Acting school started in 1998

Chapter 461 "Incense" Premiere

May 17th is the fourth day of the film festival.

Ning Hao got up very early. For him, today may be the most important day in his twenty-five years of life, not even one.

He was in good spirits after adjusting to the jet lag. He finished washing and carefully applied lotion on his dark and rough face like powder.

Then he put on a white shirt, tied on a black tie unskillfully, and put on the black dress he had specially customized in Financial Street before departure.

At 10,000 yuan, this was the most expensive set of clothes he had ever bought. The main reason was that the craftsmanship was expensive. I heard that the store hired masters from Shanghai. Fortunately, Teacher Li sealed him a big red envelope of 200,000 yuan before setting off, otherwise he would really be reluctant to part with it.

This is the second time he has worn this outfit. The first time was on the day of the opening ceremony. Not only was there a red carpet, but he also had to enter the Lumiere Hall, the main venue of the Cinema Palace.

There is a strict dress code for walking on the red carpet and entering the Lumiere Hall. Men must wear black tie (evening dress + black bow), and women must wear formal evening dress (evening dress + high heels).

Except for the red carpet and the Lumiere Hall premiere, there is no strict dress code for other events. The overall style is Smart Casual (business casual). In fact, no one cares what you wear, as long as it is not shorts and slippers.

But as the most important day in his life, Ning Hao attaches great importance to it. Being shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival this time is a milestone in his career. Now that it was finally time to test, he was inevitably feeling a little uneasy.

"Uniform" premiered just yesterday, and the response from both the media and the audience was average. The premiere venue was 80% full, but many people left midway. By the end of the screening, only less than 30% of the audience remained.

Although One Attention is a competition unit parallel to the main competition unit, after the premiere, there is no chance of re-screening at the Cinema Palace on the same day or the next day like the films in the main competition unit. All Un Certain Regard films will have to wait until the last two days of the festival, where they will be screened in Les Arcades, another block more than 200 meters away from the Palais du Cinema. There are three small cinemas there with only a few dozen to more than 200 seats. Not all.

Therefore, the failure of the premiere of "Uniform" has basically doomed the film's fate at this film festival.

As for why this is the case?

It can only be said that the style of "Uniform" is very similar to Chief Jia's "Xiao Wu". When "Xiao Wu" came out in Berlin, it shocked a group of picky judges with its brand-new style and won the Forum Award in one fell swoop.

As the saying goes: The truly successful people are the first to try something new. As the pioneer of this movie genre, "Xiao Wu" naturally enjoys the biggest dividends. Later "Platform", including "Tomorrow" directed by Yu Liwei and starring Diao Yinan, which was also shortlisted for Cannes Un Certain Regard last year, all have the same style.

It was amazing the first time I watched it, but the more I watched it, the more I saw it.

This is the problem why "Uniform" has been ignored. Just like Chen Guo's "People's Public Toilet", you just keep tinkering with this thing over and over again. Although it tickles the itch of Western gentlemen, you will get tired of it if you watch it too much.

However, Diao Yinan was quite calm. He used practical actions to explain what "walking to Cannes is victory." instead of dealing with the media's remarks because the film did not win the award.

The premiere of "Incense" is at 10 a.m., and the premiere location is still arranged in the Salle Bazin (Bazin Hall) on the third floor of the Cinema Palace. This is a semicircular hall that can accommodate more than 300 viewers.

This is the main screening room for Un Certain Regard premieres, where Uniform premiered yesterday.

Of course, if it is a popular film in the Un Certain Regard section, the organizer will usually arrange it in the Salle Dubessy (Debussy Hall), which can accommodate more than a thousand viewers.

In fact, compared to Diao Yinan, who appeared in works last year, Ning Hao is a complete junior. He has even graduated from college. "Incense" was originally his graduation film, but he never expected that it would be shortlisted in Cannes. Perhaps it is precisely because of this that it attracted many media reporters, including several major official magazines.

This year's Cannes is no longer the usual Chinese reporters from Hong Kong and Wanwan. There are actually many reporters from the mainland. In addition to entertainment reporters from several major portals, a few TV stations and print media also sent reporters to report on the scene. .

This is also the superposition of various factors. The most important thing is that on the one hand, the number of Chinese-language films shortlisted this year exceeds that in the past, and there is also a very topical judge Jiang Wen; on the other hand, the impact of online media makes it difficult to control the discourse in the past. The powerful TV stations and print media have seen their own crisis and must have first-hand news materials in order to compete with online media.

As for other reasons, for example, with the development of the economy, domestic media are no longer as picky as before; in addition, it is also due to China's accession to the WTO. The terms of accession to the WTO clearly stipulate the protection of intellectual property rights, and it is impossible to protect intellectual property rights without authorization. After all, the country also wants to face shame by carrying out various unscrupulous reprints.

"Director Wang, Sister Jiao, welcome!"

Wang Xiaoshuai and Jiao Xiongping, the producer of "Second Brother" came together. Jiao Xiongping has been here a long time ago, and during this trip, not only did she serve as the producer of "Second Brother" and the representative of Wanwan Film, but she was also hired by "Nandu News" to open a column called "Jiao Xiongping's Cannes Diary", which will be The latest news happening in Cannes every day, as well as her own analysis and interpretation, are published in Nandu Daily, allowing them to meet mainland readers as soon as possible.

Wang Xiaoshuai just arrived in Cannes last night. He had not recovered from the jet lag for an hour and a half and looked a little haggard.

After the two parties exchanged greetings, Li Tang asked Wang Xiaoshuai: "How is the matter handled?"

Wang Xiaoshuai showed a helpless look and sighed: "The trustee said hello, and then sent all the information again, just let it be fate!"

The incident occurred a few days before the opening of this year's film festival, when it was suddenly revealed that "Purple Butterfly" directed by Chinese director Lou Ye and starring Zhang Ziyi and Li Tang would represent France in the Palme d'Or. This caused a huge stir in the country. .

You must know that various media have been following up during the filming of "Purple Butterfly", especially Zhang Ziyi who has completely established her "international movie star" character after experiencing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Rush Hour 2".

This is something to be proud of for Chinese people who generally lack self-confidence these days, and Xiao Zhang's popularity has also risen to the top. Moreover, they are completely different from the national idol Xiao Yanzi who is still enjoying the bonus of "Returning the Pearl". As a movie star, Xiao Zhang is obviously more qualified.

The early publicity also caused domestic audiences to pay special attention to Xiao Zhang's new film, but it turned out that it was a French film. As a result, coupled with the various media hype and rhythm, it became very lively for a while.

So the film bureau had to respond. Fortunately, they finally passed the censorship of "Purple Butterfly" at the last moment, and they responded to the matter confidently.

Article 1: "Purple Butterfly" passed the review and obtained a public screening license. It was also recommended by the Film Bureau and entered the competition in accordance with due procedures.

Article 2: Regarding "Purple Butterfly" participating in the exhibition in the name of a French film, it only vaguely indicates that the film may have agreements with French distributors in other aspects. However, it is still emphasized that the producer of "Purple Butterfly" submitted for review is SIPG, which means that "Purple Butterfly" is a Chinese film. If it wins the award in the end, it will definitely be considered a Chinese film.

To be honest, this second point seems to lack confidence on the one hand, and on the other hand, it also seems a bit ugly.

The reason is that after "Purple Butterfly" was shortlisted, it was widely favored by the outside world, and it was considered one of the favorites to win the award among the twenty films shortlisted for the main competition.

This was originally meant to refute rumors and respond to the movie "Purple Butterfly", but the director of the film bureau who came forward to respond finally revealed that another film "Second Brother" by Wang Xiaoshuai, who was shortlisted for the main competition unit, was participating in violation of regulations.

According to the new regulations promulgated by the General Administration last year, all illegal filming in the mainland and direct participation without review and approval are violations.

The film "Second Brother" was rejected immediately when the script was submitted for application for a filming permit. The reason is very simple. It's about smuggling. Are you kidding me? Isn't this a discredit to the country?

Moreover, the leader also emphasized that the General Administration attached great importance to this matter and had convened an emergency meeting to study the matter. The implication is that although "Second Brother" is in the name of Wanwan Jiguang Company, it did not obtain a filming permit. It is a candid film and must be severely punished.

The two films that were shortlisted for the main competition section were rejected one after another, leaving Wang Xiaoshuai who was about to set off to sit back and have to cancel the trip. Various people were asked to say hello and materials were sent, and various remedial measures were taken. In his words, the attitude must be correct to avoid being banned.

Fortunately, Shengtang Film and Television has always abided by the law. Although "Uniform" and "Incense" were in the name of Shengtang Film and Television (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., they still submitted their scripts for review and obtained filming permits.

However, Li Tang and Wang Xiaoshuai didn't have a few words to say before they were surrounded by reporters, who all interviewed him about his illegal participation in the exhibition. Fortunately, at this time, Wang Xiaoshuai also needed sympathy and momentum from the public opinion, so he answered questions from reporters from all walks of life with a particularly sincere attitude.

But before he could finish answering the two questions, he suddenly saw most of the reporters shouting and rushing in another direction. This time, not only the mainland reporters surrounding Wang Xiaoshuai, but also the reporters from Taiwan and Hong Kong rushed over.

It turned out that Lou Ye and Zhang Ziyi had arrived.

It has to be said that with a large number of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars absent from this year's Cannes Film Festival, Xiao Zhang is undoubtedly the biggest focus. Especially "Purple Butterfly" has been very popular. Reporters are not sure whether "Purple Butterfly" can win the award, especially Xiao Zhang. I am particularly concerned about whether my classmates can win the Best Actress at Cannes.

And these reporters are particularly good at digging holes. During this period, a reporter asked Zhang Ziyi whether Jiang Wen, as one of the judges, would help "Purple Butterfly" win the Palme d'Or and herself win the Best Actress award?

Xiao Zhang did not fall for the trap, but smiled slightly, and then said very sincerely: "I don't think one judge can influence the final award. Michelle Yeoh was also a judge last year, but there was no sense of favoritism in last year's results. The so-called favor can only be achieved when We Chinese people only have this saying, but this is not the case abroad. Winning awards depends entirely on strength, especially in a film festival as senior as Cannes, where favors are impossible."

Although this statement is a bit absolute, and even a bit admiring foreign things, in the context of this era, no one will feel offended, but will think that her answer is very pertinent.

Then when answering whether he won the award, Xiao Zhang also said gracefully: "I saw a lot of media on the Internet saying that my biggest competitor this time is Nicole Kidman. I think it is unlikely. The film festival is so... There are so many good films. I just hope that our film directors can win awards so that everyone can see our works..."

At this point, she paused for a moment, turned to look at Li Tang, and said with a smile in her eyes: "This way, Teacher Li and I are already very happy."

I have to say that Xiao Zhang is really smart and knows how to talk about the biggest talent of this film festival - Nicole Kidman, but he also praises her in his words. At the same time, I did not forget to praise the organizer and director of the film festival, as well as Li Tang who was present.

The arrival of Zhang Ziyi and Wang Xiaoshuai left today's real protagonist Ning Hao in the cold, but this guy is eager to do it now. Even though he was usually eloquent, at this moment he still looked stiff and nervous.

Fortunately, the movie was about to premiere, and when the time came, everyone entered the theater one after another.

Li Tang and the guests who came to support him sat in the first row, with Zhang Ziyi sitting on the left and Ning Hao sitting with a tight body on the right.

The lights dim and the screen lights up.

At the beginning, there is a country road running across the screen, covered with snow and fog, and there is an unexpected dead tree with a crooked neck on the roadside.

Then, a tricycle drove past the road, and the driver sang a high-pitched folk tune. There was also a monk sitting in the car, wearing a tattered cotton hat on his head.

Although Li Tang had seen it a long time ago, he had to admit at this time that the magnetic transfer film made by the European company MK2 found was indeed reliable, and it probably didn't cost any money. At least the clarity and smoothness of the picture and sound were no longer noticeable. It was shot on DV.

"Where is this?" Xiao Zhang, who was sitting next to him, asked softly.

"Shanxi, Ning Hao's hometown." Li Tang said.

"Oh, this is an interesting beginning."

Classmate Xiao Zhang nodded. After all, after being trained by several great directors, he still had the basic ability to appreciate movies.

Huairen, which Li Tang once mistakenly thought was a county in Fulan, is in the northern part of Shanxi. There are still many relics of the Ming Great Wall and beacon towers in its territory.

Nanxiaozhai is a real village. It was a military garrison in the Ming Dynasty. There are still remaining city walls around the village.

Every family in the village raises and kills sheep.

There is a dilapidated temple in the village. There is a monk in the temple who is not very quiet. He looks a bit funny. He wears a pair of glasses with a broken leg wrapped with tape and rags. He was not a pure monk from the beginning. He smoked, ate meat-oiled instant noodles, and made fun of women with the villagers who killed sheep.

Accidentally, the Buddha statue in the temple collapsed. The monk became uneasy and tried his best to repair the Buddha statue to ensure his livelihood.

Therefore, he repeatedly emphasized that the whole village was slaughtering sheep, so there must be a temple. He believed in karma, his profession, and the Buddha to protect his livelihood.

He first went to the religious department in charge of the county. The person in charge excused himself by saying that he had no money, but there was no shortage of funds for the church repairs because the church had given him gifts.

The monk went to his cousin again. Although the cousin who ran a hair salon seemed to be a rich man, he didn't ask for a loan because there were no razors in the hair salon, only women who had lost their feet.

The monk again thought of his prosperous elder brother. His big temple in the county was really grand, but his people were stingy.

Then, the monk was begging for alms to raise money and was caught by the police. When he met some fallen women who wanted to donate money to him, he thought the money was dirty. When he went out to set up a fortune-telling stall, he was severely beaten and robbed by gangsters.

In the end, the monk finally fell into depravity. He used a street stall Buddha statue worth more than ten yuan to consecrate people and pray for blessings, and finally earned three thousand yuan.

However, when he was satisfied with his work after building a shiny new Buddha, the government told him that the temple must be demolished to build roads.

The design at the end of the film is also particularly joyful: in front of the temple wall with a large word "Demolish" painted on it, the monk stares into the distance while the sound of chanting is played from the loudspeaker. The scene gradually changes to a long shot, a Giacomo-style empty shot that does not take pictures of people, but rather faces the bleak yellow land.

"Hua Hua Hua..."

The moment the film ended, the audience burst into applause.

(End of this chapter)