Chapter 826 Believe
Lu Yanhe wasn't particularly familiar with Jinkou, but he naturally had local friends who could make the necessary arrangements.
“China is a vast country, and different cities have different climates, environments, and landforms.” Lu Yanhe explained to his friends, “If Yuming has a typical climate of the Central Plains in the north, then Jinkou has very typical maritime climate characteristics because of its coastal location.”
This year's Jose Film Festival attracted even more foreign tourists.
Jinkou is also a large city.
A city with 300 cinemas.
That's incredibly exaggerated.
More than 140 cinemas participated in the film festival in Jinkou this time.
It is large enough to accommodate screenings of films from all sections of the Jose Film Festival—popular films can even be scheduled for more than ten screenings.
There are no more than thirty cities in the world capable of holding screenings on this scale.
But in China, there are several.
Why is the Chinese government so keen on hosting international events?
Putting aside the less important things like titles, reputations, and influence, this is actually an economic calculation.
So-called international events seem to require a large amount of hosting fees.
In fact, regardless of the human and material resources required to organize such an international event, which can effectively boost domestic demand and consumption, or the consumption generated by international people after they come to this event, including the economic benefits that the brand effect of such a city can bring, it is all a considerable sum.
Sometimes, however, the economic value of "international events" is ruined by some "vanity projects"—so many people, without understanding the situation, start to criticize "international events" as "saving face" and "foreigners are kings."
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In recent years, Chinese filmmakers have indeed collaborated extensively with overseas filmmakers.
Putting aside everything else, the number of Chinese actors participating in overseas projects alone is countless.
When Jiang Yuqian attended this year's Jose Film Festival, she officially announced the film project "Love is Not Blind" in collaboration with Linghe. Li Zhibai was unable to attend the event because he was filming at the time. However, Schmidt Laurie of Green Valley appeared at the scene and simultaneously announced that Green Valley had acquired the North American distribution rights for the film.
"Dingfeng No. 1" also held a press conference at the Jose Film Festival.
This film, which won the Best Actor award twice at last year's Venice International Film Festival, has been highly anticipated, but has yet to be scheduled for release.
The release date has finally been set.
Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming both attended the press conference.
Liu Bige also took this opportunity to officially announce his next film.
He will be filming a movie called "Unexpected Encounter," adapted from a suspenseful crime novel from Liujia Town.
Kim Eon-sook, a TVN executive who attended the Jose Film Festival last year as a featured figure in the People section, has once again brought several Korean dramas to the festival this year.
Kim Yeon-sook brought not only Korean dramas, but also the lead actors of these dramas, all of whom are top-tier actors in South Korea.
The stars are shining brightly.
The situation was even more pronounced in Europe and America, where there were nearly forty actors with names and identities.
During this period, it's very easy to run into celebrities if you just wander around the cinemas near Jinkou.
Many shops in Jinkou have also been visited by these celebrities and idols, which has caused a small sensation on social media, followed by a "pilgrimage" by fans.
On the penultimate day of the Jose Film Festival.
Lu Yanhe and veteran American superstar Sean Griffith, both dressed in black suits, arrived at the most bustling area by helicopter.
This process was broadcast live on a large electronic screen covering the entire surface of three buildings in Jinkou. The screen was so big that people on the opposite bank of the river could see it clearly.
Then, a huge, rolled-up poster suddenly unfurled beneath the helicopter.
In mid-air—
Lu Yanhe and Sid Griffiths stand side by side on the poster, with the words "Men in Black" written below.
Director: Fu Kai.
Screenwriter: Lu Yanhe.
Starring: Lu Yanhe, Sid Griffiths.
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“This is the second film I’ve collaborated on with Soren,” Lu Yanhe said. “The first film was also an English-language romance film that I wrote, The Notebook. And Men in Black is a film that I’ve always wanted to make, a film that allows me to build an independent and complete worldview.”
“Sick was introduced to me by Sandra Vickers. I told Sandra that I needed an actor who was very well-known around the world, but whose appearance in this film would surprise audiences around the world, and she introduced me to Sick.”
Lu Yanhe and Sid Griffiths sat at the press conference, introducing themselves with smiles.
"I think we hit it off immediately with Thicke. Everyone knows that Thicke is a great actor, so I was very nervous when I went to see him with this script. But thankfully, I guess Sandra must have put in a good word for me, because Thicke was very warm and took good care of me when he met me."
Sidney Griffiths chuckled and interjected, "Sandra didn't greet me; she threatened me on the phone, saying that if I said anything bad to you, she would make me pay."
The whole audience burst into laughter.
“After reading the script, Xike asked me a question: ‘Kid, why do you want to make a movie like this? Is it to make a movie with lots of cool scenes?’” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “I said, ‘No, I just finally have the ability to realize the dream that every boy has ever had—to become a hero.’ Essentially, many of the stories I write have this core: wanting to be someone who protects their home and punishes evil. Home Alone is like that, and so is Chinese Paladin.”
Sidney Griffith asked, "What is 'Chinese Paladin'? I don't think I've ever heard of this movie?"
“It’s a TV series,” Lu Yanhe said. “I wrote and starred in it. I’ll send you a DVD next time.”
“Okay.” Sid Griffiths nodded.
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This time, Lu Yanhe co-starred with Thick Griffith in the Men in Black trilogy, which can be considered a landmark moment.
This marks Lu Yanhe's true entry into Hollywood's A-List.
Although Lu Yanhe had already been on this A-List long before this mark was made.
But back then, there wasn't a top-tier production with a leading man.
That evening, Lu Yanhe invited Sid Griffiths to dinner at a private courtyard in Jinkou.
The venue, chefs, and service staff were all arranged by Li Pengfei's father.
Because they all belong to his family.
Lu Yanhe did not have such a house in Jinkou.
Chen Siqi, Chen Ziyan, Lu Qingzhen, Wang Zhong and his wife, Liu Bige and Miao Yue, and Jiang Yuqian all came.
Sidney Griffith's status in Hollywood is comparable to that of Sandra Vickers; both are leading figures in the American film industry.
Therefore, Lu Yanhe did not invite many other people to attend.
These few people are the most suitable.
Sidney Griffith lived through the golden age of American cinema.
He had the air of a gentleman from the Golden Age.
After their conversation, Lu Yanhe could clearly sense that Sidney Griffith possessed an inherent pride, even arrogance. He genuinely believed that American films were the best, and that no other place in the world could produce films better than the United States.
Lu Yanhe certainly wouldn't consider Sid Griffith an arrogant guy or someone not worth getting close to based on this alone. In fact, Lu Yanhe was very clear that almost 99% of Americans thought the same way.
Lu Yanhe was just wondering when Chinese filmmakers could genuinely and confidently believe that their films were the best. There seemed to be some progress now, and the future looked promising, but there was still a long way to go.
I know myself best.
So, why, even though he has a script library that's like a golden touch, does he still insist on using his current fame and influence to support original films made by filmmakers in this era?
The hanging belongs to him alone; it is something that is native to this time and space, and that is what truly belongs to this time and space.
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On the night of the closing ceremony of the Jose Film Festival, Wu Yang took the stage to announce the city to host the next edition.
What's different this time is that Wu Yang announced the cities for the next two editions in one go.
The next one will still be held in China, in Jiangguang.
The one after that will be held in Paris, France.
Wu Yang had communicated with Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming beforehand regarding this announcement.
The reason for announcing two events at once is twofold. Firstly, since the José International Film Festival is held in rotation, a balance needs to be maintained between different countries; it can't be held solely in China. Secondly, Wu Yang didn't want the festival to suddenly move to France after three consecutive years of being held in Chinese cities when the next announcement was made.
It's as if they think China didn't host it well.
Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming had been prepared for this long ago.
They never imagined that the Jose Film Festival would actually continue to be held in China.
Being able to hold three consecutive sessions has exceeded their initial expectations.
Moreover, the fact that Wu Yang is willing to consider this approach already fully demonstrates their identification with China.
Of course, Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming had also made preparations long ago.
They believe that the Jose Film Festival can be successfully held if it is held normally in Paris, France.
However, by that time, the Jose Film Festival had already been held in China for three consecutive years.
Leaving aside the support from the local government and the cooperation from the cinemas, Lu Yanhe naturally stopped supporting the various sections he brought to the Jose Film Festival after the festival moved to France.
At that time, the Jose Film Festival can still organize its own trading section and copyright market, but Lu Yanhe and the Chinese film industry will no longer need to use their own resources to help make the market so successful.
No one can criticize this.
Lu Yanhe had already said that he was willing to do so much because the Jose Film Festival was being held in China, and as the host, he was giving it his full support.
He's no longer the host, so why is he still supporting him like this?
Of course, if Paris could also provide such support, making it no different for the Jose Film Festival to be held in France than in China, then they would have no objections.
But Lu Yanhe didn't believe Paris could achieve that level of success.
When that time comes, the Jose Film Festival will face a choice.
In fact, when the Jose Film Festival is to be held in China permanently, such a decision will certainly require a certain situation to force them to make it.
What Lu Yanhe and Wen Shengming did was to create the impression that "holding the Jose Film Festival in China is the best choice."
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After the Jose Film Festival ended, several films from the festival were scheduled for release in China.
Last year, due to the José Film Festival being held in Yuming, many art films performed exceptionally well at the box office in May.
It's this time of year again.
With last year as a reference, everyone followed suit this year.
Indeed, influenced by the Jose Film Festival, there is now a surge in enthusiasm for going to the cinema to watch art films.
Several films that won awards at the Jose Film Festival have grossed over 20 million yuan at the box office in their opening weekend, which is quite remarkable.
The film that won the audience vote at this year's Jose Film Festival grossed over 100 million yuan in its opening weekend.
Lu Yanhe said to Wen Shengming, "Actually, Chinese films really need such a leading award or event. It's not that audiences don't like watching movies, it's just that they've lost interest in most of the films currently on the market. Give them a reason, and they will still go to the cinema. And don't say that audiences don't like watching art films; they just don't like watching films they don't understand."
Wen Shengming nodded.
"You're right. These film awards in China have all become self-entertaining awards within the industry. Even the three major awards can't motivate audiences to watch the winning films."
“Yes,” Lu Yanhe nodded. “We really should learn from the Jose Film Festival, and see why audiences appreciate it.”
Wen Shengming said, "Because it's an audience award, these winners are all chosen by audience votes."
“Hmm,” Lu Yanhe said, “If it weren’t for the fact that ‘Jump Up’ magazine is published on the 12th of every month and has a time lag, I would have done a poll in ‘Jump Up’ magazine to publish the audience satisfaction rate of each movie. Now we can only do this ranking during the year-end review.”
“It’s not that it can’t be done.” Wen Shengming suddenly thought of something. “The China Film Association could do this.”
"Really? A lot of people will come out and say that movies shouldn't be valued using such numbers," Lu Yanhe said. "Or will they do some data manipulation in the end, making sure every movie has an audience satisfaction rate of over 90%?"
“No, we have to do it for real,” Wen Shengming said. “What’s the point of playing it fake?”
Lu Yanhe: "If we're going to do it for real, there'll be a lot of resistance, right?"
“It’s a huge undertaking, but we have to do it despite the resistance,” Wen Shengming said. “When it can truly lead audiences to watch movies, everyone will know its value.”
“This will affect a lot of people’s profits,” Lu Yanhe laughed. “Others may be hoping to make some money from a movie, but the satisfaction rate is extremely low, and the box office is directly halved.”
Wen Shengming: "Serves him right."
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Although Wen Shengming said so, Lu Yanhe also knew that it was almost impossible to do this in the name of the China Film Association.
After all, the China Film Association isn't entirely under Wen Shengming's control.
Even if he is the president.
With so many people below, it's impossible for him to have the final say.
According to Lu Yanhe's understanding, out of so many film companies in China, no more than three would support the China Film Association in creating this list.
One of them is Linghe.
The film association cannot possibly push this forward against the opposition of the entire industry.
Sure enough, not long after, Lu Yanhe heard that the association had held an internal meeting and rejected Wen Shengming's proposal.
Although he had expected it, Lu Yanhe still sighed.
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"How can the quality of a film be simply measured by audience satisfaction rate? Art itself is ahead of its time."
"This is just an audience satisfaction rate, it doesn't reflect its artistic merit."
"With so many haters these days, if you hire a popular celebrity, the satisfaction rate will definitely not be objective."
"This is just an audience satisfaction rate; it doesn't mean anything."
"Why do such a thing? The film industry is inherently a high-risk industry. Some films are painstakingly made over six months, with tens or hundreds of millions invested, but they may suffer severe box office losses just because of some unpleasant comments."
"So, you just send movies like this to the audience, trick them into going to the cinema, find that they've paid to see a pile of crap, and then never want to go to the cinema again, is that it?"
...
The principle is something everyone understands.
But please don't let me suffer a loss.
Lu Yanhe sent a message to Wen Shengming: "Teacher Wen, it's okay. We'll take it slowly and change things little by little. Things will get better and better."
Wen Shengming replied to Lu Yanhe, saying, "It's alright, don't worry about me."
Lu Yanhe: "The audience's eyes are discerning. They can tell who is making movies seriously and who is just going through the motions. In the past, the entire industry was swept up in this situation. Now, more and more filmmakers are breaking free from this environment to make their own movies and make good movies. Good movies can bring good returns, and bad money can't drive out good money. Professor Wen, please make more movies. We should support more excellent filmmakers. I firmly believe that every little bit counts."
Wen Shengming: "Of course, every time I see you, I look forward to what Chinese films will be like in ten or twenty years."
Lu Yanhe: "It will definitely get better and better."
"I feel relieved to hear you say that."
“You can’t let your guard down; you have to keep leading us forward,” Lu Yanhe said. “Hollywood films have beacons like Sidney and Sandra, and Chinese films have beacons like you. We will get to where we want to go.”
“Okay,” Wen Shengming said.
Two days later, an actress appeared online, posting an article revealing that Wen Shengming had sexually harassed her twenty years ago.
Not long after, another actress came forward, saying that she had also been harassed by Wen Shengming on set, and that others had witnessed it.
(End of this chapter)
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