HuaYu: A Great Director Starting with Dream of the Red Chamber

In the early hours of the morning, Li Yan lay on his bed in his bedroom, watching the silent snow falling outside the window, and gently lit a cigarette.

When he was alone, the gloom and resentment he had been forcibly suppressing still surged up like a tide.

Ultimately, he still had no cards to play.

The foundation is not solid enough.

The entertainment industry in China operates entirely differently from Hollywood.

Having money and talent alone is not enough; you also need a solid background and leverage that makes people wary.

We must stand even higher!

Li Yan checked the time and took a deep drag on his cigarette.

As the cigarette glowed and faded, he dialed an overseas number.

In order to ensure that if someone blocks the road again in the future, or if he encounters such disgusting things that force him to back down, he must have the confidence to overturn the table!

"Hey, Lee! I knew you'd call."

On the other end of the phone, Daniel Katz sounded somewhat excited:

"Did you see the email I sent you? The screening of 'Andhadhun' at Sundance was quite well-received, and several distributors are very interested in adapting it into a feature film. It's just that they think your box office revenue sharing terms are a bit..."

"Daniel,"

Li Yan interrupted him somewhat rudely:

"Let's put those small sums aside for now. I remember you said you were tired of staying at the Guggenheim and wanted to do something 'restless,' to create your own legend, right?"

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by the sound of a door closing.

When Katz's voice rang out again, it was more serious: "Lee, what do you want to say?"

"I just sent you an email with a story outline. Read it before deciding whether you want to continue the conversation."

Li Yan didn't say much, but waited quietly.

A few minutes later, Katz's rapid breathing came from the other end of the phone:

"God, Lee, this idea of ​​yours... you must have written it by targeting those old guys at the Academy, right?! If you can give me the complete script, I bet you'll have a place at the Kodak Theatre!"

Katz, the future godfather of independent films, immediately recognized the terrifying potential within this subject matter.

"I can make this script work for you, or even if you want to go solo, I can give it to you as a gift to celebrate the opening of the new company."

Li Yan looked at the falling snow outside the window and slowly said:

"I only need one promise, Daniel... You have to do me a favor this year!"

……

On the seventh day after the Lunar New Year, as soon as the company reopened, Li Yan took the sample film and headed straight to Xiying Road.

Xi'an Film Studio has left an indelible mark on the history of Chinese cinema. Wu Tianming, Zhang Yimou, Chen Shiren, Huang Jianxin, and films like "Red Sorghum," "Farewell My Concubine," and "A Chinese Odyssey"... which one of them isn't a resounding name?

However, in the past two years, with the rise of marketization, apart from a few who still have some connection with the Beijing elite circle, only Wang Quan'an, this spendthrift son, remains.

Lu Wei revised and wrote seven versions of "White Deer Plain" over five years. Just before filming was about to begin, Wang Quan'an rejected the script and wrote a new one himself in 16 days, turning a modern epic into an erotic film.

From then on, Xi'an Film Studio never produced a single decent film again; its glory days were over, and it was in decline.

……

The old factory area was still somewhat desolate after the New Year, and the red brick office buildings looked gloomy in the winter.

With Jing's father's phone call paving the way, Li Yan received quite a high level of treatment, with CEO Wang Yong personally receiving him.

In addition, Li Yan is a local from Chang'an and had just won an award in Venice.

Although Xi'an Film Studio wouldn't have even given this short film award a second glance in the past, nowadays, you can find the best among the worst!

"Little Li, now that we're here, we're home! Haha..."

After watching the sample video, Wang Yong personally poured Li Yan a cup of tea, his eyes shining:

"Great! This is excellent! What Xi'an Film Studio is lacking right now is commercial films like this that can satisfy the market!"

Li Yan accepted the tea with both hands, his posture upright, his face full of sincerity:

"Mr. Wang, Qin Shengwa grew up watching the films produced by our factory! To be honest, I've been mistreated outside, and after thinking it over, I feel more at ease going back home."

"My idea is to put this film under the Xi'an Film Studio's name. Besides, my roots are here, so if I make another film in the future, I'll still have to follow the studio!"

What does Wang Yong lack now? Money? Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; a long-established state-owned enterprise isn't that desperate for money!

Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to come up with 100 million to give to Wang Quan'an!

What he lacks is a sense of presence, political achievements, and works that can make the higher-ups see that Xi'an Film Studio is still shining brightly!

Having just undergone restructuring last September, it's like a windfall that a ready-made commercial film with a star-studded cast, excellent quality, and obvious market potential has come knocking on our door.

"Here's what we'll do: you write an application, and I'll approve it immediately. Our Xi'an Film Studio's Art Creation Center needs young directors like you, fresh blood! This is the kind of talent our studio cultivates!"

"Don't worry!" Wang Yong patted Li Yan's hand as he held it.

"What technical reasons? They're just taking advantage of Xi'an Film Studio's lack of talent! The studio has taken on this film, it's a co-production, and the studio's logo will be prominently displayed! I'll personally handle the censorship! Let's see who dares to obstruct Xi'an Film Studio's key project!"

Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief; the door had been pried open, and there was finally a glimmer of hope.

With Xi'an Film Studio's involvement, it's not only a huge endorsement for "Silent Witness," but also for Li Yan personally.

This means that Li Yan is no longer a lone wolf, a freelancer at the mercy of others; he is a key young director being cultivated by Xi'an Film Studio!

Although the Northwest Circle has declined, it still holds some prestige within the system.

Moreover, Wang Yong was a decisive person; in front of Li Yan, he made a phone call to Han Sanping directly.

The words were all:

"My child is being irresponsible and has caused trouble for President Han. Please take better care of him in the future."

"Our two families have a long-standing relationship, so let's cooperate this time and prosper together."

These polite words not only gave Li Yan ample face but also helped him make a solid step forward.

……

Xi'an Film Studio's procedures went very quickly, with no obstacles in sight.

Two days later, Li Yan, carrying a "joint production" document stamped with the official seal of Xi'an Film Studio, boarded a flight to Yanjing once again.

Chairman's office, Beizhan North Street.

The room was large, decorated in a traditional, government-affiliated style, and the display cases were filled with various trophies.

Han Sanping sat behind a large desk, wearing a stand-up collar shirt and smiling.

There were two other people sitting on the sofa, one of whom was Zhang Qiang.

That same vice president who had been the one to pass on the lie and block the review process for "Witness to the Whole People" was now sitting with his legs crossed, a cigarette between his fingers, looking at Li Yan who had just walked in with a mocking expression.

The other one is La Pei Kang.

After all, Li Yan has the backing of Xi'an Film Studio this time, so China Film Group is taking it quite seriously.

La Peikang got up and exchanged a few pleasantries with him before they each took their seats.

Han Sanping maintained a constant smile and spoke in a gentle tone:

"Xiao Li, I heard you've been going to Xi'an Film Studio quite often lately? Old Wang has been praising you to the skies, saying you're a rare talent. How's the film going?"

That's a rhetorical question!