During my years at China Entertainment

Chapter 579: The premiere of Wei and Jin, which appeals to both men and women and is suitable for all ages?
On the 4th, "The Outstanding Citizen" had its premiere.

As his mentor Tian Zhuangzhuang's work on his expedition to Venice, Wei Jin of course had to come to the scene to show his support.

Although Tian Zhuang Zhuang is not well-known internationally, with the gimmick of being a screenwriter from the Wei and Jin dynasties and starring Chen Daoming, the premiere still attracted the attention of many media and film critics.

However, compared to Venice two years ago, the strength of Chinese films this year is very weak, with only two Chinese films shortlisted for the main competition unit.

In the past, not many Chinese people came to support the event, except for Jiang Wen, a member of the jury, and another Taiwanese director Tsai Mingliang.

Speaking of which, Tsai Ming-liang can be considered one of Taiwan's more outstanding literary and artistic directors.

He has been active on the big screen since 93. His works often explore themes such as loneliness, family relationships and human nature. His style is relatively alternative and profound.

His most famous works should be the Torrent Trilogy "Long Live Love", "The River" and "The Hole" filmed between 94 and 98.

These three films all have considerable reputation internationally.

Especially the first film, "Viva Amour", won the Venice Golden Lion Award, the FIPRESCI Award and the 31st Golden Horse Award for Best Film.

This year, his film "Excursion" was also shortlisted for the main competition unit, but it had already premiered on the 2nd.

Although Wei Jin had not seen it, he also noticed the reports in the local media.

A typical art film, it has no clear plot and mainly uses long shots to show the characters' behavior and emotions.

As a result, most of the audience, or film critics, could hardly understand the film, and word of mouth was polarized.

The score in the four major Venice film festivals was only 2.9 points, ranking at the bottom among the dozen or so films that have premiered so far.

I don’t know if he can win the prize with the competition between Wei Jin and Tian Zhuangzhuang.

However, this guy has a good attitude. He is currently chatting with Wei Jin about the techniques and concepts of film creation, and looks excited.

But Wei Jin didn't notice that Tsai Mingliang looked at him with a strange look.

The two chatted for a while and then the premiere began.

"The Distinguished Citizen" is a dark movie from beginning to end. All the characters are ridiculed under the camera without exception.

This kind of sarcastic subject matter has always been Venice's favorite.

Especially after Mo Yan won the Nobel Prize last year, the Chinese background of the story has become more convincing.

Therefore, during the entire screening, many audience members and media were laughing knowingly, obviously getting the essence of the film's satire.

When the screening ended, the entire audience stood up and applauded.

"Director Wei, I really like the content of your script. You are indeed a top screenwriter. When can you give me one?"

Jiang Wen applauded and joked with a smile.

"Come on, would you accept someone else's script?"

Wei Jin rolled his eyes at Jiang Wen, but the latter continued to smile.

"It's hard to say about other people's, but it's not certain about yours, haha."

Wei Jin did not comment on this statement.

Jiang Wen does like this type of subject matter, but he has a stronger desire for control. Even if he is given the script, it will eventually be changed beyond recognition.

Seeing that Wei Jin didn't respond, Jiang Wen looked at Tian Zhuangzhuang who was still receiving applause on the stage, and changed the topic and continued to joke.

"I say, Director Tian looks like he has a great chance of winning the award this time. Then you and your apprentice will have to compete on the same stage. Aren't you afraid?"

"It doesn't matter. Isn't there an extra award this year? I think my chances should be better than last year."

There have been many changes to this year's Venice Film Festival, and the official has added a "Special Jury Award".

This award is different from the previous Grand Jury Prize. It is intended to recognize films that are outstanding in terms of actors, directors, etc.

After all, the Venice Film Festival has never been able to award multiple awards, that is, a film that wins an acting award can only compete for the Golden Lion Award, but once it loses, it has no other chance.

This award can be regarded as a replacement for the previous technical awards.

If I have to make an analogy, it is a bit similar to the Berlin Film Festival's Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award.

In any case, there are fewer films nominated, and a new award has been established, which is good news for the films nominated this year.

"Yeah, that's true. Maybe you and Master Tian will win the award together. That would be a perfect story."

"Haha, then thank you Director Jiang for your kind words."

Wei Jin naturally understood what Jiang Wen meant and thanked him with a smile.

Although the public relations work has already started, it will definitely be a lot easier with Jiang Wen's coordination.

After the premiere of "The Outstanding Citizen", a cocktail party was naturally inevitable.

Tian Zhuangzhuang, Chen Daoming and others were still being interviewed by reporters, while Wei Jin, as the producer and student, took on the role of host of the cocktail party, frequently moving among the many guests.

After the cocktail party was over, Wei Jin brought the slightly tired Liu Yifei back to the hotel.

Just looking at the little girl staring at him blankly, Wei Jin felt a little curious.

"What's wrong, Yifei? Is there something on my face?"

Liu Yifei hesitated for a while, then said: "Brother, the way that Taiwanese director looked at you just now, I felt something was wrong, just like..."

Seeing that the girl seemed a little stuck, Wei Jin hugged her and sat her on the sofa, and asked gently, "Like what?"

Liu Yifei tilted her head and thought for a moment, her big eyes suddenly lit up, "Ah, I see, it's just like the way those female celebrities in China look at you."

"No way? He is..."

Wei Jin got stuck in the middle of his speech, and his hand that was touching his conscience also stopped, and he had some bad guesses in his mind.

Taiwan is a small place, but the food is strong, and it seems that there are quite a lot of these "comrades".

In particular, Tsai Mingliang’s most famous work involves homosexual elements.

Thinking that he might be fantasizing about something all night, Wei Jin shuddered all over and secretly swore in his heart that he would keep his distance from men in the future.

Looking at Wei Jin's appearance, Liu Yifei burst out laughing.

"Brother, you are afraid too."

"."

Wei Jin rolled his eyes. This isn’t fear, this is disgust, okay?

However, looking at the girl's sweet smile, Wei Jin immediately raised his index finger and a playful look appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Yes, Yifei, you scared me. For our future happiness, you have to help me tonight."

After saying this, Wei Jin leaned back on the sofa, exposing his lower abdomen, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Liu Yifei gave Wei Jin a charming look, then slowly squatted down, her long black hair instantly falling down.
Perhaps it is because the biological clock of the Wei and Jin Dynasties no longer seems to be effective abroad.

After a night of indulgence, Wei Jin woke up around noon, and was awakened by Hunter's call. Mrs. Cohen and her group had arrived.

Because "Nomadland" is basically a female-led movie, the roles of other supporting characters are not outstanding.

So the only ones who came this time were Mrs. Cohen and the leading male actor, David Strathairn.

After not seeing each other for several months, Mrs. Cohen was still excited and gave Wei Jin a kiss on the cheek as soon as they met.

"Wei, long time no see."

"Well, Francis, long time no see."

After the greetings, Mrs. Cohen looked at her partner beside her and said with a pursed mouth:
"Wei, you don't know, David has been provoking me recently. You said he already has the Volpi Cup, but he still wants to snatch it from me. Really." Hearing this, David Strathairn on the side showed a helpless smile to Wei Jin. The latter couldn't help laughing and was defeated by this lively lady Cohen.

In 05, David Strachan won the Volpi Cup Best Actor Award for his role in the drama film "Good Night, and Good Luck" co-starring with George Clooney and Jeff Daniels.

But this is the rule of the three major European film festivals. As long as the requirements are met and the film is shortlisted for the main competition unit, it will automatically be nominated for Best Actor or Best Actress. It's not something David is interested in competing for.

Moreover, isn’t Mrs. Cohen’s confidence too great?

But Wei Jin didn't want to pour cold water on him. After all, who doesn't have some thoughts? So he smiled and comforted him:
"Don't worry, Francis. You have a lot more roles than David. I think if there really is an acting award, your chances should be much greater."

Having said that, Wei Jin stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers.

"Besides, even if there is no actor award in Venice, I assure you that we still have other ways out."

Wei Jin cannot guarantee the success at this year’s Venice Film Festival, but he believes that such a film that conforms to the mainstream values ​​of North America will surely shine at next year’s Oscars.

Mrs. Cohen obviously understood Wei Jin's meaning. She blinked at him and pretended to be regretful:

"Wei, I think if I were thirty years younger, no, twenty years younger, I would definitely fall in love with you."

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"Mrs. Cohen, that's not necessary!"

"Hahaha"

Seeing Wei Jin's "horrified" expression, Mrs. Cohen and David laughed heartily at the same time.

For a moment, the entire hotel lobby was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
In the evening, "Nomadland" had its premiere.

Everyone knows that this movie is aiming for the highest award, the Golden Lion Award.

If he wins the award, Wei Jin will become the fourth director in film history to achieve this honor.

Therefore, since it was nominated, "Nomadland" has earned the expectations of the media and the audience.

Now that it’s premiering, countless people want to see it.

So, when Wei Jin brought the main creative team to the Film Festival Palace, the 1,000 seats in the palace-level hall SALA GRANDE were already full.

The audience included film producers, media, and film critics from all over the world, including many members of the jury.

Wei Jin even saw the chairman of the jury of this year's Venice Film Festival, the 71-year-old director from Italy, Bernardo Bertolucci.

He was also the first director in history to enter the Forbidden City to shoot "The Last Emperor".

Wei Jin greeted the guests who came to support him one by one with a smile, but when it was Tsai Mingliang's turn, he deliberately kept his distance.

Although love is free, being remembered by a man is really annoying.

After a while, the lights on the scene gradually dimmed.

The name of the movie appeared on the dark big screen - "Nomadland"!
In the winter of 2011, North American Gypsum closed its 88-year-old plant in Imperial, Nevada, as demand for drywall waned.

Subsequently, the entire town that had risen up because of the gypsum factory would be closed, leaving hundreds of local workers homeless.

In order to survive, they rushed to various parts of North America, building temporary communities among the mobile crowds and spaces.

The heroine Finn took her things out of the locker, stuffed her soul and daily necessities into the car, and hugged her late husband's work clothes, unable to control her sadness.

Finn, who belongs to the working class, has made a decision about his future life.

That is to drive a "motorhome" and live out the twilight years of life.

Due to her constant traveling, she had to work odd jobs and interact with different people.

Although she was extremely poor in terms of material resources and lived in poverty, she still followed her own way and often spoke her mind.

This is a tough old woman whose pride makes her unable to tolerate anyone's pity.

But even though he was lonely, hungry and cold, Finn remained romantic.

She practiced her flute in her van; she recited Shakespeare to young tramps.
There is no doubt that compared to "Whiplash", "Nomadland" is slightly inferior in terms of plot and structure.

However, the film greatly aroused the empathy of the guests by showing the difficulties faced by the lower-class people in North America after the subprime mortgage crisis.

After all, this "man-made disaster" has swept the world and almost everyone has been deeply affected.

Especially in this story, there is also a familiar old age that most people may soon face, as well as the sad and lonely family affection that many people cannot express.

Therefore, when the film ended, there was thunderous applause and everyone stood up and applauded.

"How about it?"

"Amazing work."

Bernardo Bertolucci, sitting in a wheelchair, applauded along with the audience, not hiding his admiration at all:

“It explores social issues and the opposition and integration between individuals and society through detailed records and a grand narrative sense. It is very high-level.”

"I didn't expect your evaluation to be so high." Jiang Wen was a little surprised.

You know, Bernardo Bertolucci has been in the industry for more than half a century and has seen countless art films.

He is also the winner of the Oscar for Best Director and the Lifetime Achievement Awards in Berlin and Cannes.

However, when he thought of Wei Jin's honors and titles, as well as the core of this film, Jiang Wen could only secretly admit his admiration.

"He deserves praise. It's hard to believe that Wei is only thirty years old."

Bernardo Bertolucci smiled and said: "Although he is very young, his shooting techniques and composition are very mature. The script is also very profound and impeccable in all aspects.

In addition, the soundtrack is also great. It adds emotional depth when Fern faces reality and wants to escape or change. It is just right. I heard that Wei also made it himself. He is really a genius. "

The elderly man, who was over 7 years old, looked at Wei Jin, who was still receiving applause from the crowd on the stage, with deep eyes.

He had a hunch that maybe this time, he would really witness the birth of a piece of history.
Wei Jin had no idea what Bernardo Bertolucci was thinking. After the premiere, he was very busy.

First, he took the main creative team to accept interviews from domestic and foreign reporters.

Mrs. Coen is indeed a person with a great talent for comedy and a veteran artist. In less than half an hour, she calmed down from the heated atmosphere of the premiere.

In response to reporters' questions, he was the king of flattery, and kept praising the magic of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

A series of compliments such as "ridiculously efficient", "perfect film in the mind", "most talented director ever seen", etc. were thrown out like crazy.

Of course, as a director, Wei Jin received a lot of attention from the media, and talked a lot about film creation and shooting.

After sending away the reporters, Wei Jin took the main creators to a cocktail party hosted by the crew of "Nomadland".

At this time, the situation at the premiere of "Nomadland" was also sent back to China, instantly occupying the headlines of major portals.

“Nomadland” went to Venice for its premiere, and received a warm response and rave reviews from the media!”

"After three years, the director Wei Jin from the East has made his second attempt to win the Venice Golden Lion. He may become the fourth director in history to win all three European awards!"

"The previously released film "The Distinguished Citizen" was also well received. This year's Venice Film Festival may see the master and apprentice compete for the Golden Lion together."

Many night owl netizens saw the news and participated in the discussion.

"Wei Jin is awesome. The ratings of the films that have premiered so far don't seem to be very high, right? I feel like this wave is a sure thing."

"Yes, Jiang Wen is also on the jury, and it should be easier for English films to win awards."

“It’s hard to say. Maybe the film has a chance to win the Golden Lion, but Westerners may not be able to satisfy him.”

"No matter what, the results will be out in two days. Let's wait for a miracle to happen!"

For a time, the closing ceremony in Venice had not even begun, but it had already attracted the attention of domestic audiences.
(End of this chapter)