Chapter 782
The Jose Film Festival will begin rotating from the next edition onwards, with each city applying to become the host city.
In fact, this is similar in nature to the Olympic Games.
Why do so many countries want to bid for the Olympics? Besides the initial national honor, there is a very important reason: the economic benefits behind it.
Jose was unable to continue funding the Jose Film Festival due to his own financial problems.
It's not that the Jose Film Festival can't bring economic benefits and revenue to Jose.
However, everything is difficult at the beginning.
Many cities are certainly interested in hosting the Jose Film Festival, but it's a new thing, and how it will be organized, how it will turn out, and how much revenue it will generate are all uncertain.
Yuming is the first city to host the Jose Film Festival since Jose's founding, which is of great significance.
Most importantly, this is a window that truly opens to the world.
Lu Yanhe himself experienced the 2008 Olympics.
He himself remembers very clearly when, at least he and the people around him, they felt that their motherland had truly become prosperous.
In his memory, it was the year of the 2008 Olympics. So much happened that year, but it truly showed that everyone was united, and the hearts of people across the country were tightly bound together. Before that, to put it bluntly, there was a prevailing atmosphere even in middle schools—the best students were going to study abroad later—how to prove that you were among the best students? Study abroad.
Children today may find it hard to understand the lack of confidence in their own country's economy and culture, and the outward-looking attitude towards foreign countries at that time.
In just over a decade, earth-shaking changes have taken place.
In this parallel universe, the José International Film Festival, a top-tier international film festival, has the opportunity to be hosted by China. Of course, this cannot be compared to the Olympics, which are watched worldwide; the audience for international film festivals is much smaller. However, on a smaller scale, this represents a huge breakthrough and opportunity for the Chinese film industry.
Wu Yang and Lu Yanhe had a video call the next day.
Wu Yang said to Lu Yanhe, "We will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce this. You are currently in Picardo, and we will announce your appointment as the chairman of the film selection committee at the press conference tomorrow as well. Do you think that's okay?"
“Sure, why not?” Lu Yanhe said. “Actually, Jose already has a selection committee, but you’ve always been the chairman. It seems abrupt to suddenly have me do it. To be honest, Director Wu, why not implement a dual-chairmanship system? You can continue with your old system, but add a rotating chairman to make suggestions for the films nominated for the main competition each year. You wanted me to be the chairman because you value my industry influence, right?”
It's unrealistic to expect him to watch thousands of movies in one go to select the ones suitable for the main competition.
He can't do this full-time.
Wu Yang said, "A dual-chairmanship system? Wouldn't that make you seem like just a chairman in name only?"
Lu Yanhe: "I can't be a real chairman either. Where would I find the time to watch so many movies?"
"But you'll definitely have to participate in the final selection, right?" Wu Yang asked.
Lu Yanhe: "It all depends on how much you want me to participate. The Jose Film Festival is your film festival, not mine. Once I participate, it's impossible for me to just have a casual, 'good to you, good to me, good to everyone' attitude and play around with it. If you ask me to participate in the final selection, I will definitely have my opinions. I said I accept a purely honorary role."
Wu Yang said, "Since it's a mobile event, I think this is also an opportunity for the Jose Film Festival to collaborate with top filmmakers from around the world and have them serve as chairpersons of our selection committee for each edition. This will further update our past selection style and direction, which is great. Since we're going to hold this film festival all over the world, let's make it full of aesthetic fluidity. Maybe this will be the biggest characteristic of the Jose Film Festival among top international film festivals in the future."
Lu Yanhe never expected that Wu Yang would make "moving the festival around" a "feature" of the Jose Film Festival and integrate it into the festival's overall tone.
However, this could very well be an opportunity for the Jose Film Festival to further expand its influence and enhance its status.
However, it's a bit of a pity that the Jose Film Festival hasn't fully settled in China and been held there.
While the José International Film Festival might not be able to maintain its previous international standing if it were to fully establish itself in China, this raises the issue of acceptance. This includes not only the festival's audience but also filmmakers from various countries.
This easily gives the impression that the Jose Film Festival is no longer the film festival it used to be.
However, the nature of events held in a mobile setting is different.
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The press conference for the Jose Film Festival was attended by hundreds of media outlets from all over the world.
Wu Yang, as a representative of the film festival, explained the current state of the Jose Film Festival.
This was the first time he publicly stated that the Jose Film Festival was facing funding problems and that in order to continue the festival, it had to change its format and seek supporters worldwide.
He then thanked the China Film Association, saying that after learning of the situation, they immediately contacted them and offered their assistance.
After explaining the basic situation, Wu Yang began to answer the questions that everyone was very concerned about.
Who will have the final say at the Jose Film Festival in the future?
"The Jose Film Festival will always be the Jose Film Festival, without a doubt, and that will not change," said Wu Yang. "Each host city provides funding to support the festival and participates in its organization, but does not participate in core aspects such as film selection, audience, and awards. We will continue to follow the previous model of the Jose Film Festival. The only change is the appointment of an honorary chairman to the selection committee. This honorary chairman will be selected from among filmmakers in the host city's country, a top-tier filmmaker with a prestigious reputation in the film industry. He will work with our original selection committee to decide the list of films shortlisted for the main competition each year."
After some key changes were announced, the media in the audience began raising their hands, wanting to ask questions.
One of the most pressing questions is: "Will the establishment of such an honorary chairman lead to a bias in the selection of films for the main competition each year, with more films from the country hosting the event being nominated?"
“First of all, I want to say that the list of films in the main competition is not the decision of the honorary chairman alone, but a joint decision of the selection committee, including myself,” Wu Yang emphasized. “Secondly, regarding whether there is any bias, I think there certainly is. But in reality, every film festival in the world will have a bias towards its host city. I think everyone knows this. The key is whether there is any bias in the award distribution. The Jose Film Festival is the only top film festival where the awards are chosen by the audience. From this point of view, I think that when people question any other film festival, they should not question the Jose Film Festival. The audience selection rules and list of the Jose Film Festival are published every year, and this has been tested for decades.”
Wu Yang's answer gradually put everyone's minds at ease.
The unease and anxiety caused by the changes gradually subsided.
Wu Yang's answer was quite frank.
"Variety previously mentioned that Lu Yanhe will be the honorary chairman of the next film selection committee. Is that true?"
“That’s right, yes.” Wu Yang nodded. “We are honored to announce that we have invited Lu Yanhe to serve as the honorary chairman of the next film selection committee.”
"Will Linghe's film be shortlisted for the next main competition?" a reporter asked very sharply.
“If there are good and suitable films, why not?” Wu Yang said. “I’ll say it again: the awards at the Jose Film Festival are decided by the audience. Even if Yan He is the honorary chairman, even if we select Ling He’s film for the main competition, it’s useless if the audience doesn’t like it or doesn’t buy it. In fact, I even asked Lu Yan He if he had any films that could come to the Jose Film Festival next year, but unfortunately, no.”
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"Congratulations, Honorary Chairman." Huang Zhongjing from Longyan called Lu Yanhe immediately to congratulate him.
Lu Yanhe laughed, "What's there to congratulate? It's a tough job."
"So many people want this tough job but can't get it," Huang Zhongjing said. "The honorary chairman of the selection committee for the main competition unit has a lot of power. We also have several good films from Longyan. When you return to China, please come and give us your guidance."
Lu Yanhe: "President Huang, I should avoid this kind of thing."
Huang Zhongjing said, "This is just a normal exchange about the film. There's no need to avoid suspicion. Wu Yang already said at the press conference that it's normal to have regional biases when selecting films."
Lu Yanhe said, "President Huang, as long as the movie is good enough, it will definitely be selected. But it would be too much of a taboo for me to go directly to your company to watch the movie. As the old saying goes, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. I can't put myself in such an ambiguous situation. Please don't make things difficult for me."
Huang Zhongjing: "..."
Lu Yanhe: "I have something to do here, I'll hang up now, we'll talk later."
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There were more than a dozen film company owners, producers, investors, directors, and others like Huang Zhongjing who came to Lu Yanhe's door.
The title of Honorary Chairman of the Selection Committee for the Main Competition at the Jose Film Festival carries far more weight than Lu Yanhe had imagined.
This isn't about awards; it's about money.
Being shortlisted for the main competition at the Jose Film Festival is enough to sell a film distribution rights to a dozen or twenty countries.
Not to mention the benefits of a good movie combined with this title.
Even in the US, companies like Green Valley and Parameter have come to inquire.
They rarely produce these kinds of films for film festivals themselves, but they often buy the distribution rights to them.
For them, if they could know some information about the movie in advance, such as Lu Yanhe's opinion, they could act early and not have to wait until more information about the movie came out before bidding against others.
Lu Yanhe suddenly became extremely popular.
Especially since he's currently at the BiCarlo Film Festival.
Owners, producers, and directors of various independent companies all tried to pull strings to meet him.
Lu Yanhe, of course, knew why this was.
Lu Yanhe could only politely decline.
When he participated in the dialogue, many people in the audience were calling his name.
Many media reporters also hoped to interview him, and the entire passageway leading to the venue was packed with people.
Lu Yanhe greeted everyone with a smile, then ignored all the various voices and questions.
However, upon arrival at the scene, before Lu Yanhe even appeared, someone shouted his name loudly, forcing staff to go over and stop him.
Lu Yanhe rested backstage and met with the guests he was to talk with in advance.
These people were all real big shots, and Lu Yanhe was no slouch either. He humbly greeted them and introduced himself as soon as he arrived.
Sandra Viktor, who has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and two Best Actress awards at the Bicarlo Film Festival, is now 57 years old.
She was the most gentle and enthusiastic towards Lu Yanhe among the group.
“I’ve wanted to get to know you for a long time, and it’s finally happened.” Sandra Vickers said to Lu Yanhe with gentle eyes, “It’s amazing that you have achieved so much at such a young age.”
Lu Yanhe humbly stated, "I was very lucky."
Renowned German director Zeno Stevens: "Many people outside are here because of you. You're too popular, especially after the Jose Film Festival incident. You guys really threw a landmine into the entire film industry and set it off."
Lu Yanhe hurriedly said, "I just heard the news myself. I originally thought that the Jose Film Festival would be able to find a sponsor willing to support them stably again, but I didn't expect that they would choose to hold the event in a mobile format in the end."
“There isn’t a single top-tier international film festival in the world yet—let alone a top-tier one, there isn’t even one that’s held on a rotating basis.” Sandra Vicki smiled and waved her hand. “How wonderful, it’s another fresh thing. Our industry should always have something new to offer.”
“Sandra, not all innovation is good; some changes can destroy something.” At this point, another director spoke up.
Lu Yanhe looked over in surprise.
It's Eugene Moreno, a famous American director.
At this moment, he clearly had an expression that showed neither approval nor support.
He even ignored the look Lu Yanhe was giving him.
Lu Yanhe smiled slightly.
It smells a bit like gunpowder.
The lounge fell silent; no one spoke.
Eugene Moreno, as if nothing had happened, turned to Zeno Stevens beside him and said, "I heard you haven't secured funding for your next film yet?"
Zeno Stevens sighed, nodded, and said, "Yes, investments have always been hard to find."
Eugene Moreno also sighed.
"It's getting harder and harder to make serious movies these days."
(End of this chapter)
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