I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Many people have noticed that Song Yi's acting skills actually shine brighter in supporting roles.

In shows like "The Disguiser," she perfectly captured the character's ruthlessness and tenderness, demonstrating solid acting skills and a fitting demeanor. However, when she takes on leading roles, the characters become less complex, lacking that breakthrough potential.

Take "With Jin Chang'an" for example. Originally, she was supposed to be a "heroic female general," but her performance made her seem like a lovestruck girl.

The dialogue was weak and feeble, the movements were limp and lifeless, and the whole character was not believable.

Looking at "Changfengdu," pairing with Bai Jing should have been a great opportunity, but due to the previous endorsement controversy and the overly enthusiastic interaction between the two, this appearance became awkward.

When Cheng Sheng heard Song Yi ask this question, he couldn't help but make a comparison with the three major European film festivals in his mind.

While the characteristics of the three major European film festivals are not entirely the same, they are quite similar.

However, there is one type of film that is very easy to win awards, but Cheng Sheng is too embarrassed to say it.

Explicit films.

This type of film is very controversial, and it's often said that the more controversial a film is, the more likely it is to win awards, which is half true.

For example, a future Indian film called "Burning Winter".

This film was selected for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

Several explicit and sexually suggestive scenes in the film have been the subject of much discussion among viewers.

Because it was nominated for the Cannes Film Festival, netizens had already been paying attention to the film "Burning Winter" for a long time.

The film tells a complex love triangle story and includes some passionate scenes.

The film received a lukewarm reception after its release, and its rating on Douban was also low.

This raises the question: how exactly did it impress the judges of international film festivals?
Some netizens pointed out that it was precisely these explicit and erotic scenes in the film that catered to the preferences of international film festivals.

If one's sole purpose in looking for award-winning films at these international film festivals is to "find explicit scenes," then this statement seems to have some merit.

Of course, the "large scale" referred to here is only within the scope of art films, since it refers to clearly adult films and does not involve selections at international film festivals.

Looking at the award-winning films from the three major European film festivals over the next few years, they all do contain some explicit scenes.

The 2021 Cannes Palme d'Or winner, "Titanium," is filled with almost manic nudity and sexual scenes.

In 2022, "The Triangle," which made its debut at Cannes, also garnered considerable attention for its explicit and graphic scenes.

When it comes to "explicit content", Chinese audiences will definitely think of the film "Lust, Caution", which won the Golden Lion Award at the 64th Venice Film Festival.

The frequent appearance of explicit scenes in international blockbusters is because directors use sex to portray human nature, which makes it easier to meet the needs of the film's rhythm and plot.

Many of the explicit scenes are not optional.

In portraying character relationships, sometimes direct, large-scale scenes are more direct, decisive, and easier for the audience to understand than other methods.

In addition, the bloodshed, violence, sex, and desire are all real.

For most ordinary viewers, the explicit scenes are just a gimmick and a source of amusement.

Therefore, in their eyes, a major reason why the film won awards was that it contained large-scale scenes that everyone loves to watch.

Just like the movie "Lust, Caution" that has been constantly brought up for "interrogation".

Most netizens weren't discussing how profound the art form was, but rather whether they actually had sex during filming. Frankly speaking, whether or not a film can be accepted into an international film festival isn't determined by a single sex scene.

The award criteria are based on artistry, not size.

Large-scale scenes that can support the theme and provide strong support for the plot are definitely in service of the film's content.

Hong Kong films from the golden age also contained many scenes with explicit content.

However, these explicit scenes were able to impact Asia and even created many sexy goddesses.

It's because the explicit scenes are placed in the right position and have the right meaning within the overall film.

The artistic value of these images lies not only in the intertwining of desires, but also in the photographic techniques, use of color, and various cinematic languages ​​hidden beneath the flesh.

Large-scale scenes that can trigger emotional desires and sensory stimulation may just be icing on the cake for the film's expression.

"The so-called 'three major international film festivals' actually have different preferences."

After a moment of contemplation, Cheng Sheng spoke.

Seeing that the people below were listening attentively, Cheng Sheng shared his summary of insights: "I've already talked about the Venice Film Festival, so I won't repeat it. Now let's talk about the Cannes Film Festival."

"The Cannes Film Festival prefers a blend of art and commerce..."

"Generally speaking, art films are critically acclaimed but not commercially successful, but by giving art films a commercial aspect, they can achieve both box office and critical success..."

"The Berlin Film Festival, on the other hand, focuses more on the social significance of the film's theme."

"The films' incisive critique of social issues is a key focus of Berlin's selection process... In general, international film festivals tend to favor works with artistic creativity."

Cheng Sheng's speech lasted for more than half an hour, finally ending after Principal Xu Xiaozhong arrived.

After chatting with the principal for about an hour, Cheng Sheng said goodbye and left as it was getting late.

After leaving the school, Cheng Sheng drove to the company.

In Xing Aina's office.

Holding an invitation card from the Xijiang government, Cheng Sheng was overjoyed and asked, "Sister Aina, did Xijiang say what kind of performances they'll be putting on?"

The invitation card sent by the Xijiang government was for the premiere, and they also gave Cheng Sheng a big gift along with the invitation card.

In addition to inviting Cheng Sheng and others to the premiere of "Ten Red Army Soldiers Sending Off" in Xijiang, the Xijiang government also extended a warm invitation to people from Cheng Sheng's company to perform at the premiere.

It's worth noting that the Xijiang government held the premiere of "Ten Red Army Soldiers Sent Off" at August 1st Square.

An open-air premiere—this is probably the biggest premiere ever.

Given that it was held in a solemn setting like August 1st Square, the grand scale of this premiere goes without saying.

If you could perform on stage in that kind of setting, you could become an overnight sensation.

To give an analogy, why are celebrities so eager to appear on the Spring Festival Gala stage?

Every year, the Spring Festival Gala is packed with celebrities. Whether they are popular or not, they will try their best to participate whenever they have the chance.

Although the Spring Festival Gala is the most important stage for Chinese people, is it really necessary to be so enthusiastic?
The answer is yes, of course. Many people may not know that the pay for the Spring Festival Gala is actually very low. Regardless of fame, the pay is a uniform few thousand yuan plus a boxed lunch. Even some veteran artists or big names whose performance fees are often in the millions receive only this much, not to mention those less famous singers and actors. (End of Chapter)