Chapter 947 Warning! Expulsion! Ban!

The premiere event of "La La Land" went very smoothly.

As the movie ended, Sam Mendes took the lead in applauding, and other judges, audiences, media, and invited guests also followed suit.

In the crowd, Zhao Yanzi raised her hands very awkwardly and clapped along with everyone else.

Even though she was unwilling and reluctant in her heart, she had to go with the flow at this moment. Otherwise, if she was photographed by the media, she couldn't imagine how she would be evaluated by foreign media.

"Thank you, thank you very much for coming to support La La Land..."

On the stage, Fade Chen was completing his final curtain call.

According to convention, there are no subsequent banquets or receptions after the premiere of films participating in the film festival.

The main reason is to avoid too much communication between the contestants and the judges, which may cause some unpleasant controversies.

Therefore, after the premiere of "La La Land", Chen Fei came to the entrance of the venue and personally saw off every invited guest and judge.

A group of people filed out and chose to leave by car.

Zhao Yanzi originally wanted to take the opportunity to blend into the crowd and leave, but just as she lowered her head and passed by Chen Fei, she was stopped by a sudden voice.

"Director Zhao, don't leave so quickly, let's talk for a while?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Zhao Yanzi's heart suddenly shook, and she inexplicably had a very bad premonition.

She subconsciously turned her head and saw Fade Chen standing outside the crowd, staring at her leisurely.

In the eyes of many passers-by, Chen Fei had a faint smile on his face, but in Zhao Yanzi's opinion, at this moment she was no less than being targeted by a poisonous king cobra!
But at this moment, she couldn't refuse, nor did she dare to refuse!
She had an inexplicably strong premonition in her heart that if she chose to turn around and leave now, her ending would be very miserable!

Therefore, she chose to quietly walk out of the crowd and came in front of Chen Fei.

"Director Chen, I'd like to congratulate you in advance on winning the grand prize. La La Land is a great film and will surely be a big hit in both box office and word of mouth..."

"Oh? Really? Do you really think so?"

"of course, I……"

Zhao Yanzi was about to continue talking, but the next second, Fade Chen suddenly interrupted her: "But why did I hear that Director Zhao spent money to bribe a lot of media and marketing accounts to specifically discredit my movie?"

As soon as these words came out, the smile on Zhao Yanzi's face suddenly froze, and her heartbeat began to speed up uncontrollably...

"Director Chen, you must be joking. How could I possibly..."

She wanted to continue to be stubborn, but was interrupted by Fade Chen again.

"Well-known film critic Ur Myers published an article in the film and television section of the Venice Gazette criticizing the clichéd story of La La Land;
Media person Uller Seik published an article on the nuova_venezia platform saying that "La La Land" can easily cause visual fatigue among the audience.

After watching the movie "La La Land", female reporter Zoe Fisher laughed at the film's hasty ending and lack of deep thinking on television media.

You should know Mary Parker, right? She said you paid her $10 to spread the word during the film festival, saying that my and Yifei's acting was terrible and that musicals like "La La Land" should not be shown at the Venice International Film Festival..."

Chen Fei kept naming the names one after another as if he knew them all by heart.

Zhao Yanzi, who was standing opposite him, looked ashen. Her heart gradually sank to the bottom of the valley. Her legs seemed to start to weaken. She was like a drowning dog, and her breathing became uncontrollably heavy...

"Director Chen!" She wanted to escape from the current situation, so she quickly found an excuse for herself: "The organizing committee stipulates that the judges are not allowed to have too much contact with the participating crews, so I should leave now."

Chen Fei suddenly smiled... His smile was very bright, but his eyes revealed endless coldness!
“I thought that after the film ban of No Other Love, you would choose to stay silent for a while, keep your head down, and wait until the incident was completely resolved before looking for an opportunity to make a comeback.

But what I didn't expect was that you didn't seem to take that incident as a lesson, or... you felt that you had Ali's support, so you became so unscrupulous, right?"

Zhao Yanzi didn't dare to look him in the eye and could only answer in a low voice: "Director Chen, I think there is some misunderstanding between us? I don't understand what you are saying at all."

"Haha, fine, since you don't want to admit it, then I will unilaterally assume that you agree."

Zhao Yanzi: “???”

"So from today on, your name will no longer exist in the film and television industry. Your scripts, your projects, all your endorsements, including those actors, stars, and artists who have signed contracts with your studio, will all have to pay the price for what you have done.

As for your current status as a judge... I suggest you go back to the hotel and pack your bags, and don't wait for the closing ceremony of the film festival. You are no longer eligible to continue to participate in the film festival film review."

After the ultimatum was issued, Chen Fei turned around and walked towards Liu Yifei, no longer paying attention to Zhao Yanzi who was sweating and trembling behind him.

He had already arranged everything before the premiere of "La La Land" today.

He wanted to make Zhao Yanzi regret what she had done, regret provoking him, and regret coming to the Venice International Film Festival!

"What were you two talking about just now?" Liu Yifei asked curiously, gently holding Chen Fei's hand.

"Nothing, just telling her that she can pack her bags and go back. It's not suitable for her to stay here for too long. If she stays any longer, she will be in trouble."

"But the film festival isn't over yet? She's a judge, how can she leave?"

"Silly!" Fade Chen raised his hand and flicked her forehead lightly: "As long as she is kicked out of the ranks of judges, then she will not be a judge anymore, right?"

"Ah? Is this possible?" Liu Yifei was confused. After all, before this, she had never heard of anyone being removed from the judge list during a film festival.

"Of course, just wait and see the news."

Chen Fei smiled softly, held her hand, and left the premiere venue together.

……

For the entire afternoon, Zhao Yanzi was deeply immersed in a state of anxiety, finding it difficult to extricate herself and to concentrate.

The other judges were watching the movie and expressing their views and opinions, but she was the only one who couldn't concentrate at all. Chen Fei's warnings to her kept lingering in her mind.

Reason told her that she didn't need to be afraid because she had Ali's support and would make sure she was safe.

But reality kept proving to her that something bad might happen.

Because now she can no longer contact the media, filmmakers and public relations teams who previously cooperated with her to discredit "La La Land".

If it's just one or two people you can't contact, then the situation isn't too bad.

But the key point now is that no one can be contacted, including the agents, who have all lost contact.

What's worse is that all the negative reviews and negative news about "La La Land" that had previously flooded major media, online platforms, newspapers and film festivals have now disappeared in just two days.

She now had only one feeling, that is, an invisible big net seemed to be covering her, but she had no idea which net would fall and when!

“So far, we have watched the 20 films shortlisted for the main competition unit of this year’s Venice International Film Festival no less than 10 times, and we have even carefully analyzed some program ratings, media ratings, and comments from fans and critics.

Then, let’s do a simple preliminary analysis and selection, first screen out the suitable winners for each award, and then conduct more in-depth discussions in the next few days…”

Following the arrangement of the jury chairman Sam Mendes, the judging panel successfully entered the preliminary selection stage.

Voting by raising hands is the most suitable method of selection to be used here because it is fair, just and democratic enough.

"First, for the Best Screenplay Award, I vote for Noah Oppenheim's The First Lady..."

Under the guidance of Sam Mendes, everyone started with the Best Screenplay Award and made decisions one by one. The staff of the film festival organizing committee were nearby, faithfully recording everything and counting the votes.

More than half an hour later, the six words "Best Actress Award" came out of Sam Mendes' mouth.

Then, he said bluntly: "I think Crystal, the leading actress of La La Land, is very suitable for this award. I am willing to cast this precious vote for her."

Afterwards, others spoke up, expressed their opinions, and exercised their right to vote.

As the judge who least wanted to see "La La Land" win the award, when it was Zhao Yanzi's turn to express her opinion, she almost subconsciously said the names of other movies as usual.

But soon, she realized that something seemed wrong.

Because apart from her, she was very surprised to find that the other eight judges all chose to vote for the heroine of "La La Land" Liu Yifei, and she was the only one who chose other actors.

It is normal to have disagreements during the voting period, and no one thinks there is anything wrong with it.

However, at this moment, Zhao Yanzi discovered that after the other eight judges finished selecting the best actress, they all turned their heads and looked at her.

And what’s very “weird” is that the expressions on these people’s faces are very interesting, including contempt, disdain, surprise, helplessness, ridicule... but the only thing missing is... recognition!
Just as she was about to say something, the door of the conference room was suddenly pushed open.

Under the gaze of the crowd, the chairman of the Venice International Film Festival Organizing Committee strode in and came directly in front of Zhao Yanzi.

“Ms. Vicki Zhao, the film festival organizing committee has received a report that you abused your power, had obvious bias and selfishness in the film selection process, and failed to uphold the principles of fairness, equity and openness in judging;
This unfair behavior not only damages the legitimate rights and interests of the participating films, but also seriously undermines the normal order and reputation of the film festival selection. We now ask you to cooperate in a serious investigation and handling. Please come with us."

As the chairman of the organizing committee finished speaking, Zhao Yanzi was completely stunned!

She never expected that the warning Chen Fei had given her in the morning would be confirmed within a few hours.

"Ms. Huppert, this is slander..." Zhao Yanzi was still trying to defend herself.

However, the other party ignored her and didn't want to listen to her explanation.

"Ms. Vicki Zhao, I think I need to remind you that we already have evidence. If you are unwilling to cooperate, please leave immediately. You have been removed from the jury. We will send you a lawyer's letter and make your disposal plan public."

"Ms. Huppert! Listen to me! This is not true! I never did any of these things!"

Zhao Yanzi was completely panicked.

You know, the Venice International Film Festival has been established for 73 years, but there has never been a case of removing a judge from the jury.

Once the notice is issued, she will become the first person in history, and will even be recorded in film history as a negative example, and will be despised by countless filmmakers!
Thinking of this outcome, Zhao Yanzi could no longer remain calm.

She wanted to explain, but Huppert didn't give her the chance and turned and walked out the door.

At the same time, two fat and strong bodyguards stopped her and said in unison: "Ms. Vicki Zhao, please leave here. Your contract has been unilaterally terminated by the organizing committee."

In an instant, Zhao Yanzi felt an uncontrollable surge of fear and powerlessness in her heart!
She was trembling all over, her legs were weak, and she collapsed in her seat like a puddle of mud, unable to get up for a long time.

The two bodyguards had no intention of showing any mercy to her. They simply picked her up and took her away from the scene.

……

A few hours later, when Weibo and major portals were dominated by the makeup-free military training photos of little Liu Yifei, little Fan Bingbing, little Zhang Ziyi, and little Yang Mi that circulated from art colleges, an impromptu notice from the Venice International Film Festival was like a "nuclear bomb", which turned the entire domestic entertainment industry upside down!
“The 73rd Venice International Film Festival officially issued a temporary notice:

Dear friends from the media, colleagues in the film industry, and fans:
As one of the three major international film festivals in the world, the Venice International Film Festival has always adhered to the principles of fairness, impartiality and professionalism in judging, and is committed to promoting the exchange and development of global film art.

However, we have recently discovered with regret that Ms. Vicki Zhao, a member of the jury of this year's film festival, seriously violated the judging discipline and professional ethics during the judging process, wantonly undermined the fairness and impartiality of the judging process, and caused immeasurable damage to the reputation of the film festival and the fair evaluation of the entries!

After an in-depth investigation by the film festival organizing committee and the judging supervisory agency, it was confirmed that Ms. Vicki Zhao failed to maintain an objective and professional attitude in evaluating the entries fairly during the judging period. Instead, she gave unfair scores and comments on some works out of personal bias, considerations of interests or other inappropriate factors, which seriously interfered with the normal progress of the judging work.

In view of the fact that Ms. Vicki Zhao's above-mentioned behavior has seriously violated the basic duties and ethical standards of the Venice International Film Festival jury members, the Film Festival Organizing Committee has decided to remove her from this year's jury from today! And cancel her qualification to participate in any future jury and related activities of the Venice International Film Festival.

At the same time, we will reserve the right to further pursue their legal responsibilities!
The Venice International Film Festival Organizing Committee reiterates that we firmly uphold the fairness and impartiality of the judging process and have zero tolerance for any behavior that undermines judging discipline and professional ethics.

At the same time, we also call on all colleagues in the film industry and movie fans to jointly supervise and maintain the purity and fairness of the film festival!
Thank you all for your understanding and support!

Venice International Film Festival Organizing Committee.

Released September 2016, 9. ”

At first, many netizens were confused when they saw this announcement. After all, the English name "Vicki Zhao" seems to be rarely heard of in daily life.

But combined with the words "removed from the jury of this year's Venice International Film Festival", everyone quickly reacted.

What Vicki Zhao?

Isn’t this the guy who was accused of having a crooked butt a few months ago?

Weibo exploded instantly!

"What the hell?! You've embarrassed yourself abroad? And you're even interfering with the fairness and justice of the film festival selection. Do you want to die?"

"Sure enough, no one who has been stabbed by Rong Mama is a good person."

"Haha, I'm really impressed. They were still promoting 'My Fair Princess' not long ago, and now they're embarrassing themselves at the Venice International Film Festival. That's incredible."

"Great! Great! Being kicked out of the film festival and still being held legally responsible, this punishment is really appropriate!"

"I've disliked her for a long time. I wanted to scold her to death when she wore a military flag patterned outfit for a magazine shoot a few years ago, but the matter was quickly suppressed at the time. Now, she's embarrassing herself abroad again. What a fucking idiot!"

"First of all, I have to make it clear that this woman is not from China. She is already Singaporean."

There are constant curses and countless complaints online.

Some people even called for "completely banning Zhao XX", and this received the approval and recognition of countless people!

Things happened so suddenly and so quickly that Alibaba Pictures had no time to react before the Venice International Film Festival's delisting announcement and the overwhelming negative information about Zhao were all released at once.

If it were in the past, Alibaba could still use its status as a Weibo shareholder to do some small things online.

But now, after losing 10% of its shares, Alibaba’s voice on Weibo has been completely destroyed.

Therefore, Zhang Qi could only watch the incident continue to ferment and gradually extend to a completely uncontrollable point!

The General Administration was furious after hearing this! One after another "ban" orders floated out like snowflakes.

The daily newspaper even spoke out directly, severely criticizing and accusing Zhao of the seriousness of his behavior and the smearing of the country's image...

Chen Fei did not even deliberately use his network of contacts in the circle. He simply exerted his voice in the media and arranged for his internet trolls to slightly guide the direction of public opinion, thus completely achieving the "ban".

The General Administration and the daily newspaper have spoken out personally. Not to mention the "female Buffett", even Alibaba Pictures, which is backed by the giant Alibaba, did not dare to express the slightest objection.

As for Zhao herself, she had just completed the investigation in cooperation with the Venice International Film Festival Organizing Committee and was packing her luggage at the hotel.

After being removed from the jury, she no longer had the right to stay in the hotel and was forced to move out immediately!

……

(ps: Third update, please vote for me!!!)
(End of this chapter)

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