Chapter 788 Starlight Sparkles
Sandra Vicki was somewhat surprised to receive a call from Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe exchanged pleasantries with Sandra Vickers for a while before telling her the reason for his call.
Sandra Wiggins was even more surprised.
This is something that has never happened before.
However, she recently saw related news.
Friends around me have also been discussing this, and they all believe that Lu Yanhe is using his own resources to "promote" this year's Jose Film Festival by establishing a new market section.
Sandra Vickers hesitated.
She didn't reject him outright because, putting that aside, she genuinely admired Lu Yanhe as a young creator.
Regardless of whether they cooperate in the future, at her stage, she always has some appreciation for outstanding young people and a desire to befriend them.
Lu Yanhe knew what Sandra Vickery was hesitating about.
If it were him, he would hesitate just as much.
This kind of thing is clearly using one's own reputation and fame to endorse something new.
The problem is, who knows what the final effect of this new thing will be?
Lu Yanhe said, "Sandra, we all know you are an outstanding actress, but your fame in China, and even in Asia, is far from matching your achievements in the field of film art. Whether in China or other parts of Asia, the market is changing rapidly. Twenty years ago, watching an American movie might have been a rare treat for ordinary people. Twenty years later, everyone's attention is consumed by an explosion of content. All sorts of blockbusters, games, and TV dramas are flooding in. Of course, many of your movies can be found on Chinese video websites, but with such a vast amount of content, how many people can actually discover your films?"
Sandra Vickers listened in silence.
“I’ve done my research. You have many outstanding, niche works that haven’t been introduced to China, and the same goes for other Asian countries. There are also many works that were once introduced, but the copyrights weren’t renewed after they expired,” Lu Yanhe said. “Sandra, although you are an American actress, as actors, we all want to be seen by more audiences, especially outstanding actors like you.”
Sandra Vicki let out a long, pleasant sigh and said, "Lu, you're really too cunning."
“The global attention and influence of the Jose Film Festival will allow your artistic contributions over the years to be showcased in a concentrated way,” Lu Yanhe said. “This will also be a new beginning, with film distributors from all over the world seeing your excellent works again and then presenting them to audiences in new ways, turning strangers into your viewers and fans, and allowing those works that have gradually been forgotten over time to shine again.”
Sandra Vicki: "Lu, you've gone too far. You know perfectly well that I can't refuse anything."
Lu Yanhe: "Because I won't do anything that would waste our friendship. Of course, this does require your support."
Sandra Vickers said, "However, many of my films are distributed across different film companies, and dealing with them is not an easy task."
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "If you are willing to step forward and provide support, I will communicate with those companies."
Upon hearing this, Sandra Vicki said, "Alright then."
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Legendary actress Sandra Vickers has worked with almost all the major film studios in the United States, and the copyrights to the films she starred in are basically all held by these major film studios.
Lu Yanhe didn't contact anyone else, but instead approached Green Valley and Parameter, the two film companies with which he had the most collaborations.
In fact, both Schmidt Lowry of Green Valley and Zeby Doyle of Parameter are influential people in the company. Lu Yanhe can communicate directly with them without having to wait for others to report to higher levels and let administrative inefficiency ruin the matter.
Lu Yanhe got straight to the point and told them why he had come.
Like Sandra Wechs, if someone else comes up with this new idea to them, they either refuse outright or politely decline, they're too lazy to say anything more.
However, it was Lu Yanhe who called.
With the Chinese market backing this event and the prestige of the Jose Film Festival, Lu Yanhe is unlikely to tarnish the image of his film company. Furthermore, even Sandra Vickers has agreed to appear and endorse this trading unit.
If a film company wants to hire Sandra Vickers to promote some of the projects she has starred in, they have to pay her a hefty appearance fee.
To put it bluntly, this matter is almost entirely beneficial to them.
If they can actually make some deals in such a market, it would be an unexpected gain for them.
As Lu Yanhe told others, this could even become a new source of revenue growth for the film company.
The revenue from these older films, unless they are exceptionally big hits, is basically a fixed amount of copyright fees. It's not a small amount, but it's the combination of thousands upon thousands of films that makes it seem very valuable.
In addition, Lu Yanhe had close cooperation with both of their families, and several projects were underway. They readily agreed to this deal, which was both profitable and would also earn them a good reputation with Lu Yanhe.
Therefore, all Lu Yanhe needed to do was arrange for someone to go through the cooperation agreement with them.
Lu Yanhe planned to announce the news after the New Year.
He's even started eyeing other people's things.
For example, Cai Na.
This top star in Thailand has starred in many dramas and movies that, not to mention other places, haven't even been introduced to China.
Since Cai Na has already gained stable exposure and popularity in China over the past two years under Chen Ziyan's arrangement, why not take this opportunity to give her a boost?
Although Cai Na's films may not sell well in Europe and America, they should still sell well throughout Asia.
As for which projects they have good market potential and are likely to be placed in this trading unit, Linghe Company's people will do the screening and information gathering work.
Film and television copyrights in Thailand are relatively easier to negotiate. Their local market is small, and they readily accepted Lu Yanhe's invitation to have some of their films and television series screened and traded at the Jose Film Festival to find buyers worldwide.
This is the difference between Hollywood and Thailand, two different markets.
A place with a comprehensive network for promoting, selling, and distributing its films and television series around the world is not particularly interested in a trading market like the Jose Film Festival, but another place without such trading channels will seize such an opportunity.
Lu Yanhe's idea to create a film screening and trading market was to bring a new breakthrough to the film trading of the Jose Film Festival.
Regardless of whether a film is nominated for the competition, film companies are all after real money.
The prosperity of the film market is the main driving force behind film companies and filmmakers' willingness to participate in the Jose Film Festival.
Why was the Cannes Film Festival so special among the three major international film festivals in the timeline Lu Yanhe came from? Why did it even firmly hold the top spot? It's said to be the temple of art films, but little do people know that it's also a paradise for film trading.
A large number of films that are not in the main competition or even selected for any section will seek buyers at the Cannes Film Festival.
Because film distributors from all over the world go there to buy films.
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The Jose Film Festival doesn't have that capability now, and Lu Yanhe hopes that through these methods, the Jose Film Festival can acquire that capability when it is held in Yuming.
Having secured Sandra Vickers and Cai Na, Lu Yanhe was still racking his brains trying to figure out who else could take on such a role.
It was Chen Siqi who reminded him.
“Director Wang Zhong is very popular internationally right now, and you also have ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ being screened in your section. Why not invite Director Wang Zhong over? He has made many films before. Although he was already a well-known director internationally for his filming style at that time, there are definitely many of his older works that are not familiar to everyone.”
“I’m worried that if there are too many Chinese filmmakers in this market, it will seem like the market is entirely dominated by Chinese people,” Lu Yanhe said.
“Since this film festival is being held in China this year, why can’t we use Chinese filmmakers to support it?” Chen Siqi said. “Yan He, this in itself has a very important significance. Through the Jose Film Festival, we can showcase to the world that China also has so many outstanding and excellent filmmakers.”
Chen Siqi's words awakened Lu Yanhe.
Absolutely true.
He only thought about using this screening and trading section to show the executive committee of the Jose Film Festival the benefits of holding it in China, but forgot that the reason for bringing the Jose Film Festival to China was also to let everyone see the Chinese film industry.
With this in mind, Lu Yanhe stopped hesitating and stopped thinking about it.
Wang Zhong, Yu Qin, Wang Shuai, Liu Bige... all of these film directors who have won international accolades in recent years have extended invitations.
Even if we exclude "Dingfeng No. 1", Liu Bige only has three directorial works, and the overseas distribution rights have been almost all sold. In the end, we should still invite him. Even if there is no room for a deal, there is still room for screening.
Lu Yanhe spent the entire month of February busy with these matters.
Even in March, Lu Yanhe suddenly thought of another major copyright holder.
TVN (South Korea)
Kim Yeon-sook had collaborated with Linghe so much, and TVN was a major producer of Korean dramas, so Lu Yanhe directly called Kim Yeon-sook and said, "I would like to invite you to be the only producer-led member of the Jose Film Festival's screening and trading market section."
Jin Yanshu was completely stunned.
"ah?"
Lu Yanhe asked, "You know about the new screening and trading market section at the Jose Film Festival, right? You should have seen the news by now?"
“I know that, but, Mr. Lu, this—”
Lu Yanhe said, "Director Jin, we haven't announced yet, but we've already confirmed that horror master Murken Sorge, legendary American actress and Oscar winner Sandra Vichley, and popular Thai actress Chaina will be the featured figures in this section. This is a very international screening and exchange market section, but so far no Korean filmmakers have been featured. You were the first person I thought of."
Jin Yanshu: "..."
Lu Yanhe heard Jin Yanshu's heart flutter in silence.
“We already have a director, screenwriter, and actors; we still need a producer,” Lu Yanhe said. “Ms. Jin, you are a representative figure of Korean dramas. I hope you can bring classic and representative Korean dramas to this screening and exchange market. If you come, I will not contact other Korean or Japanese producers. It is because you bought the remake rights to many of our films and television dramas from Linghe that I wanted to contact you first.”
Jin Yanshu: "President Lu, please give me some time to think about it."
“Okay, is one day enough?” Lu Yanhe said. “I’m sorry, the Jose Film Festival is about to start, and I need to confirm as soon as possible because we will be announcing it one after another.”
Kim Yeon-sook: "Okay, one day."
Lu Yanhe hung up the phone with a confident air.
He didn't believe that Kim Yeon-sook wasn't tempted.
This is a global trading market.
For directors and actors, participating in such events might be a bit risky, as they might not want to endorse these commercial activities, since it could easily lead to "unsold inventory" and damage their reputation. However, a producer and copyright holder like Kim Yeon-sook can bring her own inventory to find buyers and also have her name listed alongside this group of artists. Lu Yanhe is very clear about how much people in the Korean film and television industry want to be recognized by the film and television industry, especially those in Europe and America. They don't have the moral pressure of "worshipping foreign things."
Sure enough, within six hours, Jin Yanshu replied to Lu Yanhe, agreeing to participate.
Lu Yanhe made a direct request: You can't bring some unsold, unreleased dramas to fill the quota. You saw the news, right? I even brought a highly anticipated film like "Flypaper" that hasn't been released yet. Sandra Vickers even brought the movie that won her the Oscar for Best Actress.
Kim Yeon-sook said, "We brought two dramas that have not yet aired and are starring top Korean stars. We will hold the world premiere of the first episode in this screening and trading section, and the stars will also be there."
Lu Yanhe was satisfied.
From February to March, Lu Yanhe compiled a long list that was not only star-studded, but whose titles alone would make any movie fan ecstatic.
Including the popular celebrities who agreed to attend, this list is a complete surprise outside the regular events of the Jose Film Festival.
When Wu Yang saw this list, how could he describe his feelings at that moment? Lu Yanhe had created such a screening and trading section, and the star power seemed even more dazzling than the main competition section.
Wu Yang suddenly felt a sense of pressure.
If the event is moved to another location next year, would Lu Yanhe still be willing to organize such a screening and trading market unit?
Wu Yang smiled bitterly.
Without even asking, he knew perfectly well that the other person probably didn't want to.
Wu Yang knew perfectly well why Lu Yanhe was willing to go through all this trouble for no reward and without any compensation.
He's not stupid.
For the first time, Wu Yang had this thought: if we can't find a suitable city to host the event next year, why not continue to find a city in China to host it?
So far, regarding the hosting of the Jose Film Festival in Yuming, Wu Yang has encountered almost any problems, and various departments have helped coordinate and resolve them.
Everything went incredibly smoothly, almost like a dream.
Of course, Wu Yang was well aware that this was also because China and Yuming attached great importance to this event.
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The screening and exchange market announced the featured individuals one by one.
From horror film master director Murken Sorge to several Chinese directors who have achieved remarkable success in the international film scene in recent years, such as Wang Zhong, Liu Bige, Yu Qin, and Wang Shuai; from international film queens Sandra Vickers and Chen Bige to popular stars like Cai Na; from top Korean drama producer Kim Yeon-sook to top Hollywood producer Schmidt Rautz—yes, in the end, Lu Yanhe also brought him over.
One official announcement after another, one list of film and television dramas after another, a stellar lineup, radiating its own aura.
For movie fans, this is a precious opportunity to watch it live.
For the media, this is an opportunity to meet and interview a group of dazzling celebrities up close.
For the general public, this is a screening event that, while not everyone is familiar with it, appears to be of extremely high caliber.
For film distributors, it seems like they can also make money here. Not only are there several unreleased and unbroadcasted films and TV series for sale, but there are also many old films being screened. What many people don't know is that sometimes, an old film can also contain hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in box office revenue. Even without selling them, these works can earn a lot just from ticket sales when they are screened in Yuming.
Films screened at these film festivals typically cost twice as much as regular tickets, and are almost always sold out with 100% occupancy, making tickets extremely difficult to obtain.
By the end of March, during the May Jose Film Festival, almost all of Yu Ming's hotels were fully booked.
It wasn't just overseas movie fans who flocked to the event, but also the huge Chinese movie fan base – the so-called "powerful" crowd.
This even led to an increase in hotel bookings in several cities surrounding Yuming.
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"There are just too many people—"
The level of enthusiasm and the scale of the event exceeded the expectations of all departments.
Even though they had actually made estimates that exceeded previous levels.
Fortunately, Yuming is a city that is large enough, has a high level of administration, well-developed infrastructure, and has hosted a lot of international events.
Lu Yanhe finally breathed a sigh of relief in early April.
The participants for the exchange and screening section have all been finalized; the remaining details are someone else's responsibility, and he doesn't need to worry about them anymore.
Now, he needs to fulfill his duties as chairman of the film selection committee.
Lu Yanhe never expected that after the New Year, he would spend the entire first half of the year, except for attending the Oscars ceremony as a presenter and a runner-up "mascot," devoting all his time to the Jose Film Festival.
This was something he hadn't anticipated at all.
(End of this chapter)
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