden Bear. We've already given you the North American distribution rights, and you're thinking of losing money?"

"Bullshit! I'll take care of it."

Evil will be dealt with by evil, so this matter should be left to professionals.

Because two mainland films, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "The Peacock", were exhibited this year, the popularity of the Berlin Film Festival has spread to the domestic Internet.

Although in the eyes of ordinary movie fans, the three European big names, which are too highbrow for the masses, are not as lively as last month's Golden Globe Awards.

But both Boss Lu’s enemies and friends are very concerned about the results of this award.

Especially when the Chinese art and literary circles have entered the post-arms race stage and underwater undercurrents are surging.

As expected, Bai Ling, who deliberately targeted "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", still had her negative reviews spread back to China through foreign media and online media.

Xinlang Entertainment Headlines:

Ms. Bai Ling, a well-known Chinese-American actress in Hollywood, claimed to dozens of professional film media overseas that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was a mediocre work that used overly advanced special effects technology to destroy film techniques.

Although she should support her compatriot, she should not be too biased and waver in her artistic stance.

She believes that the talented director Lu Kuan will summarize and reflect, and dedicate more excellent works to movie fans around the world.

This was followed by a series of distortions and slanders by a small number of unfriendly media outlets, all of which were Western newspapers that liked to report on China's poverty and complex social contradictions.

Because this kind of evaluation of the work has nothing to do with personal attacks, Zhou Jun and others did not hesitate to secretly add fuel to the fire, waiting to see what would happen.

The only Chinese female judge has expressed her opposition so loudly, and you still expect a bunch of Europeans to cheer you on?

For a time, there were many different opinions on the Internet.

"It's over! Our own judges weren't optimistic about Washing Machine and 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. I think the Golden Bear is on the line!"

"The guy upstairs, you call this witch one of your own? Where were you when she was blackmailing us?"

"He's just a bastard who worships foreigners and fawns over them. What kind of judge is he?"

Ai Dajin, who had been hired as the artistic director of this year's Hunan TV "Super Girl" talent show, jumped out and began to act as a bridgehead to guide public opinion from an artistic perspective.

He was a typical public intellectual in a certain period of time in the country.

The term comes from the book The Last Intellectuals, published in 1987 by American historian Russell Jacoby.

In 2004, the seventh issue of Nanfang People Weekly featured "50 Public Intellectuals Who Influenced China", marking the official use of the concept of public intellectuals in China.

Since then, a group of so-called public intellectuals have become active on the Internet, expressing opinions and guiding public opinion in some public events.

However, as time goes by, the inappropriate words and deeds of some public intellectuals and some views that are inconsistent with facts and logic have been exposed, causing this neutral word to gradually be stigmatized.

It was not until the Weibo era in 2009 that public intellectuals were able to expand their influence through new Internet media.

However, the blog network's role in guiding and amplifying public opinion across the course of time has allowed some public intellectuals who are eager to speak out to step onto the historical stage ahead of time.

Ai Dajin: Different voices should be allowed to exist in the field of art. I still approve of Director Lu Kuan, but starting from "Alien Land", he seems to have embarked on a path of obsession with Hollywood special effects and there is no way to rediscover his exploration of audio-visual language.

In addition, I had contact with Ms. Bai Ling when I was working in the United States, and I would like to give you a brief introduction.

She was an outstanding actress in China in the 80s. After studying at the Film Department of NYU in 1990, she became obsessed with the advancement of Western films. In 1993, she participated in the filming of the Hollywood movie "The Crow", which caused a sensation. In 1998, she was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by the American "People" magazine.

At the same time, she has served as a judge at many international film festivals, including the Berlin International Film Festival, the Brazil International Film Festival, the Cairo International Film Festival, and the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

I think that the fair and neutral evaluation of her and the stigmatization of her are very despicable behaviors. Certain forces and directors in the entertainment industry should not continue to condone their fans to engage in public opinion violence.

What public intellectuals are best at is taking things out of context. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes information hidden in these seemingly neutral praises of Ai Dajin.

For example, her visiting scholar position was obtained through some kind of exchange;

For example, the film she shot, "The Crow", is indeed a Hollywood blockbuster.

However, actor Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee), who was in the same crew, died unexpectedly during filming, and the film was never released.

Is the sensation caused by the quality of the movie?

For example, she was named one of the 50 most beautiful people. The deep reason behind this was that she cooperated with Western media to maliciously smear and spread rumors about her brother-in-law. This was just a reward from the white pigs to the Western-admiring dogs.

The same reason why she was a film festival judge. Didn’t you see that the other female judges at the jury were too disdainful to take a photo with her?
However, such arguments and titles are very misleading. After adding fuel to the fire and making groundless accusations, the expectations of domestic audiences and public opinion for the Golden Bear Award and Lu Kuan himself dropped to freezing point.

There are also those who have attacked and questioned the value of his two previous Cannes Grand Prix and Venice Golden Lion awards.

If Gong Li is on the jury, you will win the award. If not, you are doomed. How can you be called the number one director in China?

Of course, they could not see the global box office success of "Alien Land", and they did not approve of the unspoken rule that domestic directors promote their own films at film festivals.

It’s a shady deal, it must be a shady deal.

The purpose of hyping up these news is, firstly, to undermine Lu Kuan's popularity and appeal in the mainland film industry, and secondly, to directly discredit "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" which is about to be released nationwide.

Following Ai Dajin, Wang Shuo, Lu Chuan and his son, Zhu Dake and others also spoke out intensively, followed by a series of first-generation public intellectuals who came to the forum because of their reputation.

Artists like Lu Kuan, who do not rely on making negative news or being backward to please the West and who have close ties with the government, are their main targets of attack.

After all, they establish their image by advocating independence, clarity and human rights.

Of course, these people also used their combative strategy to not say anything final, but simply attacked fans of certain directors with corrupt morals from the perspective of freedom of speech and freedom of criticism.

The dog at the entrance of the village barked, and the other dogs followed suit, but they didn't know why they were barking.

Early in the morning of the 19th, leading actors including Zhang Manyu, Zhao Fei, and Zhang Songwen came to director Lu Kuan's room, followed by Li Xuejian and finally Bingbing.

The phone in the room rang, and everyone listened to the conversation with bated breath.

The Berlin Film Festival's conference services department called director Lu Kuan specifically to confirm their attendance at tonight's awards ceremony.

This is a common practice at film festivals, which means that the film has at least won an award.

The crews that did not receive the call were free to choose whether to stay or return.

Boss Lu asked with a smile whether the award was for the film, the director, or the leading actor or actress, but the staff refused to disclose.

Zhang Manyu understood it well: "That's how the Berlin Film Festival works. If it were French or Italian, they might have given a hint."

"Haha, go eat. You ladies who are going to walk the red carpet need to fast for seven or eight hours beforehand."

The group walked to the lobby and were greeted by Ju Wenpei from World Cinema Journey, with whom they had a good relationship.

"Director, how's it going? Did you receive a call from the customer service department?"

"Well, see you tonight."

Ju Wenpei was overjoyed. The chaotic public opinion these days was really deadly. The instigation of those opinion leaders almost convinced her.

Looking at the calm and self-satisfied demeanor of the young director, she couldn't help but admire him. His energy-cultivation skills were truly remarkable.

Ju Wenpei didn't know that Boss Lu's black glove in Hollywood, Comrade Harvey, had already taken action.

At least it ensures that Bai Ling will not dare to deliberately interfere in the film review.

At 19 pm on the th, the film festival awards ceremony officially opened.

Although it was 200 a.m. Beijing time, the number of people watching the live broadcast of Wenjie Video had exceeded million.

The main reason is that the Berlin Film Festival does not arouse much interest among people.

For ordinary audiences, celebrities and popular movies are important elements that attract attention.

However, the three major European film festivals, which use artistic quality as the main consideration for film selection, often feature actors and directors that have never been seen or heard of, and it is difficult for them to be as attractive as Hollywood's Golden Globe Awards and Oscars.

If it weren't for the two Chinese films, the 200 million online users would have to be discounted further.

Liu Yifei also stayed up late today.

Although she had some minor disagreements with Boss Lu after the Golden Globe Awards, she still wanted to witness such an important moment with her own eyes.

She found the numerous dissenting voices on the Internet these days annoying, but she recently joined the crew of "Bad Genius" and didn't have time to criticize them one by one.

Looking at the crew of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" walking on the red carpet, Lu Kuan and Fan Bingbing were not "arm in arm", she nodded with satisfaction and opened her blog again.

"Online betting, I'm betting on 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' to win the Golden Bear! If you disagree, please leave a message."

"If I lose, I'll give you a signed T-shirt."

"I won, so please support me by buying a ticket for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' when it premieres at the end of the month!"

Although she cursed Lu Kuan with her mouth, Concubine Liu Yi's body was still very honest.

She can criticize and curse others, but she can't stand others attacking him.

The enthusiasm of tens of millions of fans was evident, and even at two o'clock in the morning, the comment section was quickly filled with people.

"What's so good about a washing machine? Can't I just ask him to fix it?"

"Woman, I'll forgive you this time because you still have a few months until you turn 18. I don't want to see his name on your blog again."

The haters hate Lu Kuan, but they hate themselves for not being Lu Kuan even more.

At the Berlin Film Festival, Zhang Manyu smiled and showed him the photos from Blog.com in the mobile phone MMS, and Boss Lu was very pleased.

Xiao Liu still has me in her heart, it would be a pity if she didn't continue to be the CPU.

This year's Berlin Film Festival lacks star power, but President Koslik still racked his brains to invite a number of Hollywood stars.

This is in imitation of Venice and Cannes.

Starting from the children's unit, "The Blue Bird" by Dutch director Joan and "Innocent Voices" by Mexican director Luis won awards.

Next came the Best Short Film and the Silver Bear Jury Award. The judges had a small accident when awarding the double yolk "Interference" and "Rock Jazz Concert".

The female director of "Rock Jazz Concert", Prusinga, was staggering and speaking incoherently when receiving the award, which surprised the audience and judges.

Bingbing leaned close to Boss Lu's ear and asked, "What happened to her?"

Boss Lu smiled and said, "Yes."

"Isn't blasphemy forbidden in Berlin?"

"This is the federal law in Germany, but some states allow possession of small amounts. For example, Brandenburg allows 6 grams."

This is the new knowledge that Lu Kuan learned from a "happy" German businessman when he contacted German investors to seek tax refunds.

His condition is very similar to that of the female director in front of him.

Bingbing was shocked when he heard this, and then he thought of the ugly witch's debauchery and sighed: "I really don't know whether freedom is good or bad."

Boss Lu smiled and said, "You can discuss it with those public figures on the Internet. They would be very willing to show off in front of a beautiful girl."

Awards in the main competition unit were awarded one after another.

Alfred Bauer Award, "A Cloud on the Horizon".

Taiwan's "pornographic film director" Tsai Ming-liang excitedly went on stage and said in a very grand manner, "Go Chinese-language films!", which drew cheers from the other two mainland film crews in the audience.

Until the Best Director and Golden Bear awards, everyone on the set of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was just a spectator.

The Best Actress award was won by Julia for "Sophie Skull: Hope and Resistance", an anti-fascist war film that was awarded by Zheng Zhizheng at the Berlin Film Festival.

Keanu Reeves walked up to the podium and began to announce the Best Actor award.

"55th Berlin Film Festival, Best Actor."

It seems that the big names in Hollywood have some entertainment sense, unlike the European filmmakers who just read out the list coldly before.

Keanu looked in the direction of the two Chinese crews in surprise, slightly whetting the audience's appetite.

This sight made Boss Lu's heart skip a beat. No way?
He doesn't want to win the Best Actor award. It doesn't mean much to a director, and it only makes the final Golden Bear award full of suspense!

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Road!"

"Holy crap! Oh my god, a washing machine won the Best Actor award!"

"Sissi, see? This is how he plays you. Don't trust him!"

Liu Yifei was also in tears and laughter in front of the screen. Her prize-winning guessing game even won the Golden Bear! What was going on?
Xiao Liu's close friend Xiao Yang was also sitting in front of the computer, but she was not so surprised that Lu Kuan won the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor Award.

Just based on the superb acting skills he showed that night in Yinchuan, it should be enough for me to learn for a long time.

Lu Kuan was stunned for a few seconds, then stood up helplessly, buttoned his clothes, hugged the main creators on both sides of the crew, and then went on stage.

Keanu Reeves smiled and said, "Lu, I've heard Leo talk about you. It looks like we're going to be in the same business."

"Keanu, I hope there will be a chance for us to work together."

"I'm so honored." Lu Kuan looked at the Berlin Film Award Silver Bear in his hand and gave this unexpected acceptance speech into the microphone.

"We Chinese eat a kind of noodle dish called dumplings during the traditional Spring Festival."

"Parents would place a clean coin inside one of the dumplings, and the child who bit into the coin would be blessed with a year's worth of good luck."

Boss Lu smiled and raised the Silver Bear trophy in his hand. "Thank you for giving me this coin. This is a compliment I never expected."

"Thank you to my co-stars, Li Xuejian, Zhang Manyu, Bingbing, and Song Wen. It was such a pleasure acting with you. Thank you!"

Li Xuejian shook his head helplessly and applauded Lu Kuan who walked off the stage. Everyone had a bad expectation in their hearts.

Jiang Wenli, however, retorted to her husband Gu Changwei with a somewhat amused expression. Of course, they also heard Bai Ling's complaints about "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

For Bai Ling, supporting "Peacock" is also supporting Chinese films, and those in China who criticize her stance have nothing to say.

Could it be. . .

Can our Lao Gu really benefit from this?
Jiang Wenli's heart was pounding. Winning awards meant box office success and DVDs selling at high prices.

Let you, Gu Changwei, play with the actresses in the crew. When I have money, I will also play with the "dirty ones".

Zhang Manyu smiled and patted Boss Lu's hand. "They're trying to get rid of you with the Best Actor award. That way, if you don't win the Golden Bear, you won't be too worried about public criticism."

Fan Bingbing was furious: "This Bai Ling is so abominable!"

"Let's see, maybe not."

Although Boss Lu had some concerns in his heart, he had Roland, the chairman of the judging panel, who always showed goodwill.

Logically speaking, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" should at least be treated fairly and justly.

For a film like this that is so genius in its film language and fits in with the film festival's theme of "Sex and Politics", the ending shouldn't be too bad.

Lu Kuan and others soon received another disappointing award result.

"Best Director, Peacock, Everlasting!"

"Best Director, 'Carmen de Khayelitsha', Mark!"

It turned out to be a double yolk egg.

That’s right, the three major European organizations also use this tactic for such heavyweight awards.

Not to mention the distant past, three years ago in 2002, the Golden Bear Award was jointly won by "Spirited Away" and "Bloody Sunday".

Gu Changwei reacted quickly and jumped up.

Just when he was about to hug and greet Zhang Jingchu beside him, he suddenly twisted his body and threw himself into the arms of his wife.

I don’t know if it was because he was moved or excited, but the great photographer was already in tears.

"Wenli, you've worked hard."

Jiang Wenli waved her hand: "Hurry up and go up."

Then he glanced at Zhang Jingchu as if in protest.

What are you fighting with me for?

Boss Lu, who was sitting in the back row, was laughing so hard. He was not only happy for Gu Changwei's henpecked wife, but also happy that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" had a better chance of winning the Golden Bear.

In fact, before 2023, there was no precedent for the Berlin Film Festival awarding the Best Director and Golden Bear Awards to a single film, even though this did not violate the competition rules.

The biggest competitor, "Carmen of Khayelitsha", has been secured, which is good news.

Finally, the Grand Prize Golden Bear Award is about to be announced, and male and female guests will come on stage to present the awards.

Zhang Manyu, Fan Bingbing and the others all looked suddenly cold.

The gorgeous woman is Bai Ling.

Bai Ling was still smiling sweetly and blowing kisses to the audience.

Liu Yifei, who had already presented awards several times, woke up from her drowsiness. This was obviously not a good sign.

Just like how the Golden Rooster Awards arranged for Lu Kuan and Zhou Xun to present her the Best Actress award, the organizers knew that Bai Ling and Lu Kuan did not get along, so why would they arrange for her to present the award?

There is a high possibility that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" will only win the Best Actor award and cannot go any further, and it may not even win the Best Director award.

Concubine Liu Yi's heart sank to the bottom, and she thought that people like Lu Chuan might be celebrating at this moment.

Boss Lu leaned back in his chair, concentrating and waiting for the final verdict.

From the premiere to the rave reviews, and the unanimous acclaim from the audience and judges;
From Bai Ling and the sudden change in public opinion, to tonight's Best Actor, then Best Director, and now the Golden Bear.

First praise and then suppress, praise again and then suppress again.

The process was so tortuous and bizarre that he couldn't find the truth from the clues.

The main creators of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" were feeling uneasy. In fact, Roland, who had just walked over to the stage with Bai Ling, was also puzzled.

This Chinese actress had previously done her utmost to humiliate the film, devaluing "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" as worthless at the judging panel.

But before today's award ceremony, she took the initiative to ask to be the presenter of the Golden Bear Award in a very humble manner.

Roland and the film festival president Koslik certainly didn't know that she had received a double warning from Han Shanping and Harvey, and were just about to shamelessly present the award to Boss Lu to curry favor with him.

The higher a person's social status, the more people he is connected to, and the greater his power over others - Leo Tolstoy.

"The 55th Berlin International Film Festival, Golden Bear Award winner, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button', the road ahead is wide!"

Bai Ling announced the news in both Chinese and English in a flattering manner, and then took the initiative to step forward and tried to hug Boss Lu who came on stage.

Ugly rejection.

The fact that I was able to shake her hand was thanks to the many cameras on the scene.

After going through so many twists and turns, the young director began to feel a bit like Zhang Manyu, a graceful and elegant lady in the audience, and he raised the microphone leisurely.

“I attended my first European film festival in Venice in 2002 and in Cannes in 2003.”

"This is my first time in Berlin. I am deeply impressed by the openness and humanism of the Berlin Film Festival. I am grateful for the support and recognition of the organization."

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a magical story, but also a realistic one.”

"I would like to thank all the lovely cast and crew members on my set, especially Mr. Zhao Fei, for cooperating with me to realize the whimsical shot design."

Lu Kuan held up the Golden Bear trophy and gestured to Zhao Fei and others. Zhao Fei and Zhang Manyu both smiled and waved.

"Finally, let me wish you all a happy birthday with a line from the narration in 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'."

"Whether the clock of life moves forward or backward, love and experience are the eternal melodies that give life meaning. Thank you!"

The whole audience burst into applause. Lu Kuan walked off the stage and hugged and took photos with Zhang Manyu, Li Xuejian, Fan Bingbing, Zhao Fei and others in turn, which made Xiao Liu, who was sitting in front of the video, very envious.

How I wish I could be present at all his important occasions.

For example, getting married?

Liu Yifei wrote the movie narration in the signature column of her blog, turned off the lights and went to bed.

“Whether the clock of life moves forward or backward, love and experience are the eternal melodies that give life meaning.”

Xiao Liu murmured this sentence and fell asleep.

The next day, the overwhelming success of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in Berlin caused a sensation in mainland print media and on the Internet!

"China Film News": Genius director captures the bear in Berlin, and Western media exclaims that another oriental master has emerged!
"Movie Channel": The audience at the premiere of "Alien" gave a fifteen-minute applause, while the audience of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" shed tears in addition to applause.

"Yangcheng Evening News": We never expected to be able to mix patriotism and magical love in the same movie and make it appear so harmonious and perfect, but Lu Kuan did it.

Youth Daily: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has profound insight and artistic value. Putting aside the perfection and honor of the film for the moment, can our domestic main-theme films learn from such shooting techniques to make it easier for Chinese and foreign audiences to accept the influence of patriotism?

Zhang Yimou directly expressed his feelings in his blog post:

Three years ago, I first met Director Lu Kuan during the fourth audition at the Beijing Film Academy. He offered many constructive suggestions on the original script of House of Flying Daggers. I immediately felt that he was a very talented kid.

But even if I use my strongest imagination to predict his development, I can't help but marvel at Xiaolu's talent and rapid growth.

Our generation of filmmakers has experienced a lot and lost a lot. The hope for the future of Chinese films lies in young people like Lu Kuan.

I think that after years of baptism and precipitation, he will become a master of the next generation.

Zhang Yimou rarely posts on the blog, and the few posts he did make were all about promoting his own movies. This time, his enthusiastic praise made Lu Kuan's fans excited to tell others about it.

Compared to Zou Wenhuai entrusting Golden Harvest to Lu in Hong Kong, the prediction and praise from Zhang Yimou, the leader in the professional field, made Lu's artistic attainments more recognized.

Artists in the circle such as Mei Yanfang, Jay Chou, Feng Yuanzheng, and Huang Xiaoming also praised him highly and helped him promote his personal IP and upcoming movies.

Liu Yifei adopted the most practical approach, posting movie tickets and giving away autographed gifts for those who showed off their movie tickets at the premiere at the end of the month.

Xiao Liu, the gold medal sales champion of Lu Laoban of Wenjie, has taken the fan economy to the extreme.

In addition to the improvement in honors and status in the film industry, after the live broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards and the Berlin Film Festival, Wenjie Video has basically established a firm foothold and has taken the first bite of the pie in the mainland as an Internet product of video websites.

In the past, for major European film festivals such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Oscars, award-winning news and breaking news would usually only appear on portal websites the next day.

However, with the live broadcast function of Wenjie Video, the portal's authority and timeliness in this type of film news have been greatly reduced.

But it is not so easy to imitate.

Take the directing of the Golden Globe Awards and the Berlin Film Festival for example, they were all the result of Boss Lu using his status as a shortlisted director to negotiate with the conference.

In China, apart from the "World Film Tour" on the Film Channel, only Xinlang Entertainment has overseas follow-up reports, and the live broadcast is carried out by CCTV and Wenjie Video.

Using film festivals to attract traffic and launch the first wave of the video is a natural result.

At present, domestic audiences are still quite concerned about the world's top film honors and film festivals.

It is for this reason that entertainment stars are scrambling to get on the big screen.

The big screen represents status, honor, industry standing, and skyrocketing endorsement fees and film remuneration.

According to statistics, there were 90 billion moviegoers in my country every year in the 144s, but this number dropped to 2000 million in 3.

The reasons will not be elaborated here.

But it is an indisputable fact that the film industry is still a core cultural industry and is second to none in terms of audience size and industry scale.

Boss Lu, who has accurately grasped the pulse of the development of the mainland film industry, has built Wenjie Holdings, which is built around the core film industry.

His business empire began to take shape, but the controversy surrounding his position in film art and as a director never ceased.

"The Drummer" won the championship, "The Thief" failed at Cannes, and "Alien" became a global hit.

At that time, "Alien Land" had just ended, and he was given the title of the number one director in mainland China, but this title was unfounded.

In other words, at the box office, Lu Kuan is firmly in the first tier.

But traditional literary and art critics such as Huang Shixian, Zhu Dake, and Lu Tianmin don’t think so!

Their judging criteria are the artistic quality of the film, not the vulgar and materialistic connotations.

Therefore, Boss Lu, who only has a Venice Golden Lion, is far from being recognized by these old scholars, at least in terms of top honors.

However, last night in Berlin, through the amplification of the Q&A video, these critics received another heavy blow.

Even days of pessimism could not withstand the cruelty of reality.

Seeing Bai Ling's servile appearance at the award ceremony, these public intellectuals and commentators reached a collective climax and condemned Lu Kuan for taking advantage of his capital to bully others!
Otherwise, why would Bai Ling be so assertive at first and so respectful later?
No matter what, honor is honor, and it cannot be tarnished.

So the Ai Dajins and Lu Laoban’s fans started arguing again.

"Let's not talk about the Oscars, let's talk about the three major European awards."

"Ang Lee has two Golden Bears and two Golden Lions, and Zhang Yimou has two Golden Lions, a Golden Bear, and a Cannes Jury Prize."

"There are also many top sixth-generation directors in China, such as Director Jia, who have been awarded the three major European honors."

"How can you fans so insincerely claim he's the best director in the country? Aren't you ashamed?"

Of course, there are also knowledgeable movie fans who raise objections.

"Sight & Sound and Cahiers du Cinema are completely indifferent to Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou, but they have high praise for Lu Kuan's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

"Isn't the theoretical basis of you critics the New Wave? Why are you changing your tune again?"

"Others talk about box office, but you talk about style. Now that you have style, you're talking about honors. I want to see what you will say when Lu Kuan sweeps the three major honors."

Ai Dajin spoke with a sense of superiority: "In the past 60 years or so, only Antonioni and Robert Altman have won the highest awards at all three major European film festivals, achieving a grand slam."

"Ignorance is truly bliss. If your idol wants to achieve a Grand Slam, it means he has to be better than masters like Godard, Kurosawa, and Buñuel."

"is it possible?"

There were countless rebuttals and supporters under the sensational post by Ai Da Jin. Among them, there was a person named [Zha Lu Ji] who silently clicked and left.

In any case, it is already a great success for Lu Kuan, who has just debuted for three years, to be put in the debate of "whether he is the best director in China".

The disturbances in the outside world cannot disturb Boss Lu’s spiritual heart.

On February 2, the Lantern Festival, the mainland roadshow of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" came to Jinling, Jiangsu Province.

That afternoon, the young director drove out of the crew hotel alone.

In Shi'ao Village, Jiangning District, a young man in casual clothes was driving and standing at the entrance of the village, looking a little hesitant and sad.

Lu Kuan finally revisited the old place and returned to his hometown in his previous life.

This place was later transformed into a leisure agriculture demonstration village by the Jiangning District Government in 2011, and is now not well-known.

The village is lined with blue brick streets, wooden gates, and big red lanterns, making it seem like a different world.

The stone carvings, archways, pavilions, and landscape corridors are accompanied by spring peaches, summer lotus, autumn osmanthus, and winter plums, almost all of which are quaint Hui-style buildings.

Without entering the village, the wide road goes directly along the foot of Niu Shou Mountain to the wild lake.

This wild lake has undergone significant changes in appearance due to several hydrological changes in history. It was previously named Zheng He Lake because of the nearby Zheng He Tomb.

Shi'ao Village got its name because the national hero Yue Fei stationed his troops here when he fought against the Jin soldiers at Niu Shou Mountain and recaptured Jiankang City.

In this natural treasure land with fascinating natural scenery and rich cultural atmosphere, Lu Kuan finally arrived at a tombstone after several twists and turns.

If Liu Yifei were here, she might exclaim, isn't this the same landscape that fascinated him in Jiuzhaigou that day?

"Mom, I'm here to see you."

Lu Kuan calmly untied his backpack, took out the weeding tools and rags, knelt among the weeds, and began to clear the weeds and add soil patiently.

After working for a long time, he finally knelt down solemnly on his knees and kowtowed four times with a solemn expression.

According to local customs, four is the most yin number.

Suddenly he raised his head again, and under a few strands of weeds on his forehead, Lu Kuan's eyes were already filled with tears.

He cleared a space, took out paper money and other items and started burning them.

Paper ashes fly into white butterflies, and tears and blood turn into red cuckoos.

Three years after his rebirth, he finally mustered up the courage to return here. Today is his mother's death anniversary.

After "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", I don't know whether it was because I was too immersed in the sad life of Li Ming in the play, or because my passion and creativity in film art stagnated.

Even now it has received almost unanimous recognition from mainstream film media around the world.

He is even praised along with several young Western directors as a brilliant figure who is most likely to become a master like Bergman and Godard.

But he has been feeling irritable lately.

Going to Jiuzhaigou to relax relieved my stress a little, and my mood also calmed down after playing Berlin Bear Hunt. In a trance, I felt as if I had lost some kind of bond with this world.

It seems like living in an illusory world, another person's life.

So he returned here, back to his loved ones.

You don’t have to say anything, you don’t have to do anything, just staying here quietly for a while is enough to comfort your soul.

Huayi Headquarters, Xinyuan South Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing.

"Really? Okay, Secretary Zhao, please feel free to ask if you need anything. We at Huayi will definitely cooperate closely!"

"Okay, okay, see you later."

The kings, both big and small, looked up at the Zhou army expectantly.

"I still need to contact the directors before making a decision, Lu Chuan..."

"Maybe it's because Hoh Xil didn't have a good reputation before, so Tangshan has some concerns."

Wang Dajun smiled bitterly, "They've been wanting to find Xiaogang, and Xiaogang is indeed interested, but the schedule for 'Night Banquet' is here, so there's nothing we can do."

Wang Xiaolei said bitterly, "Forget it. It's just a mainstream film anyway. Just let Lu Kuan shoot it."

"This kind of movie won't make any money and it won't win any awards, so wouldn't that just be a good way to hold him back for a year?"

Zhou Jun complained, "This isn't just a matter of one or two movies!"

"We must now isolate him from the upper echelons, preventing him from accumulating more Zhengzhi resources and gaining access to more Zhengzhi connections."

"That way, if he truly does have an equity relationship with Blog.com, we can use the issue of public opinion security to force him to open up to a stake or cut off his own arm."

Wang Xiaolei calmed down a bit and said, "Brother Jun, how can this main-theme movie about a major earthquake bring him so many resources?"

"Humph, it might not be the case for others, but it's hard to say with this thing in his hands."

"The cultural output of 'Foreign Land' and 'Hanfu Yaji' has already made him a name for himself."

"This kind of mainstream film involves important historical themes and showcases the spirit of the nation, so it's bound to attract the attention of top leaders."

"I'd rather he just film something that's just entertainment to death. It would be less difficult to deal with then."

Zhou Jun passed two cigarettes to the brothers and said, "But what do you think he is planning?"

"Blog Network helped various major official media outlets open blogs. I worked as a senior consultant in a related unit and joined the Zhengxie Association through the Mingzhu Party."

“We have also been committed to cultural output.”

"What does he promote and label himself as? A banner for commercial films, a director of cultural exports."

"Is this to nourish your desire?"

"Let's not talk about anything else, let's just talk about the Olympic opening ceremony design competition that will start in March or April. If this guy is finally appointed as the chief director or assistant director, he will be able to show his face in front of those people and have a say."

"How can we move him?"

Brothers Wang Dajun and Wang Xiaolei looked at each other, and only then did they realize that there was still a gap between their vision and Zhou Jun's.

A director with international reputation is, in a sense, an uncrowned king, and has a strong voice in cultural and public opinion.

Because their fans are all over the world, they can express their thoughts and opinions through movies to a certain extent, and even a certain country has to consider and worry about their influence.

Spielberg, who later became an advisor to the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, announced his resignation as an advisor due to intellectual issues, causing great trouble to the authorities.

This is not good for us because his own reputation and billions of fans around the world will be influenced by the opinion leader's audience.

This year, Xiao Gangpao took on the film on the theme of the major earthquake, which was adapted from the novel "Aftershock", but due to problems with the script, earthquake scene construction and technical special effects.

It was delayed until several years later.

Zhou Jun sighed, "Go find Lu Tianmin and ask him to try harder to find a solution for his son. It would be best if Lu Kuan can't take on this movie."

"I've already started arranging for people to find an opportunity to investigate the tax situation at Jiehe Blog Network, but we need to enter the village quietly and not alert the enemy."

"It's only half a year anyway. If we can cut off his arm, we'll be safe."

Wang Xiaolei was excited to hear this, as he finally had hope of catching up with the industry.

"Okay, I'll think of a way."

What is honey to you is poison to me.

Huayi tried to push Lutaro to take on this main theme movie but failed.

But now, Mr. Lu, the boss of Jinling Hotel, frowned when faced with the olive branch thrown by Tangshan.

Jinling Hotel is the first five-star hotel in Jiangsu Province approved for construction by the State Council in 1979. Today, Han Shanping took the lead and a delegation sent by Tangshan participated in the negotiations.

The team leaders were Secretary Li and Yao Jianguo, whom Secretary Zhao trusted.

The project plan of the shooting plan was approved, and the two were commissioned by their superiors to intercept the young director who had just returned from Berlin with honors in Jinling.

"Director Lu, Secretary Li and Director Yao are very sincere. They came with Secretary Zhao's instructions. Please reconsider."

Han Shanping exchanged glances with the two people in his body, and they both echoed his words.

In fact, he doesn't want Lu Kuan to make these mainstream movies, but more commercial blockbusters. Can't China Film Group make a lot of money by investing in them?
Such films may be beneficial to Lu Kuan's personal reputation, but China Film Group has no shortage of such films, as it has a quota for serious films every year.

He himself was even promoted to an important position because of his filming of biographies of great men.

In fact, Boss Lu was thinking of another disaster that was an extension of the theme of the movie.

Can you write some articles?

What will be the consequences if you really do it?
He wasn't sure for a moment.

This kind of thing involves too much, far more than saving one or two people before.

With his fledgling personal reputation and social status, if he were to change something rashly and be discovered...

"You two, I'm not refusing, but for a subject like this, perhaps you could find some directors with strong physical qualities who would be more suitable."

"Let me give you an example. In 99, there was a major power outage in Shijingshan. The whole society was in a panic. Passengers on the subway were stranded in tunnels and carriages. It even affected Haizi."

"At that time, our professor Chen Guoxing from Beijing Film Academy wanted to make a disaster film based on this, showing the helplessness of ordinary people in the great times and the good and evil of human nature at the critical moment of life and death."

Chen Guoxing, also known as Chen Guoxing, is China's leading main-theme film director.

"Kong Fansen", "Emergence from Out of Nowhere", "The Great Craftsman" and "The First Secretary" are all his works.

"But after the film's script was approved and filming was completed, we received a notice of rectification. Director Chen Guoxing had no choice but to make major changes. He changed the setting to Tianjin and other places before it was able to be released on a small scale."

Boss Lu smiled politely and said, "For a subject like this, I, someone with unconstrained imagination, have to be wary of too many things. Isn't it a good idea to use a trick?"

Yao Jianguo is a professional journalist, and his rhetoric is always good: "Director Lu, do you think this will work?"

"We in Tangshan provide the main funding, and the municipal party committee and government, as well as the provincial party committee and government, will communicate with the radio and television stations regarding the filing and approval of the scripts."

"As long as it helps to showcase our Tangshan spirit and people's cohesion, promote family values ​​and show the city's style, we will support it unconditionally!"

Han Shanping looked at Yao Jianguo with amusement and thought to himself, you can use such words to fool others, but you can't fool this kid.

"In that case, I will be the main investor in this film, and ask the industry to provide at least 60% of the funds, and the rest will be shared between you and China Film Group."

Boss Lu is taking a step back to advance, as he is sure that the other party will not agree to such a shareholding ratio.

"this!"

Secretary Li was getting a little restless. Tangshan held a controlling stake in the film project, which was the bottom line of the negotiations.

Just as Secretary Zhao said, if a movie is overly entertaining and loses its original values ​​and meaning, it will suffer the consequences.

If a director like Lu Kuan makes a bad movie, he will at most be criticized, but these people will have their hats taken off.

"Director Lu, I'm sorry we can't agree to this."

"The municipal government must hold a controlling stake, but we can relax the conditions on your director's fee and box office share."

Boss Lu smiled and said, "How about this? We'll take 50% of the shares, and you and China Film will split the remaining shares. We can discuss the script together, is that okay?"

Secretary Li and Yao Jianguo looked at each other, cursing the little fox in their hearts for being cunning.

Who in the industry doesn’t know that you and the head of China Film Group are in cahoots!

For the remaining 50%, even if China Film holds only 1%, the two of you together can still take the lead.

However, looking at Han Shanping, who was standing aside with a righteous attitude and acted as a mediator, they were reluctant to point out the truth.

If things don't go well, just put the dispute aside.

Yao Jianguo, who had a strong physical background, joked, "Director Lu must be tired from promoting the movie these days. Mr. Han, do you think we should go eat first?"

"We can put aside our differences and discuss other things first, seeking common ground while reserving differences."

Han Shanping turned to the young director and said, "Xiaolu, look?"

Boss Lu smiled and stood up: "Su Province is my hometown, please don't be polite, I am hosting you today to welcome guests from Tangshan who have come all the way here."

"please!"

"please!"

Secretary Xiao Li and Yao Jianguo used the excuse of going to the bathroom to have a secret conversation in front of the sink.

"Go full steam ahead. It all depends on your strength as the Tangshan Erjin brother."

Yao Jianguo whispered, "I heard that this road guide loves wine, women, money and power. We public servants can't deal with him otherwise. So, let's just have some wine with him today, okay?"

"Perhaps this matter can only be settled over a wine table."

Xiao Li rubbed his hands together and said, "No problem, just wait and see!"

We had a fierce conversation at the table all night.

When Yao Jianguo and Xiao Li woke up from their hangover in the high-end hotel room, Boss Lu had already flown to Guangzhou with the crew.

"Oh! I'm so surprised! I didn't expect him to be so good at drinking!"

Xiao Li pounded his chest and said, "Let's think about how to explain this to Secretary Zhao!"

"Lu Chuan is so shameless in wanting to take the bid, and Lu Kuan is insisting on taking control. It's really difficult to deal with!"

　Two chapters of 5000 words yesterday and today, totaling 1 words, completed with 600 votes.

　　In fact, if the monthly votes are not enough to make it into the list, they are not of much use.

　　But it can be used to motivate myself and not be lazy to update more.

　　I have never experienced the feeling of receiving over a thousand monthly votes. Can the young author experience it this month?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)