Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 426 Solving a Dilemma
I have come to the capital again.

Before Jiang Wen and the others returned, Zhang Yan first went to see Leader Lin. His reasons were twofold: first, to seek Leader Lin's opinion on the current situation of the August 1st Film and Television Base; and second, to discuss with Leader Lin the access mechanism for Hong Kong films before 1997.

Leader Lin was naturally most concerned about the latter.

Negotiations to import Hollywood films are nearing completion, and Hong Kong has also received word of this. As a result, some groups are contacting the mainland through various channels, hoping to take this opportunity to enter mainland cinemas.

This was partly due to the success of "In the Heat of the Sun," which grossed 40 million in two weeks, a feat that only a handful of films in Taiwan could match.

The optoelectronics company naturally wanted to take this opportunity to establish the tone and rules for cooperation between the two parties.

only……

"The biggest problem now is that we can talk to anyone, but no one has the final say," said Director Lin, rubbing his temples. "The reception staff in the bureau are doing nothing but repeating the same things to different people from Hong Kong Island, and yet their demands are all different."

Hong Kong Island is not without associations, but they are all worried that if they contact the mainland too early, they will be targeted by the British as a scapegoat.

Therefore, most of those petitioning at present are small groups or even individuals, who come to petition.

"to be honest."

Zhang Yan pursed his lips and said, "They still want us to offer preferential policies unilaterally, preferably without any cost to us."

Leader Lin also sighed. Of course, he could see that what was really troubling him was that he couldn't figure out the connections of Hong Kong filmmakers.

If the benefits are too little, the other party will be dissatisfied and protest, and he will be blamed; if the benefits are too much, the mainland side will be dissatisfied, and some people in the department will take advantage of the situation.

"Why don't we just publicly extend an invitation?"

Zhang Yan spread his hands and said, "Let them choose someone who keeps their word. Otherwise, how can we negotiate with a disorganized bunch?"

Leader Lin shook his head with a wry smile: "If I could do that, would I still be worried?"

In fact, Zhang Yan knew it was impossible, after all, Hong Kong Island had too much value for united front work, and the Hong Kong film and television industry was a very influential part of it.

The main theme above is a policy of appeasement, and we don't want to provoke the British.

As expected, even with cheat codes, not everything can be solved.

After much deliberation, Leader Lin decided to report the matter to the higher-ups and let them make the final decision—although this approach was not conducive to his career advancement, it was still better than taking the blame for this.

Regarding the issue of the August 1st Film and Television Base.

"I don't recommend talking about it now."

Leader Lin's attitude was very clear: "From the perspective of the August First Film Studio, talking now is a struggle for interests. In the past, we offered too generous conditions in order to bring in the film and television base."

If the municipal government intervenes, the August First Film Studio may perceive it as a breach of promise, which would not only fail to resolve the issue but could also exacerbate the conflict.

Only when the situation truly deteriorates can you convince most people that you are there to clean up the mess, rather than to reap the rewards.

Zhang Yan was well aware of these principles, but he had another concern: "I'm not afraid if the situation deteriorates rapidly, but I'm afraid they'll get stuck in a limbo, dragging on in a half-dead state, and eventually be overtaken by Hengdian World Studios. By then, it will be too late to reverse the situation."

The "four-stage tactic" in "Yes, Prime Minister" isn't just applicable to politics; it's also very relevant to state-owned enterprises these days.

Many state-owned enterprises were dragged down by this.

Zhang Yan didn't want to wait until the fourth stage, and could only regretfully say: Maybe we could have done something back then, but now it's too late.

After hearing his concerns, Leader Lin tapped his finger on the armrest and pondered, "If you want to solve this problem as soon as possible, you need to find a suitable entry point or introduce another force to counterbalance it."

"You mean, introducing Hong Kong investment?"

Zhang Yan frowned slightly. He was resistant to Hong Kong capital entering his core territory, but it was indeed the best option at the moment. With Leader Lin around, it could be packaged as a concession to Hong Kong capital, granting them the right to exercise oversight, thus breaking the current predicament of the August First Film Studio's monopoly and lack of unity among its members.

At the same time, the Tianjin municipal government can also legitimately reclaim some of its rights during this process. The reason is readily available: we trust the August First Film Studio, but we have to be wary of Hong Kong capitalists.

Finally, Zhang Yan said helplessly, "I'll discuss it with Mayor Ye of the Economic Development Zone first—we can try to let Hong Kong Island invest in the name of an association or group, and you can talk to them about it at the same time."

Leader Lin laughed heartily: "This is what you call using Hong Kong as leverage to resolve a dilemma."

…………

After leaving Lin's office, Zhang Yan called Vice Mayor Ye, who was quite welcoming of the call.

The film and television base appears to be thriving, and its operating model is unique in Asia. This is the perfect time to sell it for a good price and make up for the losses incurred by the Economic Development Zone in infrastructure development.

In addition, Tianjin has an absolute advantage in natural conditions compared to Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The biggest problems are capital and management philosophy. After introducing Hong Kong capital, these two problems will definitely be greatly alleviated.

Moreover, more and more Hong Kong film crews are coming to the mainland to film, and with Hong Kong investment, these crews will definitely choose Tianjin as their first choice.

Hearing Vice Mayor Ye's optimism, Zhang Yan quickly poured cold water on him: "Hong Kong people have always been eager for quick success and instant benefits. Letting them take the lead in management may not be a good thing. We should still keep the management rights in our own hands and let the film and television base shine in Tianjin."

Vice Mayor Ye smiled and said, "If it were you, Xiao Zhang, in charge, I would certainly trust you more, but the relationship between the August First Film Studio and the Hong Kong capital..."

That means the August First Film Studio is not as good as the Hong Kong-funded ones.

This idea isn't necessarily wrong, but Zhang Yan still didn't want Hong Kong capital to reap the benefits.

and many more!

Zhang Yan suddenly had an idea: "If we create the impression that Hong Kong capital wants to take over the management, is it possible that the three major shareholders will simultaneously relinquish their management rights, allowing us to realize our dream of managing the company on their behalf?"

"This……"

Vice Mayor Ye was just joking, but now, thinking along Zhang Yan's lines of thought, this method of minority shareholder trusteeship might actually be feasible.

To achieve this, three prerequisites are required: Hong Kong capital is coming in aggressively; the three parties distrust each other; and realizing the dream is a more acceptable compromise option for all three parties.

The idea that Hong Kong capital is coming in aggressively is currently a stereotype, so this point is not a problem at all.

There was a lack of trust among the three parties – there was still some mutual trust between the August First Film Studio and Tianjin, but there was definitely no trust in the Hong Kong capital.

The Tianjin municipal government certainly trusts Zhang Yan;

Given the possibility that Hong Kong capital would seize the dominant position, the August First Film Studio would certainly prefer to let Yuanmeng take control of the operations.

For Hong Kong investors, if they cannot obtain management rights, they are more likely to let the weaker private minority shareholders manage the business on their behalf.

As for whether such conditions will deter Hong Kong investors...

The authorities hope to gain the approval of Hong Kong filmmakers, and the bigwigs in the Hong Kong film industry also hope to make early arrangements in the mainland to secure a future.

"This method works!"

Vice Mayor Ye immediately became excited: "I'll go report to Secretary S right away and try to get the city's full support!"

From the Tianjin government's perspective, it's definitely more reliable for Yuanmeng to take the lead in developing the film and television base. Given the relationship between the two parties, it's practically the same as the city government taking the lead itself...

uh~
It should be said that it is better than the city government taking the lead, after all, most people don't have Mr. Zhang's vision and perspective.

(End of this chapter)