Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 524, Section 522: The Chinese American Film Festival
The afternoon sun in Los Angeles cast clear dappled patterns of light on the carpet through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the suite's living room at the Peninsula Hotel.

In the suite's living room, Wang Sheng, who had just woken up from his afternoon nap, received a guest who had come to visit him through Yang Huasha's connections.

Wang Shengxian waited for a while.

A moment later, a middle-aged man of about forty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a well-fitting suit, walked in, guided by his assistant.

He wore a perfectly warm smile, walked with a steady gait, and had a shrewd look in his eyes. As soon as they met, he extended both hands: "Chairman Wang, I have long admired your name. I apologize for disturbing you! I am Su Yantao, the head of Eagle Dragon Media in the United States."

"Mr. Su, it's a pleasure to meet you." Wang Sheng shook hands with him and gestured for him to sit on the sofa in the living room.

The assistant quietly slipped out.

After exchanging a few pleasantries and business cards, Wang Sheng sized up Su Yantao, who claimed to be the head of "Eagle Dragon Media".

According to the information he had, this company had a certain foundation in the Chinese American media circle, and its main business covered radio, television and some community cultural activities. It had a certain influence among the local Chinese community in Los Angeles, but in terms of strength and capital, it was worlds apart from Sheng Ying Media today.

Su Yantao himself is more like a shrewd and resource-integrating leader or cultural broker in the Chinese community. In Wang Sheng’s view, his personal assets and company size are probably not even comparable to a regional subsidiary of Sheng Ying.

"Is Chairman Wang's visit to Los Angeles for the Oscars ceremony the day after tomorrow? Two films with eighteen nominations—that's a source of pride for our Chinese film industry!" Su Yantao began with flattery, his tone sincere and not offensive.

"It was mainly to handle some company affairs, and Oscar was involved incidentally." Wang Sheng's tone was flat, neither confirming nor denying.

Su Yantao was clearly prepared. Seeing Wang Sheng's composed attitude, he stopped beating around the bush, leaned forward slightly, and got to the point: "Chairman Wang, to be honest, the reason for my visit is that I have an immature idea that I hope to get the support of Chairman Wang and Shengying Group."

"Please speak." Wang Sheng picked up his teacup and blew away the foam.

"Our Eagle Dragon Media has been committed to promoting cultural exchanges between China and the United States in recent years."

Especially in the film industry, we see more and more Chinese-language films going global, and we also see Hollywood's desire for the Chinese market.

However, there's a persistent feeling that a stable, efficient, and widely influential platform is lacking to systematically promote this kind of exchange.

Su Yantao spoke eloquently: "Therefore, our initial idea is to initiate and host a 'Chinese American Film Festival' in Los Angeles!"

Wang Sheng nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

The idea itself is not new. There are many film festivals around the world with names like "China-US" or "China-Foreign," but most of them have limited influence and are difficult to make a significant impact.

Su Yantao clearly understood Wang Sheng's concerns and immediately added, "Our film festival is different from others. We plan to cooperate with authoritative organizations such as the China Film Association and the Motion Picture Association of America to strive for official recognition and support."

The film festival will feature a main competition section, inviting the latest outstanding films from China and the United States to participate, along with a series of events including film forums, market transactions, and new talent pitching.

Our goal is to make it one of the most important annual events in the Chinese and American film industries, and a core bridge connecting Hollywood and the Chinese-language film market!

His vision was grand, and his tone was full of passion.

But Wang Sheng knew perfectly well that with Eagle Dragon Media's capital and industry influence, trying to leverage a project of such scale was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Without the support of top production studios, powerful distributors, or substantial capital, the so-called "authoritative recognition" and "core bridge" are nothing but castles in the air.

"The idea is very appealing." Wang Sheng put down his teacup, his tone still calm: "What does Mr. Su need Sheng Ying to do?"

Su Yantao's smile widened, knowing that the most crucial moment had arrived: "Chairman Wang, Shengying Media is now a leading enterprise in Chinese-language films, and you yourself are an internationally renowned director and producer with a high reputation and extensive network in Hollywood."

We cordially invite you to serve as the 'Honorary Chairman' of the inaugural Chinese American Film Festival!
With your prestige, we can set a high standard for the film festival. At the same time, we hope that Shengying Group, as a 'co-organizer' of the film festival, can not only provide financial support but also bring high-quality films and star resources from the Shengying Group to the festival, enhancing its prestige and attracting more attention.

He paused, observing Wang Sheng's reaction, and then increased his stakes: "If Chairman Wang agrees, the position of executive chairman of the film festival organizing committee will naturally be appointed by you."

Eagle Dragon Media is willing to take charge of the specific implementation, local resource coordination, and daily operations.

The words were beautifully spoken, almost handing over the initiative.

Honorary Chairman, co-organizer, designated executive chairman... it seems that Wang Sheng and Sheng Ying will gain a great deal of influence.

But Wang Sheng knew that this was essentially a form of "leveraging existing resources".

What Su Yantao valued was the name "Wang Sheng" and the prestigious brand "Shengying," as well as the vast funds and resources behind it.

Eagle Dragon Media aims to leverage this creative idea and local foundation to align with Sheng Ying, a leading media conglomerate, and achieve a leap forward for its own platform.

However, in that instant, several thoughts flashed through Wang Sheng's mind like lightning.

The Chinese American Film Festival...a platform...a voice...

He recalled how Western film festivals, especially some European film festivals, would select and praise films that conformed to their imagined "Eastern narratives" with a condescending "curiosity" perspective—poverty, backwardness, repression, political metaphors... They seemed to only be willing to understand China through such lenses.

Those works that truly showcase China's modernization process, the struggles and happiness of ordinary people, and the success of commercial genre films, are ironically overlooked. Why is it that we are the only ones being measured by their fixed standards?
in case……

If this Sino-American Film Festival, which we have participated in leading and may even control in the future, becomes powerful enough and influential enough, could it also, in turn, examine and evaluate American films from a unique perspective?

Not those glamorous Hollywood blockbusters, but rather to explore and encourage films that reflect the "tragic narratives" of American society, such as its internal divisions, racial conflicts, the plight of the underprivileged, gun violence, and problems with healthcare and education.
Just like how they enjoy looking at our "specific aspects"?
Of course, such thoughts must never be spoken aloud, and even in practice, they require extremely high skill and packaging, and must be disguised as "artistic diversity," "focus on reality," and "deep communication."

But this is undoubtedly a highly tempting lever of potential cultural power.

This sudden idea, tinged with a touch of wicked humor and profound scheming, piqued Wang Sheng's interest in what seemed like a "get-rich-quick" proposition.

He was no longer satisfied with being merely a figurehead "honorary chairman" and a "co-organizer" who contributed money and effort.

What he wants is real, unquestionable power for this film festival.

From the very beginning, it should be brought under Sheng Ying's sphere of influence and allowed to grow according to its own will.

A faint, meaningful smile appeared on Wang Sheng's face. He looked at Su Yantao and slowly said, "Mr. Su's idea is very forward-thinking. Promoting in-depth exchanges between Chinese and American films is also an important part of Shengying's internationalization strategy."

Upon hearing this, Su Yantao's eyes flashed with joy.

But Wang Sheng's next words made him shudder.

"However, I think we don't need empty titles like 'honorary chairman'."

Wang Sheng's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness: "If we're going to do it, we'll do it properly. If Shengying is involved, I hope it will be as a 'co-founder.' Shengying must have decision-making power over the core matters of the film festival, such as its organizational structure, charter formulation, jury formation, and the establishment of major sections."

He paused, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Su Yantao: "My demand is that a genuine joint organizing committee be established. I myself will serve as the co-chair of the organizing committee, possessing equal decision-making power. The selection of key personnel for the executive bodies under the organizing committee must be jointly determined by both parties, and Sheng Ying will have veto power."

Su Yantao's smile froze.

Wang Sheng's actions go beyond simple participation; he aims to seize control!

The veto power means that Wang Sheng has ultimate control over the direction and specific affairs of the entire film festival.

“Chairman Wang, this…” Su Yantao was caught off guard. He had expected Wang Sheng to make demands, but he did not expect him to be so tough and thorough.

Wang Sheng didn't give him much time to think and continued to offer his conditions: "In terms of funding, Shengying can be one of the main sponsors, but it will not be the only source of funding."

Eagle Dragon Media needs to demonstrate your execution and resource integration capabilities.

I need to see the detailed plan for the budget and fundraising scheme for the first event.

Furthermore, the long-term development of the film festival requires a healthy business model and cannot rely on sponsorship indefinitely. These points need to be clearly defined from the outset.

He leaned forward slightly, and the pressure he exerted made Su Yantao breathe a little faster: "Mr. Su, a good platform needs both strength and vision to support it."

Sheng Ying has the ability to elevate this film festival to its rightful heights, even beyond your wildest imagination.

But this is contingent on it operating within an efficient and controllable mechanism. What do you think?

Su Yantao was torn between his inner thoughts and his own.

Wang Sheng's conditions were extremely harsh, almost stripping him of his status as the founder and turning him into someone who worked for Sheng Ying.

On the other hand, without the deep involvement of Wang Sheng and Sheng Ying, his idea of ​​a "Chinese American Film Festival" would likely have ended up being just a small film festival limited to the Chinese community, and would not have been able to achieve his grand goals.

By partnering with Shengying, although he loses some control, the platform's influence and success rate will increase exponentially. The names of Su Yantao and Yinglong Media will also rise with the rise of the film festival.

It was a difficult choice, but it seemed to be the only viable path.

After a long silence, Su Yantao took a deep breath, and a smile returned to his face. This time, however, the smile carried a hint of solemnity and determination: "Chairman Wang, your vision is remarkable. Your conditions... are very reasonable. In order for the film festival to truly become a golden bridge connecting Chinese and American films, Eagle Dragon Media is willing to fully cooperate and follow Chairman Wang and Shengying Group's lead!"

He chose to compromise, or rather, he chose to submit to the powerful.

Wang Sheng nodded in satisfaction, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

He extended his hand: "Then, I wish us a pleasant collaboration. Let our teams work together on the specific details as soon as possible."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Wang!"

Su Yantao quickly stood up and tightly grasped Wang Sheng's hands.

(End of this chapter)