The King of Directors 2000

Chapter 519 Advanced Cultural Workers

"Lee Sing-yew won the second Palme d'Or for a Chinese-language film, which is amazing."

"Incredible, the 31-year-old director of the Palme d'Or."

""1937" won the Comprehensive Technical Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival. This is a film that can be written in the history of film."

"Lee Sing-yew's ambition - to break the record in Cannes."

"De Niro: "1937" is very exciting. It is a piece of history that should not be forgotten and the audience should remember it."

"The rights to "1937" on the African continent have been sold and will be released in various African countries. Raymond Pictures hopes to cooperate more closely with Lee Sheng Yew."

"A commendation conference for outstanding cultural and entertainment will be held in Beijing on the 29th of this month."

""1937" is scheduled to be released in early July at the same time as "Martial Arts"."

……

Lee Sing-yew received the Palme d'Or, signed an African region copyright sales agreement with Raymond Pictures the next morning, and then returned to China with the "1937" crew.

The plane landed in Yanjing, and Li Shengyao and Xiao Mingge said goodbye to everyone. They all agreed to gather in Shanghai in early June to participate in the Shanghai Film Festival.

In the following days, Li Shengyao continued to participate in TV interviews and media interviews.

At 29 a.m. on June [-], Li Shengyao led his assistant to the auditorium of Yanjing Renmin University.

In another hour, a commendation meeting for outstanding cultural and entertainment will be held here.

At that time, well-known domestic actors, directors, producers, novelists, and other cultural and entertainment workers will come.

The person who presided over the commendation meeting was Zhang Dada, the current deputy chief minister, which can be said to be very grand.

The weather is not bad today, the sun is shining and the breeze is gentle.

The air is filled with a strong floral fragrance.

Renmin University has not yet had a holiday, and there are many students in the school.

Security guards set up a cordon at the school gate to protect the director, and the actors entered the auditorium smoothly.

When Lee Sheng Yew arrived at the auditorium, there were already many actors, directors, and producers inside.

These people gathered together in twos and threes to chat.

When they saw Li Shengyao, they immediately rushed over to greet him.

Lao Mouzi, Brother Kaizi, and Feng Xiaogang all came over.

Brother Kaizi looked at Li Shengyao and said with emotion, "Director Li, it's amazing. After 18 years, a Chinese-language film finally won the second Palme d'Or."

Lao Mouzi was pleased, "Director Li, I have always believed in your ability. Not only can you shoot purely commercial films, you can also do very well in the field of artistic films."

Xiaogangpao, on the other hand, was mostly envious, "We want to learn from you and make some award-winning movies if we have the chance."

After Xiaogangpao finished filming "If You Are the One 2", he actually no longer wanted to make comedy movies. He wanted to make some movies with heavier themes.

Hearing this, Li Shengyao nodded, "Okay, let's work hard together."

After chatting with several directors for a while, everyone dispersed and sat down quietly.

After all, it is a commendation meeting organized by the higher-ups. It cannot be said to be like a meeting organized by the director circle itself. It doesn't matter if you eat melon seeds or take a nap.

The commendation meeting at the vice-principal level naturally needs to be more calm.

Xiaogang Pao and Lao Mouzi were all dressed formally, either in suits or Chinese tunic suits.

If it weren't for the good air conditioning in the auditorium, I would have been sweating wearing so many clothes.

Li Shengyao quickly found his seat and found that he was in the second row.

The first row is all organizational people, and the second row is big directors or top actors.

Sitting in the second row, Li Shengyao echoed his identity.

At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps at the door, causing a small sensation.

Li Shengyao turned his head and saw Cheng Long.

"Director Li, congratulations."

Cheng Long has beautiful black hair and is wearing a Chinese tunic suit. He walks fast and his hair trembles. For his age, he is indeed well-maintained.

Compared with Lee Sung-yew's previous life, Cheng Long, who had successfully transformed into the most powerful father in Hollywood thanks to the "Hurricane Rescue" series, is now glowing.

Although he is unable to take on big productions worth hundreds of millions, Lee Sheng Yew and Warner Bros. gave him a tailor-made "Rescue" series of movies, all of which gave him a salary of US$2000 million. He is still a top-tier Hollywood star.

After last year's "Air Rescue" ended, the new movie is "Commute Rescue".

Cheng Long is really grateful to Director Li.

Now I am even more impressed.

Cannes is the world's number one film festival. If you can win the Palme d'Or, you will definitely be praised for a lifetime.

He attaches great importance to the spread of Chinese culture abroad. He is honored that Li Shengyao is so awesome.

"Brother, let's talk later."

After Cheng Long came in, some directors, actors, writers, and professors entered the auditorium.

Li Shengyao sat quietly all the time.

At this moment, there was a muffled sound of "dang" and someone brought the chair.

Li Shengyao looked up and saw Section Chief Jia with an excited face.

He was a little surprised. Chief Jia was much younger than Lao Mouzi and the others, but he had been to Cannes and Venice and was well-informed. What was he doing so excited?
Li Shengyao followed Section Chief Jia's gaze and looked toward the door, and saw a middle-aged woman with an afro. She looked thin, but she was energetic and had bright eyes.

She wore small high heels and looked very tall, with a European and American style.

This middle-aged woman is none other than Chief Jia’s goddess, Zhang Manyu.

Many people say that Chief Jia's goddess is Yu Feihong, and some people say that she is Bao Bao, Gao Yuanyuan.

Actually, none of them. The actress he most wants to work with is definitely Maggie Cheung.

Except for the first two or three films that Chief Jia made, every time he had a new project after the millennium, he would immediately hand the script to Zhang Manyu, hoping that Zhang Manyu could star in it.

This can be seen in many news reports, and Section Chief Jia has never shied away from this.

Li Shengyao saw it in his eyes, smiled slightly, and then fell into a daze.

Since "Clean", Maggie Cheung has not acted in a movie except for two seconds in "Love in the City".

She owns a large amount of real estate in London, Paris, and Hong Kong Island, especially in Hong Kong Island. The media has long revealed that she has at least four villas in this city where land is precious.

She has long been a top rich woman, with wealth and freedom.

Furthermore, she has never acted in any movies, so ordinary movies really don't interest her.

As a national first-class actor, even though she has not had any works in recent years, she still came to participate in the commendation ceremony.

Maggie Cheung's appearance attracted some directors and actors to chat with her.

Li Shengyao had met Zhang Manyu before and chatted a few words, but they were not familiar with him.

Just when he thought Zhang Manyu would cause some noise like Cheng Long, but it would soon quiet down, the sound of Zhang Manyu's high heels got closer and closer until it stopped in front of Li Shengyao.

"Director Li, congratulations."

"Teacher Zhang is polite."

Chief Jia followed over and stood aside, looking at Li Shengyao with envy, like a licking dog seeing a tall, handsome and rich man.

Maggie Cheung obviously came prepared, "A friend of mine saw your new movie in Cannes and said it was very exciting and she definitely deserves the Palme d'Or. I believe her words. When "1937" is released, I will Will definitely go and see it.”

Her Mandarin is not very standard, but it is much better than that of Zha Zhahui, and she can express her thoughts very accurately.

Li Shengyao once again expressed his gratitude.

Zhang Manyu continued: "My nephew is studying directing, and you are his idol. He said he wants to be like you, to be able to work in Hollywood, and to win awards at Cannes. This time he knew I was coming, and told me to ask you for an autograph. Can you sign it for me?"

After finishing speaking, Zhang Manyu took out a notepad and a pen.

Zhang Manyu has no children of her own. She has a sister who has children at home.

Her property on Hong Kong Island is mainly for her sister and mother to live in.

Of course Li Shengyao would not refuse, and then he wrote his name in a flourishing way.

Zhang Manyu picked it up and looked at it, then smiled and said: "Your handwriting is very beautiful."

Li Shengyao smiled and said, "It's not bad. I haven't practiced it specifically, otherwise it would look better."

Zhang Manyu laughed, glanced at Section Chief Jia who was following him, and then said: "I don't really want to act in movies recently, I want to try singing."

Li Shengyao naturally knew about Zhang Manyu's choice. In his previous life, Zhang Manyu would later sign with a professional record company, but what about her singing and creative skills?
I can only say that God is fair.

There's nothing to say about her acting skills, but her singing skills are at least [-] points.

Li Shengyao was about to agree and encourage Maggie Cheung to pursue her dream.

Maggie Cheung continued: "But if you have a new movie with a suitable role, you can show it to me. If the story is interesting, I am willing to act."

After Zhang Manyu died, he not only rejected Section Chief Jia one after another, but also rejected Lao Mouzi.

The No. 1 choice for the queen in "The Golden Armor" is not Gong Li. There is no such thing as Lao Mouzi wanting to make Gong Li's dream come true.

The No. 1 choice for queen was Zhang Manyu, but Zhang Manyu refused, and then she found Gong Li.

She even rejected Lao Mouzi, but now she is willing to consider Li Shengyao's movie. It is enough to give her face if word spreads about it.

Especially Chief Jia stood aside, the envy in his eyes almost turned into a torrent, burying Li Shengyao.

Li Shengyao felt a little proud in his heart when he felt Chief Jia's gaze.

But he smiled and asked, "Can I play a middle-aged woman? Can I play a mother?"

Some actresses are reluctant to play mothers, and Maggie Cheung has very few roles as mothers.

"Of course I would."

"How about playing a rural woman?"

"It's also okay."

Chief Jia Ke's breathing became more and more rapid, and his chest rose and fell very obviously.He is really envious.

Family members, this feeling can no longer be concealed.

After 05, he always approached Maggie Cheung for every movie, but they didn't agree.

Li Shengyao nodded and said, "Okay, if there is a suitable role, I will find you."

For a suitable character, shouldn't we immediately create a character who echoes Zhang Manyu?

For such an actress, if she can act, she must definitely strive for it.

This time, not only Chief Jia, but also several directors nearby looked at Li Shengyao.

It can be seen that Zhang Manyu has a good impression of Director Li. If he specially polishes a script for Zhang Manyu, wouldn't it be a collaboration?
Zhang Manyu made an OK gesture and then left.

Li Shengyao glanced briefly and then withdrew his gaze.

Section Chief Jia immediately came over and said, "Director Li, let Teacher Zhang continue acting. Don't waste this opportunity."

"It has to be the right role."

Li Shengyao actually understands Section Chief Jia's mood very well.

The number of awards Zhang Manyu has received is among the best in the world.

She already has the Best Actress in Cannes and the Best Actress in Berlin, but she is missing the Best Actress in Venice.

If Maggie Cheung hadn't retired from acting, with her ability, she would have probably won the Actor Grand Slam in the three major European actresses.

In Europe's three major decades, there was only one Grand Slam actor until this year, and this is France's Juliette Binoche.

That is, this year's Cannes Best Actress Juliet, this year she won the Cannes Best Actress, and she just collected three awards.

Lee Sheung Yew hopes that China Entertainment Films will develop vigorously, so he is naturally willing to support Maggie Cheung.

If there is a movie that can make Maggie Cheung win the Venice Best Actress, he will definitely write the script immediately.

However, he didn't expect such a movie, so he could only put it on hold until a suitable role comes up for him in the future.

The directors didn't know what Lee Sheng-yew was thinking, and thought that Director Lee was aloof. Everyone admired Director Lee's determination, and he remained unwavering in the face of an invitation from such a top actor.

……

After about 10 minutes, the seats in the auditorium were almost full.

Except for the people in the entertainment and cultural circles sitting in the front rows, the people in the back are all audiences, but these audiences are all people from the organization.

They all know the rules very well and sit quietly when they sit down.

Soon CCTV reporters and photographers came over to take pictures of the guests.

Li Shengyao noticed Xiao Sa coming.

Xiao Sa is interviewing people in the cultural circle with a microphone.

Soon after, Xiao Sa came to the entertainment industry. He held up the microphone and was the first to interview Cheng Long, then Lao Mouzi, and then Brother Kaizi. The fourth person he interviewed was Li Shengyao.

Cheng Long is an international actor. He follows many people who visit foreign countries, so his status is hard to say.

Lao Mouzi, Brother Kaizi’s works are there.

It's hard to say who is the third domestic director.

After all, although Lee Sing-yew has high box office and won the Palme d'Or, he is too young and has too little qualifications.

There are small steel cannons in the mainland, and there are Tsui Hark and Wu Yusen on Hong Kong Island. They are also big guys.

And Xiao Sa found Li Shengyao for the third time, basically representing CCTV, which is the view above.

In the eyes of the superiors, Director Li has surpassed Tsui Hark, Wu Yusen, Xiaogang Pao and others, becoming the third director in the country.

"Director Li, how do you feel after winning the Palme d'Or?"

"I'm in a good mood, very happy."

"I read your acceptance speech. Is your goal really to set a new record?"

Li Shengyao glanced at Xiao Sa and nodded, "I want to win three Palme d'Or."

When Xiao Sa heard this, he couldn't help but glance at Lao Mouzi beside him.

Lao Mouzi is the well-deserved number one director in the Mainland. He has won two Golden Lion Awards, one Golden Bear Award, one Silver Bear Award, one Silver Lion Award, one Cannes Grand Jury Prize, and six top-notch works. Apart from Island Country, he is the only one It can overwhelm the three major European honors of other Asian countries.

If Lee Sheng Yew could win three Palme d'Ors, he might be barely qualified to compete with Lao Mouzi.

"Director Li, do you have any ideas about the next movie?"

"Not yet. I will consider new movies after "1937" is released. I hope that like "1937", it can balance business and art."

……

Xiao Sa finished interviewing Li Shengyao, then interviewed Zhang Guoli, and Zhang Manyu, and then left.

Li Shengyao was still sitting there quietly as before.

He felt a little monotonous. Just when he was considering whether to close his eyes and rest his mind, the leader who presided over the commendation meeting came in, followed by Zhang Zongli and others.

Li Shengyao took a deep breath and tried his best to look serious.

The commendation meeting then began, and many people were commended, both in the cultural and entertainment circles.

Li Shengyao was naturally involved. He was named an advanced cultural worker in 2010 and received a certificate.

Zhang Zongli personally issued the certificate to Li Shengyao.

"Director Li, you are the pride of our country's film and television industry. If you keep up your efforts, I hope to see you win more awards and set a new record in Cannes in the future."

Li Shengyao was a little surprised. He did not expect that the Vice-Chapter would read his news. He suppressed his pride and said, "Thank you for the leadership's encouragement. I will continue to work hard."

Li Shengyao received the certificate and then returned to his seat.

An hour later, the commendation meeting ended. Amid warm applause, the leaders left first, followed by the big guys from the cultural and entertainment circles.

Li Shengyao made an appointment with Cheng Long and was about to leave with Cheng Long when a voice stopped him.

"Director Li, please wait a moment."

The person who called him was a middle-aged man with a square face who wore glasses and looked innocent.

"Director Li, my name is Liu Cixin, and I am a science fiction novelist."

Unlike directors and stars in the entertainment industry who dress formally, people in the cultural circle are poorer and dress more casually, like Liu Cixin, who wears a work jacket on the upper body, a pair of jeans on the lower body, and a pair of sneakers.

He looks less like a novelist and more like a plumber.

Of course Li Shengyao knew Liu Cixin, but he was so busy before that he forgot to ask Liu Cixin to buy the film and television rights of the novel.

Now that Liu Cixin came here in person, it gave him a wake-up call.

Li Shengyao smiled and gestured to Cheng Long, asking Cheng Long to go over first and he would go there later.

"Hello, Teacher Liu, I know you and I have read some of your books."

"Have you read my book?"

Liu Cixin looked delighted. He had relied on "The Three-Body Problem" to become a hit in the past two or three years.

This time he took the initiative to approach Li Shengyao because he heard that Director Li had a good business acumen and that the stories he liked could sell well.

He has written many science fiction novels himself, and a film and television company has approached him to buy the copyright.

However, although he was poor and needed money urgently, he still hoped to find a more reliable buyer for his works.

When he heard that Li Shengyao was coming, he had been staring at Li Shengyao for a long time. He waited for the commendation ceremony to end and went up to chat with Director Li.

"I have read your books, especially The Three-Body Problem and The Wandering Earth. I am deeply impressed."

Liu Cixin was very happy. After all, Director Li was the one who won the Palme d'Or.

Such directors all read his books, which shows that his books are also read by people in the high-end market.

"Director Li, what do you think of my book?"

"It's very good, the imagination is rich, and the perspective and layout of your book are very grand, which is very suitable for adapting into a movie."

“Can my book be adapted into a movie?”

"Okay, I think it's all good."

Li Shengyao paused and then said: "I can promise you on behalf of Fenghua that as long as you are willing, Fenghua can acquire the film and television copyrights of all your works, and you will never suffer a loss due to price issues."

Liu Cixin looked at Li Shengyao blankly, as if it was early morning on the weekend and he had not yet woken up from his dream.

He didn't expect Li Shengyao to be so easy to talk to, let alone that he was so lucky.

He has been insisting on writing science fiction novels, but his income is average. At least so far, it has not significantly improved their family's life.

After the publication of "The Three-Body Problem", more and more film and television companies contacted him.

He feels that he is about to start making money, but he still hopes to sell it to a film and television company that is as reliable and powerful as possible.

The first thing he thought of was Fenghua Film and Television Company.

Before he approached Li Shengyao, he considered many reasons and planned to imitate lobbyists like Su Qin and Zhang Yi and deceive him.

I didn't expect Director Li to be so optimistic about his novel.

He was very excited, "Director Li, I am willing to sell to Fenghua. I can make the decision and everything can be sold to Fenghua."

"Okay, you go to Fenghua Film and Television Company tomorrow, and I will arrange for someone to negotiate with you."

Li Shengyao then stretched out his hand and said, "Teacher Liu, we enjoy our cooperation."

Liu Cixin immediately extended his hand and said, "It's a pleasure to cooperate."

Director Li nodded and then walked outside.

Cheng Long did not leave first, but waited for him.

Liu Cixin watched the two bigwigs from the Chinese film and television industry leaving side by side, feeling as if he had drunk too much fake Maotai - so happy.

(End of this chapter)