Best Director in Literature Department of Huayu

Chapter 122 The Night Before the Premiere

Originally, domestic reporters were waiting around the set of "The Banquet" and Zhang Ziyi, but unexpectedly, the commotion started from another direction.

"Ryan!"

"Ryan! Over here!"

When will "Dallas Buyers Club" premiere?

"Does the direct arrival of 'Dallas Buyers Club' in Toronto signify a full-fledged awards season push this year?"

"The Queen's global box office is approaching $370 million. Do you have anything to say about that?"

Faced with this barrage of questions in English, the Chinese reporters at the entrance were momentarily stunned.

They were holding up their own media interview signs, eagerly counting down the time as the "The Banquet" crew was scheduled to arrive in half an hour.

In domestic media reports at the time, Feng Xiaogang's "overseas Chinese film contingent" was the absolute protagonist, and Zhang Ziyi's international superstar status was elevated to the highest level.

"That's... Lin Ruiyang, right?" a reporter from the media said uncertainly.

Wherever the eye could see, the young Chinese director, who stood out remarkably among the group of tall, white executives, was being...

The reporters from Midea were swarming around the area.

"Lin! Could you please respond to Rolling Stone's commentary from yesterday? Do you think Dallas Buyers Club can continue the miracle of Queen?"

Lin Ruiyang appeared quite composed in the face of the relentless pursuit and suppression by mainstream overseas media.

He stopped and briefly gave interviews to several media outlets.

"I am very grateful to the audience for the success of 'The Queen.' The film's commercial success is due to the collective efforts and the impeccable performances of the actors. I just did my duty as a director."

As for *Dallas Buyers Club*, it's a completely different film. It's a film about life, choices, and moral struggles on the edge of the rules, the complete opposite of New York. Toronto is an inclusive stage, and I believe audiences here will see some gold hidden beneath the surface. Thank you!

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding reporters immediately lowered their heads and quickly took notes.

Roger, standing beside him, skillfully controlled the pace of the interview. Three minutes later, the interview ended. Lin Ruiyang politely waved to the reporters' cameras again, then turned and the group left the airport under the escort of security personnel.

Only after the crowd disappeared through the exit did someone in the group of domestic reporters finally come to their senses: "Wasn't that a bit too much?"

The older reporter beside him replied with a wry smile, "You think he's still that new director in China? 'The Devil Wears Prada'?"

With nearly $400 million in global box office revenue, there are few directors in Hollywood this year who can surpass it.

Everyone fell silent.

Over the past few months, domestic media outlets have been reporting on Lin Ruiyang. However, due to information asymmetry, most people's understanding of him remains limited to him being a Chinese director who went to Hollywood and made a successful film, nothing more.

It wasn't until today, when they saw the reactions of European and American media, that they finally realized one thing: the influence of this name in the current North American film industry is far greater than imagined in China.

Half an hour later, the crew of "The Banquet" also arrived in Toronto.

The appearance of Feng Xiaogang, Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Daniel Wu, and others also caused quite a stir.

After all, following films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, Rush Hour 2, and Memoirs of a Geisha, Zhang Ziyi already enjoys considerable fame in North America.

Feng Xiaogang, dressed in formal attire, accompanied by Wang Zhonglei and the main cast, confidently accepted the barrage of questions from domestic reporters, speaking candidly about the ambitions of Chinese-language films to expand westward.

Furthermore, Huayi Brothers invested heavily in Toronto to promote "The Banquet".

The pages of major entertainment media outlets are filled with photos of Zhang Ziyi making a stunning appearance in a haute couture gown, and marketing press releases from domestic portal websites are even more overwhelming.

However, this excitement didn't last long, because with the official opening of the film festival on September 7th, reports from European and American media...

The focus of the discussion began to change.

Compared to domestic media, which focus more on the star-studded cast and red carpet photos, North American media are always more concerned with the film itself.

On the first day after the opening, the North American premiere of "The Banquet" was successfully held. Zhang Ziyi appeared on the red carpet in a black dress, instantly becoming one of the most watched Asian actresses in the entire event.

The Toronto Star: "Zhang Ziyi remains one of the most internationally recognizable faces in contemporary Chinese cinema."

The Globe and Mail: "The Banquet showcases the unique charm of combining Eastern court aesthetics with the industrial system of commercial blockbusters."

Despite polarized reviews, The Banquet still managed to attract a significant amount of attention.

Domestic journalists quickly discovered that although there were many Chinese-language films in Toronto this year, the same group of people were mostly the ones occupying the front page.

The cast and crew of "The Banquet" practically dominated all the entertainment news, and Zhang Ziyi's every public appearance attracted a large number of photographers.

Johnnie To made a low-key appearance with "Exiled," refusing many interviews, yet still becoming a focus of attention for many veteran film critics. In contrast, his works such as "Floating Life" and "After This Our Exile" were much quieter.

On the other hand, Dallas Buyers Club presented a completely different promotional strategy.

There was no cast running around the city for promotional events, nor was there a deluge of outdoor promotional photos; the spotlights seemed to deliberately highlight all the information.

It's like locking it in a safe.

Aside from the movie title, the cast, and a still of Matthew McConaughey looking extremely thin, there is virtually no other useful information available to the public.

The more mysterious something is, the more curious people become.

On the first night of the film festival, Variety published a feature article: "The hardest film to get a screening at this year's Toronto International Film Festival is not the one with the most stars, but Ryan Lam's new film, Dallas Buyers Club."

After the article was published, it quickly circulated within the industry.

The Hollywood Reporter followed up with a report: "Over the past three months, Ryan Lam has transformed from a business upstart to an awards season favorite director, and the upcoming premiere of 'Dallas Buyers Club' will be the key to determining whether all of this is true."

At the same time, more and more film critics began receiving internal invitations from Searchlight.

Dallas Buyers Club will have its world premiere at the Princess of Wales Theatre on September 8.

On the day the news was announced, the number of visits to the reservation page on the film festival's official website surged instantly, and many industry insiders discovered that the premiere tickets were sold out within just a few hours of applications opening.

Variety reporter Kevin complained on his personal blog: "In the past few years, I've only seen Brokeback Mountain and Crash..."

I've seen similar situations at premieres. But now, a film that nobody has actually seen is causing reporters to beg around for help.

Exchange tickets.

The post garnered over 10,000 views in less than half a day.

The comments section was filled with lamentations from fellow users: "I applied twenty minutes too late."

"The searchlights won't give you a ticket."

"I heard that even the second screening room is already fully booked."

As more and more inside information leaked out, the popularity of "Dallas Buyers Club" continued to grow.

Evening at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto.

In a conference room temporarily rented out by the searchlights, the final internal meeting before the premiere is underway.

The long table was piled high with documents, and the distribution manager, public relations team, marketing consultants, and others were all present.

"A total of 137 media outlets have confirmed their attendance at the premiere."

"The academy has 37 members, 26 representatives from independent production companies, 11 senior executives from talent agencies, and the rest are industry guests."

The staff quickly reported the situation, and Rogge listened attentively.

"Lin, the chief film critics from all the major media outlets have confirmed their attendance for tomorrow. Searchlight Film Studios has also deployed its highest-level public relations resources behind the scenes, and the board of directors has internally rated us as an Oscar contender. But this also means that tomorrow's performance at the Princess of Wales Theatre will be a battle with no way out."

Rogge's voice carried an unusual seriousness.

"Rogge, relax. Trust me, trust our actors. The rest is up to the audience and time."