Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 58 Beginning of Fame
In Beijing, Zhang Yimou squinted his eyes under a locust tree, tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers, a strange color flashed in his eyes, and finally he replied softly, "Let me see" and hung up the phone.

The yard was filled with the faint fragrance of locust flowers, but Zhang Yi was silent. He couldn't help but think of Wu Chen's youthful and slightly humble figure at the celebration of "House of Flying Daggers".

"Student Lao Mu."

Zhang Yi murmured, he didn't expect that two months ago, Mu Deyuan took Wu Chen to visit a group of seniors at the premiere to prepare Wu Chen for the big stage, and now he has caught the attention of CAA.

CAA’s strength as Hollywood’s top agency is unquestionable.

Even he signed a short-term contract for the Hollywood market.

What surprised him was that Wu Chen could actually refuse the temptation from Hollywood.

He must have refused, otherwise the CAA people wouldn't have found him.

If it were him, if he had this opportunity when he was young, would he have the courage to refuse it?
He was thinking about it in his mind, but he didn't have an exact answer in his mind. Suddenly, something came into his mind, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He quickly picked up the phone and called Mu Deyuan.

In the office of the director of the Photography Department of Beijing Film Academy, Mu Deyuan was holding a thermos cup with the aroma of tea. He took a sip and put it down, preparing to correct documents.

A call from Zhang Yi broke the silence.

Mu Deyuan was a little surprised. Why did Zhang Yi look for him at this time?

Being badly criticized by people inside and outside the industry, seeking comfort?

This is not Zhang Yi's style. The Zhang Yi he knows is always taciturn, licking his wounds quietly, and then reviving with full blood.

"Mr. Mouzi, what's the matter?" Mu Deyuan thought for a moment, but without hesitation, he pressed the answer button.

"It's about Wu Chen." Zhang Yi chuckled, his tone teasing.

"Wu Chen, isn't he in Sitges? What could happen?" Mu Deyuan was stunned.

"CAA just contacted me and wanted to sign him. How come you didn't know?" Zhang Yimou pretended to be surprised.

Mu Deyuan was silent.

This damn Zhang Yi did it on purpose, how come he doesn't know it.

Damn, what the hell does CAA have to offer him? He hasn’t signed with CAA.

However, Mu Deyuan was extremely curious at the moment and didn't bother to argue with Zhang Yimou, so he quickly asked, "How did Wu Chen get involved with Hollywood?"

"If you, as a teacher, don't know, what should I know?" Zhang Yi mocked Mu Deyuan, then changed the subject, "But Wu Chen should have rejected CAA."

"?" Mu Deyuan's eyes narrowed. "Rejected?"

"It's highly likely, otherwise CAA wouldn't have contacted me. Wu Chen might have other plans. You know the strengths and weaknesses of CAA. Talk to him and just send me a message in the end."

After hanging up the phone, Mu Deyuan glanced at the wall clock and then called Wu Chen.

Sitges, a Spanish restaurant near the seaside theater, the sun shines on the open-air wooden tables, and the aroma of olive oil mixed with the sea breeze fills the air.

Wu Chen, Hu Jing, Zu Feng and Dong Xuan sat in a circle with paella and tapas on the table to celebrate the harvest.

The phone rang. Wu Chen stood up and answered it while walking:
"teacher."

"You rejected CAA?" Mu Deyuan went straight to the point.

Wu Chen was stunned. Mu Deyuan, far away in Beijing, theoretically shouldn't know about this. He was thinking of telling him about it that night, and then he guessed, "Could it be that CAA found you?"

"You think too much. We found your senior brother Zhang Yi." Mu Deyuan smiled.

"Teacher, it's like this." Wu Chen did not hide anything and briefly explained the matter.

On the other end of the phone, Mu Deyuan's hand trembled as he held the cup. "What? The copyright has already sold for millions of dollars?"

He shook his head, thinking he had misheard. It had only been a few days?

Then I heard Wu Chen mention Hollywood independent producer Jason Blum and CAA's Ethan Kessler
Mu Deyuan felt a little numb. For the first time, he felt that this student was too talented. It was not a good thing to be too worry-free. There was no room for him to display his talents.

A trip to Sitges can be a recipe for trouble.

He didn't even have to think about it. If the copyright fees were revealed, the domestic media would be in a frenzy for a while; if Hollywood was added to the mix, his student would probably become a real rising star.

Going to Hollywood to make a movie is the dream of many domestic filmmakers.

It can be said that even if it is just to gild the gilded image, the influence is extraordinary.
Mu Deyuan sighed after a long moment of emotion:

"There's probably nothing more that school can teach you. Even your senior brother Zhang Yi doesn't understand Hollywood, let alone me.

You know the pros and cons of CAA, and Jason Blum sounds like a good choice, but it’s not a bad thing to be a little more cautious when you’re out there.”

While Wu Chen and Mu Deyuan were chatting, Liao Junze, editor of Sina Entertainment's European and American section, was collecting the latest developments on the Internet.

Generally speaking, the European and American entertainment section either includes beautiful photos of Hollywood female stars or introduces upcoming blockbusters in Europe and the United States.

It was just a media report that caught his attention.

"Chinese talented director conquers Sitges"

Liao Junze couldn't help scratching his head and clicked to view the content, but the speed was too slow and it was still spinning in circles. Then he moved his chair back:

"Boss, do you remember which domestic directors went to the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival? There's a report from abroad that seems quite interesting."

"Sitges? I only remember Johnnie To went there."

"Johnnie To?"

Liao Junze glanced at it again. The news was still loading. "That shouldn't be the case. The report said a talented Chinese director conquered Sitges. Johnnie To is so old now. He shouldn't be considered a genius."

"Wait a minute, I remember there seems to be another student here, from the Beijing Film Academy." A colleague next to him suddenly spoke up.

Suddenly everyone stood up, looked at each other, and gathered around Liao Junze.

"Has it loaded yet? Damn, is this news true or false?"

"It seems to be true. It was written on the headlines of newspapers at the local Sitges Film Festival. It shouldn't be fake." Liao Junze thought about it and confirmed.

"If it's true, this is definitely big news and it's very eye-catching." The man in charge saw the commercial value of this report at a glance.

A talented Chinese boy, still a school student, conquered the international film festival. This was simply a front-page headline, satisfying the general public's fantasy and desire for young success.

"It's out." Someone pointed at the computer screen.

Everyone came forward to look.

21 years old, Wu Chen, a sophomore at Beijing Film Academy
"Hurry, hurry, translate it immediately and then transfer the article to our entertainment section. It has to be quick, otherwise it will lose its timeliness."

"There should be other foreign media outlets that have published this article. Go search and see and repost them as well."

"."

As instructions were issued one after another, everyone in the entertainment editorial department quickly got to work.

"She's only 21, and this is too abnormal. What on earth did she film? The media reports are so mysterious. I'm a little curious."

"Tsk tsk tsk, another example of a young man's success. Why can't I be the one who achieved great success at a young age?"

"Stop dreaming, copy it quickly and translate it."

"."

Although Sina was the first to discover the issue, portals such as Sohu and 21CN also responded quickly and followed closely behind.

Driven by several portals, entertainment front-page news has been replaced.

[21-year-old talented director from Beijing Film Academy conquered Sitges with "The Dark Side", and foreign media went wild!]

[Foreign media praised: A masterpiece by a 21-year-old Chinese director! ]

Why is Wu Chen's film "The Dark Side" so popular in Sitges and foreign media?

(End of this chapter)