The literary era since 1979

As the sun set in the evening, the Xi'an Film Studio specially arranged a grand welcome banquet in the cafeteria.

Fang Yan, Wu Tianming and other factory leaders sat at the main table, clinking glasses and chatting happily. The atmosphere was both lively and harmonious.

Wu Tianming took the opportunity of toasting to bring up the cooperation in entering the international film festival, and acted as if he would not give up until the goal was achieved.

Mo Shen, Zhang Yimou and other people present also took turns to toast and persuade, all of which were nothing more than hoping that Fangyan would take the Xi'an Film Studio to the moon.

"Since Director Wu has brought this up, it must not be a spur-of-the-moment idea."

Fangyan was not surprised. "Have you taken a fancy to one of my novels and want to adapt it into a movie?"

Mo Shen and Wu Tianming looked at each other and said with a smile that the Xi'an Film Studio had indeed taken a fancy to his novels. Originally, the most promising one was "Song Ci, the Chief Judge of the Song Dynasty", but due to the length and difficulty in filming, they had to give up and settle for "Farewell My Concubine" and "Looking for the Gun".

"You have quite an appetite."

Fang Yan half-jokingly said: "But your vision is not bad, especially Farewell My Concubine, which is indeed very suitable for being made into an art film."

Wu Tianming's eyes flickered. "That's right, Mr. Fang. Our studio also wants to shoot Farewell My Concubine the most."

“But if you want to make Farewell My Concubine into a movie, I’m afraid it’s not that easy.”

"Why is this?"

"I'm sure you all know that."

Fangyan glanced around, "Farewell My Concubine was co-written by me and Miss Li Bihua from Hong Kong. Initially, we had the TV script written by her, and then this novel. When we were negotiating the cooperation, Miss Li put forward a condition, that is, if the novel has the opportunity to be adapted into a movie, she hopes that Zhang Guorong will play the role of 'Cheng Dieyi' in it. Unless Zhang Guorong explicitly refuses to take the role, otherwise..."

"Zhang Guorong?!"

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar.

Even if people didn't know Zhang Guorong as a person, they had heard his songs. How could they let the superstar of Hong Kong's music scene act in their production company?
Zhang Yimou, Lu Wei and others looked at each other in embarrassment. They wanted Zhang Guorong to play the role, but the other party looked down on them!
"The selection of Cheng Dieyi is not the biggest problem. The more important issue is the cost of filming the movie."

Fang Yan said in a joking tone that the investment cost of "Farewell My Concubine" was at least several million, and might even reach tens of millions.

"hiss!"

When everyone at the Xi'an Film Studio, from the leaders to the backbone staff, heard such an astronomical figure, their heads were buzzing and they couldn't help but gasp.

Wow! The filming budget of Xi'an Film Studio for a whole year is only a few million, and part of it comes from loans from major banks!

"Yanzi, why does it cost so much to make Farewell My Concubine?"

In Mo Shen's opinion, an art film would cost at most a few hundred thousand dollars like "Old Well".

"Because the Farewell My Concubine I'm going to shoot is not only an art film, but also a blockbuster that combines art and commerce."

Fang Yan said: "Not to mention that they have to invite a Hong Kong star like Zhang Guorong to act in the film, which naturally involves the issue of co-production between the mainland and Hong Kong."

"This this……"

Many factory leaders present were in a dilemma and were discussing the matter. Some even began to back out.

Fang Yan thought they would give up, but he never expected Wu Tianming to drink the wine in one gulp and slam the table:
"shoot!

"It's just a few million, smash it!"

"If we can really make Farewell My Concubine, a film that combines commercial and artistic elements as Mr. Fang said, and win a reputation at international film festivals, then these millions of dollars will be nothing more than a drop in the ocean. Why should we care about them? It's just inviting Zhang Guorong, please!"

"hard!"

Fangyan also slammed the table.

Wu Tianming's eyes widened: "Is it hard?"

Fangyan gave a thumbs up and said, "Hard enough!"

"We'll talk about it later. Right now I only have one thing on my mind, which is how to make Farewell My Concubine!"

There was a hint of determination in Wu Tianming's tone.

"Ahem, Director, I think this matter needs to be considered carefully."

"Yes, yes, yes. You have to drink wine one sip at a time and walk one step at a time. If you take too big a step, you might break your balls."

"The investment in the movie Farewell My Concubine is really too huge. Director, you know that. With the limited funds we have in our factory..."

One after another, opposing voices emerged, either hinting, reminding, warning, or dissuading.

Wu Tianming disagreed, "Do you think I don't know that it's hard for Xiying to make Farewell My Concubine with its strength alone? But Teacher Fang just said that this movie is a co-production between Hong Kong and the mainland. Think about how Shanghai Film Studio made Once Upon a Time in China?"

Seeing everyone talking to each other, Fang Yan smiled and said, "Director Wu probably wants to get a Hong Kong film company to invest in the partnership, right?"

"Teacher Fang is indeed Teacher Fang."

Wu Tianming said: "If you hadn't helped Shanghai Film Studio to cooperate with Xu Ke in Hong Kong, Shanghai Film Studio would never have been able to build the film and television base in Chedun, and it would have been impossible to make a movie with such a large investment as "Huang Feihong"!"

"Yup!"

Everyone present suddenly understood, and all their hot and greedy eyes were directed at Fangyan.

As long as Teacher Fang is in charge, there is no need to worry about lack of funds when co-producing "Farewell My Concubine"!

Fangyan really wanted his and Gong Xing's Mingkong Film Company to invest. After all, good things should be kept in the family. A movie like "Farewell My Concubine" that brought both fame and fortune would definitely not be given to others. As for the money invested, it was of course earned from movies like "A Better Tomorrow".

Even the chief director of "Farewell My Concubine" was planned to be Gong Xing, with Chen Kai, Zhang Yimou, Gu Changwei and others to assist.

However, when they heard that Gong Wei was the director's choice, they immediately became anxious and said,

"Teacher Fang, you don't want to hand over Farewell My Concubine to Shanghai Film Group, do you?"

"Why do the benefits always go to Shangying?"

"Teacher Fang, northern Shaanxi is where you went to work in the countryside. It is half of your hometown anyway. For the sake of our fellow countrymen..."

"Hey, if you say that, where does that put Teacher Fang?"

Wu Tianming earnestly requested Fangyan to let them film "Farewell My Concubine", while frequently winking at the people around him.

The other people present were also smart people. They followed Wu Tianming and said, "Teacher Fang, please take our Xi'an Film Studio to an international film festival!"
"In fact, I wanted to work with you from the beginning. Not to mention our friendship over the years, Xiying has gathered so many talented people, such as Yimou, Lao Mo, Lu Wei, and Chen Kai. If we want to make Farewell My Concubine a world-class film, we must have their participation."

Dialect looks left and right.

"Come on, everyone raise your glasses and toast to Teacher Fang together!" Wu Tianming laughed, picked up his glass and took the lead in toasting him.

Including Mo Shen and Zhang Yimou, everyone in the cafeteria stood up, facing Fangyan, and raised their glasses.

Let's toast to Teacher Fang, because he can really lead Xi'an Film Studio to the moon, no, to go beyond Asia and to the world!
…………

As soon as the dinner was over, a lecture for all employees was held at the Xi'an Film Studio.

He spoke in dialect and gave a brief introduction to international film festivals, including the Tokyo Film Festival which was established only last year, especially the original intention of its establishment.

Movies are free.

But the sense of cinematic values ​​is not free.

Just like the Oscars and TGA, if you are right about what they say, even if they give the annual best award to "Astro Robot", they will not give it to "Black Myth: Wukong". What kind of Monkey King has never been heard of? A mere monkey who is in charge of Taoyuan dares to dream of entering Yaochi to attend the banquet. What a dream!

The plague-stricken Bimawen!

The three major European film festivals are no exception and are all linked to politics.

For example, the Venice Film Festival was first established because Mussolini wanted a platform to praise France.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Subsequently, a new film festival was established in Cannes to compete with the Venice Film Festival. This is the origin of the Cannes Film Festival.

The Berlin Film Festival is the most political. It was a product of the Cold War from the moment it was born. Its current full name is the "West Berlin International Film Festival". It is self-evident which cultural position it is opposing. It was not until the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of East and West Germany that it was renamed the "Berlin Film Festival".

During the explanation, Fang Yan would occasionally intersperse some ideas from books such as "Subverted Civilization" and "The Clash of Civilizations". "The difference in identity recognition between civilizations will cause conflicts between civilizations. The fault lines of different civilization plates will become the main battlefields of future world conflicts. The countries at the core of world civilization will largely influence the direction of the future international order..."

"I believe that China is not just a country, but a civilization that has existed in the form of a country for 5,000 years."

"So we should use the language of film to interpret Chinese traditional culture and show the Chinese nation's upward spirit through traditional culture."

"For example, "Old Well" is set in Shiyu Village and tells a story similar to that of Yugong moving mountains. Generations of people in the Loess Plateau have worked hard and shed blood and sweat to dig a well for the whole village. This story contains the struggle against nature and the feelings for the land!"

"We Chinese have farming genes in our bones."

“Maybe even if we go to the moon in the future, the first thing we will think about is whether we can grow crops and dig wells on the moon.”

When it came to "farming on the moon", everyone in the audience burst into laughter. Although they knew it was a joke, some people were still really thinking about it.

Can we grow crops on the moon? After all, in the 70s, the United States gave China a piece of lunar soil smaller than a grain of rice.

"So a film like 'Old Well' that showcases our civilization and spiritual culture is worthy of participating in international film festivals."

As soon as Fangyan said this, Wu Tianming immediately led the applause, followed by wave after wave of applause like a tide.

In the next 15 minutes, it was the turn of the free question and answer session. Faced with a wide variety of questions, he always answered them one by one with ease.

It was not until the lecture came to an end that Wu Tianming directly asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time:
"Teacher Fang, you just suggested that The Old Well could try to register for the West Berlin or Tokyo Film Festival. What if it were Farewell My Concubine? Which international film festival in Europe should Farewell My Concubine participate in? Venice, West Berlin, or Cannes?"

"I think Venice is the first choice."

Before Fangyan could speak, Mo Shen gave a suggestion, "Yanzi also said that the Venice Film Festival is biased towards art and avant-garde films!"

However, Zhang Yimou had a secret fondness for the West Berlin Film Festival, but he didn't know that he won his first international film award in Berlin.

"The West Berlin Film Festival focuses on the political and social aspects of films."

Fang Yan shook his head. "Comparatively speaking, the Cannes Film Festival is the most suitable for Farewell My Concubine."

Wu Tianming pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement: "Indeed, Mr. Fang, you want to make Farewell My Concubine a film that combines commercial and artistic elements. And as you said, Cannes is the most commercial art film-oriented of the three major European film festivals."

Zhang Yimou, Mo Shen and others agreed with this and began to look forward to the Cannes Film Festival with a sparkle in their eyes.

Fangyan raised a mysterious smile, but there was one thing he didn't say, which was that the Cannes Film Festival has the largest film market in Europe. Every year, film distributors and producers from all over the world come to the Cannes Film Festival to do business, and "Farewell My Concubine" is no exception.

Wu Tianming was so excited that he couldn't wait to ask about the details of the filming of "Farewell My Concubine", especially the time.

Fang Yan said: "We should not rush this matter, we have to do it step by step."

"It's my fault, it's my fault. I was too impatient. I have to wait for Teacher Fang to finish writing the script before submitting it to the Film Bureau for approval."

Wu Tianming smiled awkwardly.

"Director Wu, what belongs to your Xiying is your Xiying. No matter how hard others try, they can't take it away."

Fang Yan shook hands with him, and then, with the warm farewell of everyone at the Xi'an Film Studio, he took a car back to the guesthouse.

He stayed in the guesthouse for a total of six days. On the seventh day, he returned to Yanjing with Zhu Wei, Qin Zhaoyang, Zhou Changyi and others.

As soon as Fangyan returned home, he told Gong Xing everything that had happened in northern Shaanxi.

Gong Xing was very surprised. "Did Director Wu and his team really agree to let me direct Farewell My Concubine?"

"Of course, this is my offer!"

Fang Yan said: "Whether it is Xiying or any other film studio, if they want to make Farewell My Concubine, they have to agree to my condition."

Gong Xing felt warm inside, but he said, "Although I have been an assistant director, I have never directed a work myself! You are so confident that you let "Farewell My Concubine" be my directorial debut. Aren't you worried that I will mess it up? And ruin your reputation?"

"Do you know?"

"What do you think? This is the Cannes Film Festival! The Cannes Film Festival!"

"So what about the Cannes Film Festival? Don't forget that you also participated in the Oscars."

Fang Yan pulled her into his arms and said, "According to Xiying, they also hope that Farewell My Concubine will compete for an Oscar!"

Gong Xian sat on his lap, "You... don't say anything for now. The more you talk, the more pressure I feel..."

"Don't be afraid, you have me!"

The confidence in the dialect infected Gong Xian, especially when he rested his head on his shoulder, his uneasy heart suddenly found warm support.

A sense of security arose spontaneously, Gong Xing put his arms around Fang Yan's neck, and vaguely felt a big hand reaching in from the hem of his clothes.

He knew every turn, every hill and every blade of grass and every tree clearly, so even in the dark, he would not lose his way.

The heavy pressure in my heart was gradually replaced by a force like a stream of water, slowly pouring into my body.

Gradually rising in the water level, swaying in the chest, a strong sense of security descended upon the gap between him and me. (End of this chapter)