Chapter 622 My Goal
As the artistic director of the Jose Film Festival, Wu Yang receives a warm welcome from the local film industry in every country he visits.
Many social occasions are ones I don't want to attend, but I have to because I can't refuse their invitations.
As a result, Wu Yang has had very few public appearances since then.
Many public figures are like this.
Unless it's an event that absolutely has to be made public—an event with a specific purpose that needs to be shown to the public.
This trip to China to participate in this international film critics' festival is just such an itinerary.
But it's different.
Because this film festival itself is a small-scale, public event.
After learning that Lu Yanhe and his girlfriend Chen Siqi had organized this film festival together, Wu Yang admired their courage.
Film critics hold a very special significance in the film industry.
Their existence wouldn't affect the existence of the film industry. But whether film would still be the concept it is in today's society without them is uncertain.
All works of art are inseparable from interpretation.
Art forms such as painting, literature, and music can directly reach the audience; however, without a definitive interpretation or a heated debate, they cannot transcend the flow of time and reach audiences further afield.
For films to transcend the dual distances of time and space and reach audiences further afield, film critics are an unavoidable link. In a broader sense, everyone who discusses films is a film critic.
However, it is extremely rare worldwide for a film festival to be organized so explicitly with film critics as its main organizers, like Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi.
Film critics have always been supporting characters in the world of cinema.
However, as the head of one of the four major international film festivals, Wu Yang actually appreciates their move.
In today's international film festival landscape, major film festivals have almost occupied every time slot.
It's difficult to successfully organize a film festival in the conventional sense, because no matter when you hold it, there's already a successful film festival that has attracted more famous films and filmmakers at that time.
The competition is fierce, and the probability of success is extremely low.
The Critics' International Film Festival is a different kind of event.
It won't become a competitor to mainstream film festivals; on the contrary, it can attract leaders like Wu Yang to participate.
Its purpose is not to create a film festival that surpasses any other, but to fill a void in the current film festival landscape.
Moreover, it's a novel idea started by two young people.
In the film industry, young people and new ideas never go out of style and are always popular.
So, Wu Yang arrived.
The Jose Film Festival, as the most friendly film festival to Chinese-language films among the four major international film festivals, has always been one of the film festivals that Chinese-language films most want to attend.
When Wu Yang came to China, dozens of people, big and small, including film company owners, producers, directors, and actors, hoped to schedule a meeting with him. Wu Yang couldn't simply refuse them all. Social niceties and interpersonal relationships aren't just a Chinese "patent."
On the day he arrived in China, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi went to the airport to pick him up.
Wu Yang only brought one assistant with him.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi's side, on the other hand, had seven or eight people.
This time, Lin Yu accompanied Wu Yang throughout the entire trip, also serving as his interpreter. Although Wu Yang could speak Chinese, his communication skills were limited to basic conversations, so Lin Yu was arranged to accompany him to avoid any misunderstandings.
Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi first took him to the hot spring hotel.
"During the film festival, this hotel only hosts officially invited guests. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed in. So, if you wish, you can relax here, soak in the hot springs, or get a massage. The hotel provides these services," Lu Yanhe explained to Wu Yang.
Wu Yang nodded.
This hot spring hotel isn't particularly luxurious; compared to the official hotels of the four major international film festivals, it's arguably a level below. It's not aiming for a "luxury hotel" vibe, but rather a "simple, comfortable, and affordable" resort hotel style.
The overall style is actually quite similar to the small villa where Lu Yanhe stayed when he was filming in Malaysia.
This style complements the film festival's overall positioning perfectly.
"Your arrangements are so thoughtful," Wu Yang said to Lu Yanhe. "Thank you for your hard work."
In the evening, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi arranged a dinner for a group of more than a dozen people.
Wang Zhong, Shang Yongzhou, Chen Bige, Liu Bige, Zhang Ruozhi, Jia Long, Wan Xin and several others came.
Huang Kairen, Li Songfan, and Wang Jing are all busy with their own projects or have other commitments, so they can't come tonight.
In addition to the Chinese filmmakers Wu Yang knew, Lu Yanhe also invited Lin Desheng of Aurora Video and Mr. and Mrs. Huang, the general manager of Longyan Film Industry.
Apart from these people, the rest were all Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi's own people.
This dinner fell somewhere between public and private. With so many celebrities in one place, paparazzi were bound to take pictures. The restaurant offered good privacy, and the paparazzi only managed to capture them getting in and out of their cars and entering and leaving the restaurant.
Nevertheless, these photos still caused a huge uproar.
Apart from Ning Xiulian, who won the Best Actress award at the Venice International Film Festival, it can be said that some of the most internationally renowned figures in Chinese cinema in recent years are here.
It was precisely the concentrated release of these photos that suddenly made everyone realize something:
In recent years, most of the Chinese-language films that have gained international attention seem to be related to Lu Yanhe.
Laymen watch the spectacle, experts watch the details.
There are more than just Longyan film companies in China. However, surprisingly, only the owner of one Longyan company was invited to the dinner organized by Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi to welcome Wu Yang.
At this moment, everyone's feelings weren't even about blaming Lu Yanhe for abandoning them, but rather about questioning their subordinates why they hadn't received news of the dinner in advance so they could have tried to get an invitation.
That's the artistic director of the Jose Film Festival!
For film companies, that means the person in power who gilds the image of their films.
Even if it can't get into the main competition, there are other sections where it can be gilded with the title of "international film festival".
-
With Wu Yang's arrival, the film festival officially opened.
The opening ceremony of the film festival was held in the auditorium of Zhenhua University.
Yuming certainly has a theater, a more suitable place for the opening ceremony.
However, such a solemn and highly ceremonial place is not quite suitable for the positioning and style of this film festival.
On the contrary, this atmosphere would be more suitable for a university auditorium.
Moreover, thanks to Lu Yanhe's connections, Zhenhua University was very supportive, providing support in both venue selection and volunteer organization, which greatly reduced Lu Yanhe's worries.
No officials gave speeches, and there were no elaborate and solemn ceremonies.
After Lu Yanhe, as the organizer, welcomed everyone, Chen Siqi briefly introduced why such a film festival was being held, showered the film critics in the audience with praise, gave several examples of the profound influence that film critics had on film works, and finally elevated the discussion to deepen the "significance" of "discussion" in the art of film itself.
Afterwards, everyone watched the opening film of the film festival together.
-
That evening, many international film media outlets published reports on the Jump Critics International Film Festival.
A closer look reveals that the media outlets that published this report were mostly those that had their own collaborating film critics or columnists attending the film festival.
Wu Yang's attendance also gilded the film festival, making it impossible for those who were envious or unhappy for various reasons to say that it was a makeshift film festival.
Of course, those who want to nitpick can nitpick no matter what.
Just like Japanese film critic Nagayama Kazuzo, who had a feud with Lu Yanhe, directly satirized Lu Yanhe on his social media, saying that he had never seen an actor so openly trying to please a film critic.
Such criticisms naturally embroiled Lu Yanhe in some controversy.
Some media outlets also published criticisms of Yong Shanhe San and contacted Lu Yanhe, hoping to get his response.
Lu Yanhe's media relations are still being handled by Chen Ziyan herself.
Chen Ziyan: "People who truly love the art of film would not think of such an action, which could bring wider attention and respect to film, in such a utilitarian way. Yan He has been a darling of film critics since his first film, and he has never needed to flatter them."
Actually, Chen Ziyan didn't intend to reply.
The responses then become fodder for further media coverage, making the matter even more sensational.
However, one cannot ignore such accusations from Ke Yongshanhe San. If one does not respond, it would be as if one has tacitly agreed that he has hit the nail on the head.
After much deliberation, Chen Ziyan decided that she couldn't silently suffer this loss.
In particular, we cannot allow Yongshanhe San to gain an advantage in this matter. Otherwise, if he gets a taste of success this time, who knows what kind of nonsense he will spout next time.
His impartiality as a film critic has been eroded by past incidents, causing him to lose public trust.
The negative scandals surrounding him now far outweigh his professional achievements.
Therefore, he no longer cares about tarnishing his reputation with his words. In this state of recklessness, who knows what even more unscrupulous things he might do.
Chen Ziyan had no optimistic view of Yong Shanhe's character.
After thinking for a while, Chen Ziyan figured out what to do.
As for martial virtue, she didn't even consider it.
Yongshan Hesan's actions were already shameless, so of course she wouldn't talk to him about martial ethics.
-
Chen Ziyan did nothing else but find a connection and a friend to do a special report on the disgusting things Yong Shanhe San had done in the past. At about eight minutes into the report, at the end of the report, the host asked: "How did Yong Shanhe San, who has long since lost the bottom line of a film critic, get the confidence to question Lu Yanhe?"
Then, Chen Ziyan found someone to translate the program into Japanese and, through her connections in Japan, promoted it there.
How can you make someone's words unreliable?
One approach is to find evidence to prove that these statements are lies.
Another approach is to find out what this person has said in the past and prove that his past words and actions have long been unreliable.
Chen Ziyan used the latter method.
This has given Yongshanhe San's already tarnished reputation a renewed stench, reminding people just how awful he is.
Nagayama Kazuzo already had a bad reputation in Japanese critics' circles.
He is one of the very few film critics who has been publicly banned from several international film festivals.
Japanese film critics believe that he has tarnished the reputation of the entire Japanese film criticism community.
Now, Yongshanhe San is criticizing again here, and Chen Ziyan has retaliated, making the matter quite popular.
Immediately, other Japanese film critics came forward to criticize Nagayama Kazuzo and distance themselves from him.
These actions of drawing a line won't cause any real harm to Yongshan Hesan—he's already been ostracized by mainstream circles. However, such scandalous publicity can bring him a lot of unexpected trouble, both at work and in his daily life.
So far, Yongshan Hesan has no other identity besides being a film critic. He makes a living solely from his reputation. He wants to cultivate an image of "daring to speak the truth," and Chen Ziyan's task is to expose the truth behind this image of "daring to speak the truth" as a "personal vendetta."
The more profound the impression of his "personal revenge" on the entire environment, the less harmful his attacks on Lu Yanhe will be.
As for making Yongshanhe San dare not offend Lu Yanhe again.
Chen Ziyan didn't hold such thoughts at all. She knew it would be difficult; she could only teach him a lesson so that if Yongshan Hesan ever entertained such ideas again, he would consider the consequences. Perhaps this would reduce Yongshan Hesan's petty actions.
Chen Ziyan even considered whether she should use her connections in Japan to warn and threaten Yongshanhe San so that he would never dare to cause trouble for Lu Yanhe again.
After much deliberation, Chen Ziyan decided to abandon the idea.
Lu Yanhe is upright and has nothing to fear. If she were to find that kind of relationship and it were exposed, it would become an indelible stain on Lu Yanhe's reputation.
In particular, Lu Yanhe is a Chinese artist and a high-quality idol who graduated from Zhenhua University.
His image must be clean and pure, far removed from these gray or even black areas.
Chen Ziyan was still somewhat unhappy that Yongshanhe could not be properly and thoroughly punished.
-
Lu Yanhe did not participate in all the activities at the film festival.
Apart from accompanying him throughout the opening ceremony, he only participated in social activities and did not participate in the discussion sessions.
He does indeed need to avoid suspicion.
Even though this film festival doesn't have an awards ceremony and doesn't determine a first, second, third, or fourth place, it still involves evaluation, and his status makes it inappropriate for him to participate in such a process.
Lu Yanhe himself did not respond to the commotion on Yongshanhe Third.
A response like that would be beneath you.
One official response is enough.
However, because this film festival was very academic and lacked the presence of celebrities and socialites, it inevitably suffered from a lack of influence and attention.
Throughout the entire film festival, the most attention-grabbing event was surprisingly Yong Shanhe's accusations against Lu Yanhe.
Fortunately, several domestic film media outlets have been quite supportive.
Even though public attention wasn't very high, they still diligently attended every film screening and subsequent events.
In particular, CCTV's movie channel and Lin Yu's commentary program on Yuehu TV dedicate a certain amount of time each day to discussing content related to the film festival.
For those who truly care about the film, they are quite excited.
It's really rare to see so many internationally renowned film critics gather together to evaluate and discuss a film, and even have heated debates.
Many film school students, in particular, managed to snag tickets to attend the event, hear the debates, and even have the opportunity to ask questions. They then shared all of this on their social media, looking incredibly excited.
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"But it is indeed a bit strange. With Lu Yanhe's connections in the entertainment industry, wouldn't it be easy for him to invite some celebrities to support this film festival and boost his popularity? He gathered so many people together privately before."
"That's because they were hosting Wu Yang, the artistic director of the Jose Film Festival. It's the same thing. These kinds of film festivals sound nice, they have the title of an international film festival, but in reality they just gather up film critics that the top film festivals don't care about and hold a serious gathering. Who cares?"
"Lu Yanhe wants to become a leader in Chinese-language films, achieving success in all aspects. He's really ambitious."
"If he doesn't do it, who else can? To be fair, half of the international influence of Chinese-language films in recent years is related to Lu Yanhe."
"What are you saying? Where do you put Chen Pinhe and Shang Yongzhou?"
“I didn’t say they were no good, but in recent years they haven’t acted in many films, and they’ve won even fewer awards at overseas film festivals. Don’t even mention Chen Pinhe’s ‘White Pearl’ which almost won an award; in the end, it didn’t win an award.”
"I just feel that although Lu Yanhe has indeed done well in recent years, look at his movies. Apart from Wang Zhong's 'Three Mountains,' they are all just small love stories, such as 'Rouge,' 'Late Spring,' and 'Love Letter.' They are all the same old stuff. I can't stand these films. There are no truly epic films."
"That's too narrow-minded of you. How old is Lu Yanhe? Do you expect him to make an epic blockbuster in his twenties? He has achieved so much at his age. If you can still find fault with him, I think there is no one else in the world who can make you admire him."
"Of course that's not what I meant. I just don't like people like him who do everything perfectly. It's too fake. He has good grades, got into Zhenhua High School on his own, is a good actor, won awards early, became internationally renowned, and can write and direct. Having such talent is fine, okay, it's a gift, and I have nothing to be jealous of. But look at his career path. He's been doing magazines, media, and building a media empire, making his reputation shine. Now he's doing this film critics' festival. He's too good at everything. He doesn't seem like a real person."
"I'm speechless, bro, you can even criticize this."
"Then why don't you criticize him for being able to write his own songs? Although he doesn't make songwriting his main job, his songs are very popular and widely sung."
...
The result of this argument was something Lu Yanhe never expected: several people got into a fight because of the argument about him.
While they were fighting, these people kept insisting on their own views and refuting the other side's views.
Someone filmed the whole process and posted the video online.
"What an unexpected disaster," Chen Ziyan said helplessly.
Lu Yanhe himself didn't know what to say.
Chen Ziyan: "I never expected that people would actually fight over differing opinions on celebrities."
Lu Yanhe: "Why do I feel like I've been doing something wrong lately? First there was Yongshanhe San, and now this kind of thing."
“This matter doesn’t have any negative impact on you, but the content they’re arguing about can easily spark debates online, and I’m worried it will turn into a war of words,” Chen Ziyan said. “I have to try to keep the heat down and not let anyone stir up trouble. Once someone starts stirring up trouble and says that you’re a leading figure in Chinese-language films, some older people will definitely be unhappy.”
Lu Yanhe nodded: "I understand."
A tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind.
Lu Yanhe's previous achievements were already "high-profile" enough.
If we try to establish a "high-profile" image in these areas, many people will be dissatisfied.
-
“Look, we’ve worked so hard for so many years, but we’re not as much as a young person who’s only been in the industry for a few years.”
At a private party, actress Lan Yuan spoke to others in a joking tone.
Huang Lian, chairman of the Golden Tripod Award Executive Committee, was also at the gathering.
He laughed and said, "Fortunately, it seems that we are doing a little better in terms of making TV series. At least so far, none of Lu Yanhe's TV series have won any international awards. Otherwise, we would probably be ridiculed too."
"Those people online always say nasty things, and they don't understand this industry at all." Liu Teli, who won Best Actor for "Is It a Mule or a Horse", was also there. He looked around at everyone and said, "It's not easy for our Chinese film and television industry to produce an actor like Yan He. He is a creator who is proficient in acting, directing, and screenwriting. He is indeed a genius that is hard to replicate."
Huang Lian smiled and looked at Liu Teli: "Teli is just appreciating talent."
Liu Teli smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare say anything about treasuring talent, and it's not my place to treasure talent."
“He’s too arrogant,” Lan Yuan said. “It’s a good thing that they’re organizing this film critics’ festival, and we support it, but I heard that he’s turned down many people who were willing to attend and participate in discussions and exchanges.”
"Refuse? Why?"
"Yes, I don't know why either." Lan Yuan shook her head. "Everyone wanted to help him and offered their assistance, so why doesn't he appreciate it?"
"What else could it be? He's probably afraid we'll steal his connections." Another slightly younger man, around thirty-five years old, smirked, revealing a hint of sarcasm. "Isn't he now a leading figure in Chinese-language cinema because he's so influential overseas?"
"Worshiping foreign things and fawning on foreigners."
Liu Teli frowned slightly.
Private gatherings like today's are not uncommon in this industry.
Of course, such private gatherings are usually held within the circles of seasoned veterans like them who have been around for many years.
When he came over today, he thought it would be just a small gathering like any other day.
But as the discussion unfolded, he vaguely felt that the wind direction in the room seemed a bit off today.
He had met and dealt with this young man, Lu Yanhe.
Liu Teli truly admires him; it's an admiration from the bottom of his heart.
As an actor himself, he knows one thing: a genius actor like Lu Yanhe is not easy to come by, and someone as lucky as him to have made it all the way to where he is today is one in a million.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call someone like him a gem in the entire Chinese film and television industry.
He genuinely has the mindset of an elder looking after a younger generation, hoping that he will grow up smoothly.
As for the voices online, Liu Teli didn't take them to heart at all.
Sowing discord, creating trouble out of nothing, and excessive praise leading to ruin—these tactics have been far too common in recent years.
Liu Teli thought to himself, "We're all seasoned veterans in this industry. What haven't we seen? How could we be easily provoked by such comments?"
"Director Luo, it feels like someone is trying to sideline Xiao Lu."
Privately, Liu Teli thought it over and decided to call Luo Yuzhong.
He had no personal relationship with Lu Yanhe, but he had been friends with Luo Yuzhong for many years.
Luo Yuzhong was also Lu Yanhe's teacher.
Upon hearing Liu Teli's words, Luo Yuzhong sighed.
"As expected."
"You already knew?" Liu Teli asked, somewhat surprised.
Luo Yuzhong: "Several people have told me similar things recently. It should be a consequence of the Blue Ribbon incident at the beginning of this year."
"Oh!" Liu Teli realized.
"Huang Lian and the people behind him probably want to exclude Yan He from this year's Golden Tripod Award," Luo Yuzhong said.
Liu Teli asked, "Besides 'Friends,' does Yan He have any other works that are eligible for this year's selection?"
Luo Yuzhong said, "It's 'Friends.' Actually, there have always been voices in the industry saying that 'Friends,' 'My Own Swordsman,' and other sitcoms have a very large audience base and are well-produced, but because of their subject matter, they have never been favored by mainstream awards. Many people have been calling for mainstream awards to take sitcom works seriously."
Liu Teli pondered for a moment, "I have indeed heard such a statement, but it has been the norm for sitcoms to be neglected for many years. Did you originally intend to reform them this year?"
"I heard that the State Administration of Radio and Television has such a policy direction. They attach great importance to the show 'Friends'. Together with 'Friends' before it, this show has a wide reach overseas and a large audience. What is most valuable is that many overseas viewers have truly come to understand the living and working environment of young people in China after watching this show, which has made some Western media's smears against China fall apart. The higher-ups really value this show."
Liu Teli clicked his tongue. "That's certainly rare. Is Huang Lian going to bite the bullet and go against the grain?"
Luo Yuzhong: "If the entire industry believes that the artistic value of this show is not high and refuses to compromise, the higher-ups cannot force the Golden Tripod Awards to award 'Friends'."
"I knew it! I felt the wind was blowing in the wrong direction today." Liu Teli sighed. "Yan He's clear support for the Blue Ribbon movement really offended Huang Lian and his gang. They've been doing those shady things for so many years, and now their fig leaf has been torn off... Ha, did they call me over today because I also won the Golden Tripod Award and think I would support their ideas?"
Luo Yuzhong: "That's possible. Huang Lian has been saying that without his dedication to art and his ability to withstand pressure from all sides, it would have been very difficult for you to win the Golden Tripod Award that year."
The year Liu Teli won the award, the nominees for Best Actor included Huang Kairen, Jiang Mingzheng, and Chen Jiping, making it a truly banner year, especially for Jiang Mingzheng and Chen Jiping, who both have very strong backgrounds in the drama industry.
Liu Teli: "This—"
Luo Yuzhong: "Teli, thank you for calling me. I received the notification, so just pretend you didn't call me."
Liu Teli didn't expect Luo Yuzhong to say this so quickly and to be so considerate of him.
"Director—" Liu Teli really wanted to say something at this moment. He didn't appreciate Huang Lian and the others' actions, and he didn't want to associate with them. However, one really shouldn't act like that, especially after reaching his position, where many things are intricately connected.
Luo Yuzhong: "It's alright. Not only am I here, but I won't let those people bully my students. Even if I'm not able to help Yan He, he doesn't need one or two Golden Tripod Awards. Their Golden Tripod Awards want to exclude Yan He, which is not Yan He's loss, but the Golden Tripod Awards' loss."
Liu nodded.
"really."
-
After hearing about some trends and unusual developments within the circle from his teacher, Lu Yanhe remained silent for a long time.
The aftermath of the fight unexpectedly extended to the Golden Tripod Awards.
However, Lu Yanhe was not surprised.
After the Blue Ribbon incident, Lu Yanhe had already prepared himself for retaliation.
He was well aware that his seemingly powerful position was still far from being able to compete with those big shots in the circle who had been scheming for many years.
However, as Luo Yuzhong and Liu Teli said, he was fortunate to have accumulated a solid foundation in the previous years, with many major awards in hand. Even if he doesn't win any awards in the next ten years, it will not affect his status and weight under this system of honors.
Needless to say, all they've done so far is show their true colors with the Golden Tripod Award.
The Blue Ribbon Award remains open to him.
Lu Yanhe was prepared to fight those people head-on.
“Teacher, if they want to marginalize me, then so be it,” Lu Yanhe said. “This year, Maxine will do her best to win the Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for Friends, and my goal is not the Golden Tripod Awards.”
-
I recommend the older book, "I Became the Leading Lady of a Scandal Overnight".
(End of this chapter)
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