Huayu: I was immediately ensnared by Jing Tian as soon as I entered the industry.

After several days of screenings, the word-of-mouth for "The Hunt" continued to grow, and the enthusiasm of movie fans even led to two additional screenings.

On a 4-point scale, The Hunt received a high score of 3.0, second only to the favorite The River London's 3.1.

Of course, this rating only represents the recognition of film critics and mainstream media, and has nothing to do with the final award winners.

In the hotel, Wang Xuan looked at the local newspapers, estimating his chances of winning an award in Berlin this year.

To be honest, refusing to cooperate with MK2 was a bit rash.

In any case, it can increase the chances of winning a prize.

It's not that he's like those fifth-generation directors in China, with a deep-seated "artsy" mentality, spending his entire life pursuing the three major awards.

His goal is clear: to increase the value of film copyrights through awards, turn them into capital as soon as possible, and gain control of the narrative.

We should upgrade the studio into a company as soon as possible, grow bigger and stronger, and let the audience enjoy some good food instead of paying for bad movies.

The bad habit of criticizing while simultaneously supporting should be corrected as soon as possible.

Wang Xuan did the math and realized that accumulating wealth quickly through film and television in China is too slow. Not only is the cycle too long, but you also can't make much money.

The domestic market is still too small.

The assistant knocked on the door and came in, looking efficient and decisive; the naivety of a few months ago was long gone.

"Boss, Zhang Ziyi just sent over his birthday banquet invitation."

"She's really something, coming all the way to Berlin for her birthday."

Wang Xuan scoffed, "They really went to great lengths for attention: 'Refuse it for me, just say I don't have time.'"

After his assistant left, he looked through the domestic news. The plot of "The Hunt" had been reported after its first day of screening.

His blog account has a large number of comments from art-house film enthusiasts.

"This is a highly satirical and realistic film, a hunt for humanity."

"Humans hunt each other, using justice as a pretext for their own actions. In life, have we ever been 'hunters' ourselves?"

"Prejudice will never die, and the hunt will never end. This is a great film that directly addresses the weaknesses of human nature."

···

After the opening ceremony.

Film copyright transactions take place in Berlin every day.

This is what makes the three major European film festivals so attractive; film distributors from all over the world gather here to buy or sell films.

The film "Hunting" has become a target for many film companies. Some companies that were contacting the film company for the first time quoted a price, but the response they all received was that they would talk about it after the closing ceremony.

"Wang, I know your style. I'm not talking to you about copyright, but about other collaborations."

Send me the address.

Wang Xuan pondered for a moment, wondering what kind of cooperation Harvey, this chubby white man, could possibly have with him.

A Western restaurant 200 meters from the hotel was considered a top choice for film distributors to conduct transactions due to its authentic taste and private environment.

"Your Majesty, you must try the steak here; it tastes fantastic."

"Give me a medium-rare, please."

Sitting across from him, Harvey brandished his knife and fork at a bloody steak, making Wang Xuan's teeth ache just watching.

The chubby man wiped his mouth with a napkin:

"Wang, the rating and reputation of [Hunting] are good, but the chances of winning a big prize are slim."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan looked up. He hadn't come here to hear this nonsense.

Seeing Wang Xuan's dissatisfaction, the chubby man quickly explained:

"Didn't you notice? There are five female directors nominated this year, and Tilda Swinton is an extreme feminist."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xuan frowned.

The jury chair's preferences can determine who wins the Golden Bear.

This year's competition features 25 films, including 5 female directors. While this may seem like a small number, it is actually a once-in-20-years occurrence.

Wang Xuan said calmly and without any change in expression:

"If you think you can use the uncertainty of winning an award to secure a copyright deal, you're in for a disappointment."

Harvey shook his pig head:

"I'm just giving you a heads-up. The subject matter of 'The Hunt' is very relevant to reality. It's a pity you're not an Oscar nominee. If I were in charge of the PR, there's a very high chance you'd win Best Foreign Language Film."

"Is this the cooperation you're talking about?"

If we really want to compete for the Olympics, the chubby guy in front of us is a good candidate. Although he is greedy, he does his job when he gets paid.

According to statistics, the films he has worked with have accumulated more than 300 nominations and won more than 90 Oscars.

The Oscars are like a back door for them; they're always the frontrunners to win every year.

"Of course not. Those stubborn old men at the academy wouldn't like a film that was nominated in Berlin."

The chubby man took a sip of red wine before continuing:

"I've looked into you closely. You're an incredibly talented director—you can write, act, and direct. You're a genius. You should take your talent to Los Angeles."

Listening to the chubby man's incredibly tempting words, Wang Xuan was somewhat tempted.

Of course, it wasn't because of these words, but because Hollywood was an indispensable part of his plan.

The domestic film market is too small; making money in the global market in Hollywood is what's truly challenging.

Seeing that Wang Xuan was somewhat tempted, the chubby man intensified his persuasive efforts:

"As long as you sign with my company, I will fully support you, whether it's a commercial or art film, just like Quentin Darrentino did."

After all that fuss, it turns out the chubby guy wanted to recruit him, but Wang Xuan had absolutely no interest in that.

He said expressionlessly, "If you really know me, you should know that I have never had the habit of working for others."

In Hollywood, the chubby guy is at best an independent filmmaker with some connections.

He needs to find partners, and the six major Hollywood studios are his first choice.

Even the next best options are Lionsgate, New Line, and the like.

Harvey shook his head, his fat face jiggling, and hurriedly explained:

"No, no, no, we have a cooperative relationship, not a superior-subordinate relationship."

It sounds nice, but once a contract is actually signed in black and white, that's a different story.

Wang Xuan wiped his hands with a napkin and said casually:

"I'm open to collaborating, but I'll work with you as an independent filmmaker. Let's not talk about signing a contract; I'm not interested."

The chubby man looked over with an incredulous expression. He admitted that Wang Xuan was an extremely talented Chinese director, but who among those who made a name for themselves in Hollywood didn't have talent?

He advised him with an expression that seemed to be for his own good:

"Wang, you're Chinese. You don't understand the rules of Hollywood. If you want to make a name for yourself in Hollywood, talent alone isn't enough..."

Wang Xuan took a sip of red wine and said calmly:

"I don't understand Hollywood, but I do understand money-driven capitalism. As long as my movies can generate profits, I won't have to worry about finding theatrical distribution."

Wang Xuan paused, then pointed his finger at Harvey opposite him in the air, and said confidently:

"Don't forget, I have a film market of 14 billion people behind me. As a Chinese person, there are no shortage of people who want to cooperate with me."

His thoughts had been exposed, and the chubby man's expression kept changing.

In his two conversations with Wang Xuan, he found him to be completely different from other Chinese directors he had met before; he was always being led by the nose.

Looking at Wang Xuan's young and excessively handsome face, he felt a pang of jealousy while also considering the possibility of cooperation.

After a long pause, the chubby man tentatively asked, "How do you want to cooperate...?"