Chinese Entertainment: Directors Start with the Fairy Sister

Chapter 75: "Inception" Tempts Leonardo DiCaprio, "Juno" Premieres!

The closing ceremony of the Shanghai Film Festival featured a huge surprise.

Apart from "The Dog" winning a jury prize, all the other major awards went to foreign films.

Even the Best Actress award, which she had won seven or eight times in a row in China, was lost this time.

Zhao Yanxi doesn't know whether giving "The Dog" an award was because the film was truly of high quality, or whether she wanted to use the guise of being a "sycophant" to express her feelings to those foreign films.

As an A-list film festival, embracing internationalism is not unreasonable.

But for a foreign actress who only arrived a few hours before the awards ceremony to receive an award for artistic contribution, it's really a bit too much of a sycophancy.

At the end of June, Paul also reported to Zhao Yanyue on the promotion of "Juno" in North America.

Currently, the creative team has participated in more than a dozen entertainment and talk shows under Lionsgate's guidance, and nearly 1000 cinemas have confirmed that they will screen "Juno" on the same day it is released.

To promote "Juno," Zhao Yanxi had to fly to Hollywood.

Of course, there is another major reason, which is that Liu Yifei's first Japanese EP is about to be released, and Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli have to fly to Japan to cooperate with Sony in doing some promotion in Japan.

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The crew wasn't idle either; assistant directors Ning Hao and Ding Lang continued to film some less important supporting roles.

For example, when filming scenes with Liu Yan, or even Zhang Jin and Sun Li, the production team didn't have to come to a complete standstill.

Upon landing in Los Angeles, Zhao Yanxi immediately got into Paul's car.

"Boss, the premiere arrangements are all set. Leonardo has replied, saying he'll be there on time tomorrow night!" Paul reported.

"Not bad~"

Zhao Yanxi smiled with satisfaction: "Remember to register that script!"

Leonardo DiCaprio, undoubtedly a top star in Hollywood and globally, is popular in Europe, America, Southeast Asia, and...

They have a huge fan base in Central Asia and other regions.

Just like inviting big names to the premiere of a domestic film, Zhao Yanxi also wanted to invite some top celebrities to the premiere of "Juno" hosted by Lionsgate.

Although "Shutter" is a horror film that is not considered highbrow, the Berlin Silver Bear is acceptable for ordinary filmmakers and is also commonplace for these top stars. However, Zhao Yanxi has a trump card that Leonardo DiCaprio cannot resist: the script!

As we all know, Leonardo DiCaprio no longer cares much about box office performance; his participation alone is worth 100 million in box office revenue. The only thing he cares about now is awards.

The three major European awards, or the Oscars.

The latter is the best choice, but the three major European countries are also acceptable.

To win awards, you need a good script, especially in Hollywood's producer-centric system, where the script is often just as important as the director!

Leonardo DiCaprio's own production company, Appigumo, has invested in many excellent screenplays.

The "bait" that Zhao Yanxi used to lure Leonardo DiCaprio was a script—Inception!

On the evening of the 30th, the premiere of "Juno" was held as scheduled at the Crown Cinema in Los Angeles.

This was Zhao Yanxi's first premiere in North America. Lionsgate and Paul also invited many media reporters, professional film critics, and some second- and third-tier celebrities to attend and show their support.

Although Ellen Page, Michael Serra, and others are not well-known, the young Berlin Silver Bear-winning director Zhao Yanxi has attracted considerable attention from reporters.

However, the moment Leonardo walked onto the red carpet, the atmosphere was instantly ignited.

"Leonardo!"

"My God, how could Leonardo DiCaprio come to a place like this?"

"Hurry and take a picture! It's not Oscar time yet, so it's not easy to see him!"

The red carpet was flooded with flashing lights, and Leonardo DiCaprio's appearance brought the premiere of "Juno" to its climax.

He greeted the media with his signature smile, but his eyes were searching through the crowd. Soon, he spotted Zhao Yanxi waiting quietly at the theater entrance.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and a photo session, Leonardo couldn't wait to walk with Zhao Yanxi to a relatively quiet corner.

"Zhao, thank you for the invitation. But to be honest, the synopsis of that Inception script kept me up all night."

Leonardo’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he cut straight to the point, “It’s so captivating, that multi-layered dream structure, the boundary between reality and the subconscious—it’s absolutely a revolutionary idea.”

When can we officially begin this project? I can't wait to delve into Cobb's world.

Looking at the enthusiastic and eager Leonardo, Zhao Yanxi smiled gently and said, "Leon, I'm so glad you love this story so much. When I was conceiving the character of Cobb, your image came to mind."

He changed the subject and continued, "But it is precisely because it is so special that I hope it can be presented in its most perfect form."

"Right now, I think I need some more time to process things... Please believe me, I'll start this project by next year at the latest!"

Leonardo, though eager, knew that good works require polishing, so he suppressed his urgency and nodded: "I understand your dedication to art, Zhao. Okay, I'll have my team keep an eye on it. Remember your promise, next year! I'm already looking forward to it."

"certainly!"

The two raised their glasses and gently clinked them together.

Not far away, Lionsgate's Steve was clinking glasses with Paul.

Watching Leonardo chatting happily with Zhao Yanxi, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Paul, they're actually so close?"

"You should have told me sooner that we could have made this premiere even bigger!"

"Stephen, can I tell you that I was only a few days ahead of you, you know?" Paul said helplessly.

"Paul, how powerful are you, this Chinese boss, in their country?"

"Of course, no doubt about it!" Paul said matter-of-factly. "You know, that's just how the Chinese film and television industry is."

"The total box office revenue for the whole year might not even be as high as that of a single film like 'Paranormal Activity.' My boss is rich and talented, how could he be bad?"

"That makes sense!"

Stephen looked at Zhao Yanxi, but his mind was filled with what the president had told him a few days ago: if he wanted to develop the Chinese market, Zhao Yanxi seemed to be a good choice!

No matter where it is, the most important thing at a premiere is always the film itself.

There was no opening speech, nor any touching remarks.

Once everyone was seated, the lights in the theater dimmed, and Lionsgate's classic opening logo appeared, accompanied by "Juno."

The premiere has officially begun.

It all begins with a chance encounter, a teenage boy and girl, a sweet campus romance, an unexpected child, a broken family, and a story about youth...

It unfolded slowly before all the audience.

The 105-minute film provided a unique viewing experience for all the guests, film critics, and media reporters present.

Before we knew it, the movie had come to an end.

Whether they were the film crew who had personally experienced the entire filming process or other guests present, they all gave a warm round of applause the moment the lights in the screening room came on.

"Zhao, this is a really fun movie!" Leonardo said with delight.

From this small example, his expectations for "Inception" are growing ever higher.

"Thank you, I hope the audience likes it!"

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