Best Director in Literature Department of Huayu

Chapter 121: The Western Expedition of Chinese-Language Cinema, Debuting in Toronto

With the announcement of the Toronto International Film Festival's lineup, domestic audiences and media had become accustomed to seeing only one or two films competing alone at international film festivals.

However, this year, major mainstream media outlets and professional film magazines withdrew their publications overnight, using a historical perspective to elevate this collective westward expedition to the level of mythology.

Movie Review: "This is the largest and most comprehensively organized overseas contingent in the history of Chinese-language cinema. Masters from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and Hong Kong, both veteran and emerging, have gathered for this grand event!"

The Beijing Times reported: "Feng Xiaogang's new film 'The Banquet' has been officially selected for the Special Screenings section of the Toronto International Film Festival. Director Feng will personally lead the main creative team to Canada for promotion."

The Beijing News reported: "International film star Zhang Ziyi has confirmed her attendance at the North American premiere of 'The Banquet.' This year's Toronto International Film Festival is expected to be the one with the highest overseas exposure for Chinese-language films in recent years."

Southern Metropolis Daily: "Following the Venice Film Festival, Jia Zhangke will once again bring 'Still Life' and the documentary 'East' to the international film scene. Industry insiders generally believe that 'Still Life' will be one of the most anticipated Chinese-language art films at this year's festival."

Film Art: "Johnnie To's film 'Exiled' has been selected for the Midnight Screenings section, and Josie Ho and other members of the cast and crew will attend related events at the film festival."

China Film News: "Besides *The Banquet*, *Still Life*, and *Exiled*, director Sheng Zhimin's *Floating Life*..."

Director Patrick Tam's films, including "After This Our Exile," will also have North American screenings during the Toronto event. Chinese-language films are appearing on the international film market on an unprecedented scale.

Southern Weekly: "This is a rare collective appearance. Fifth-generation directors, sixth-generation directors, Hong Kong filmmakers, and emerging creators are all on the same international stage. For Chinese-language films seeking breakthroughs in overseas markets, Toronto may become a new window."

Popular Cinema: "Some come with their works, some with the market, and some with awards. But whatever their purpose, this September in Toronto is destined to see an unprecedented number of Chinese-speaking faces."

With extensive media coverage, domestic film fan forums and portal websites have also become hot topics of discussion.

"Toronto is practically a Chinese-language film festival this year."

"They've all been there: The Banquet, Still Life, and Exile. That's a pretty scary lineup."

"Zhang Ziyi is going too? No wonder she's internationally renowned!"

"I heard Johnnie To will be there too? He'll show those foreigners what real positioning and gunfight coordination is all about!"

"Finally, this year we don't have to rely solely on Western movies to dominate the story."

Meanwhile, industry insiders discovered a very unusual name while reviewing the list of all participants in the film festival.

He is neither a fifth-generation director, nor a bigwig in the Hong Kong film industry, nor does he have the international fame of Jackie Chan.

However, in the past three months, he has been mentioned far more often in the domestic film industry than most of his peers.

Lin Ruiyang, "Dallas Buyers Club".

When these two names appeared on the list together, many industry insiders were even a little dazed. His previous film had just finished its run in China, and now his next project had already made it to Toronto.

Film World: "Among the list of directors for this year's Toronto International Film Festival, Lin Ruiyang is perhaps one of the most noteworthy Chinese-language directors."

Compared to other directors who have already established their own style, his future remains uncertain.

The Yanjing Youth Daily reported: "Lin Ruiyang, who is only in his early twenties, is creating a brand new path for Chinese directors to develop overseas."

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As these discussions continue to heat up, new information has also emerged from the domestic film market.

After more than a month in theaters, "The Devil Wears Prada" has finally ended its theatrical run in China, with a total box office of over 2400 million yuan.

This figure might seem insignificant in the context of today's massive film markets that often exceed 1 billion or 10 billion yuan, but in the context of the Chinese film market in 2006, it was enough to place it among the top imported films of the year.

More importantly, the director of this film is Chinese.

On the day the news was announced, many domestic media outlets even used the same headline: "A new director with tens of millions in box office revenue is born!"

Lin Ruiyang becomes one of the youngest directors in China to have films grossing over 10 million yuan!

"From Venice to Hollywood: The Rise of Chinese Directors"

In no time, the topic of Lin Ruiyang once again topped the entertainment sections of major portal websites.

In entertainment gossip sections and movie box office forums, countless seasoned movie fans and anonymous industry insiders who stayed up all night were conducting Xi Jinping's crazy logical deductions about this strange movie title.

"Hey guys, can anyone explain what this 'Dallas Buyers Club' is all about? Didn't Lin Ruiyang just finish filming 'Fashion Queen'? Why is he suddenly making up a buyers club? It sounds like some kind of personal shopping organization, or a sequel to 'Fashion Queen'?"

"Don't make wild guesses, upstairs. Dallas is a major city in Texas, with an extremely hardcore and tough culture, the complete opposite of a fashion capital like New York. But judging from the name, I have a feeling it's definitely not some lighthearted urban comedy."

"An editor from the magazine 'Film World' just revealed on his blog that this is supposedly a film with entirely English dialogue, and it's an independent film under the Searchlight Pictures brand."

"Searchlight? Holy crap, aren't searchlights specifically for award-winning films?"

"I remember they were the ones who distributed 'Little Miss Sunshine,' right? So does that mean 'Dallas Buyers Club' isn't a commercial film?"

"Nonsense, if it were a commercial film, it would have already failed. Now, apart from the names and cast, there's nothing else to find, so it's obviously holding back a big surprise."

"Matthew McConaughey has gotten so thin, I suspect this movie is aiming for awards."

...It's not just the general public discussing this; some industry publications have also expressed their opinions:

Contemporary Cinema: "For most directors, the next film often continues the success of the previous one. But Lin Ruiyang seems to be deliberately avoiding this creative inertia."

Film Review: "Whether this shift from commercial comedy to realistic themes reflects the ambition of young directors or a lack of a stable style, perhaps only the release of the films will provide the answer."

Meanwhile, while the film was still being hotly debated domestically, "The Devil Wears Prada" was still slowly climbing the box office.

By the end of August, the cumulative box office in North America had officially surpassed $160 million. Meanwhile, overseas markets continued to report good news, with major box office markets such as the UK, France, Germany, and Australia performing far better than expected.

Ultimately, Fox's distribution department raised its forecast for the third time, revising its global box office target to $370 million.

On the day the news was announced, many Wall Street analysts even updated their earnings forecasts for Fox this quarter.

Variety: "The biggest winner this summer may not be any superhero, but that young director from China."

The New York Times: "With the Toronto International Film Festival about to open, Ryan Lam is emerging as one of the most anticipated new directors at this year's festival."

Amid this overwhelming media coverage, more and more media outlets are turning their attention to the upcoming Toronto Film Festival, a momentum that has surpassed that of the Venice Film Festival.

However, as the discussions outside intensified, Lin Ruiyang, who was in Beverly Hills, became the calmest person.

With less than two weeks to go before its Toronto opening, Searchlight has already begun finalizing its promotional strategy for Dallas Buyers Club.

CAA is on high alert, as the controversy surrounding Roger's previous work has brought "Dallas Buyers Club" to the ceiling that a new director can reach within the company.

Media interviews, industry cocktail parties, film critic screenings, academic public relations campaigns... plans were rolled out in advance.

Even many resources that originally belonged to other projects were forcibly transferred to Dallas Buyers Club by Roger.

There were naturally many complaints within the company about this, but when they saw the latest box office figures for "The Devil Wears Prada," all the voices quieted down.

Similarly, the Toronto International Film Festival's list of most anticipated films has also been quietly leaked.

Among a host of star-studded big-budget productions and awards season favorites, "Dallas Buyers Club" stands out prominently.

After the news broke, Entertainment Weekly immediately published a commentary: "This is one of the most mysterious works at this year's film festival. No one has actually seen it, but everyone wants to know what kind of answer Ryan Lam will deliver."

Rolling Stone: "If The Devil Wears Prada represents the market, then Dallas Buyers Club will determine whether Ryan Lam is a commercial director or a future auteur."

Gradually, a topic that originally belonged to the film itself began to evolve into a discussion about Lin Ruiyang personally.

In his early twenties, he had grossed over $300 million worldwide with his commercial films, and his new work was already making its way to Toronto to compete for an Oscar. Such a resume is rare enough in the entire Hollywood.

Many journalists had even prepared different reports in advance: "Genius or Lucky One?", "Hollywood's Next Golden Director?", and "A New Challenger from the East".

Just as the debate raged on, September finally arrived. Following the opening of the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival was also on the verge of its opening.

At Pearson International Airport in Canada, a flight from Los Angeles slowly lands.

A large number of media reporters had already gathered at the airport exit.

After collecting his luggage, Lin Ruiyang, dressed in a dark casual suit, walked out of the passageway accompanied by his agent, Luo Ge.

"Look over there! That's Ryan Lam!" Several sharp-eyed North American entertainment reporters were the first to press the shutter, and the flashbulbs instantly lit up.

As the creator of the summer blockbuster "The Devil Wears Prada," Lin Ruiyang is currently enjoying great success in Hollywood.

On the periphery of the crowd, several Chinese journalists who had come specifically to block the main force from the mainland were also stunned.

(P.S.: Thank you to the teacher whose name doesn't matter for the donation!)

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