Save the Bachelor of Heaven

   Chapter 1833 1835 [Berlin Film Festival]

  In February, Xiang Nan led the crew of "Old Well" to Berlin, Germany to participate in the film festival held there.

   This is also Xiang Nan's first time participating in the awards ceremony. Before that, although he had received invitations to the Academy Awards, Hong Kong Film Awards, and Taiwan Golden Horse Awards, he had never been there once.

   On the one hand, he has self-knowledge, knowing that his acting skills are not high, and the script has not been polished to perfection, so he won't get an award even if he goes to the award ceremony.

   On the one hand, he has no greed for awards. What he pays more attention to is the movie box office. Whether he wins an award or not depends entirely on fate. It's good to get the award, but it doesn't matter if you don't. Anyway, he basically shoots commercial films, so the possibility of winning an award is not very high.

  If it wasn't for promoting Cong Shan this time, he wouldn't have participated in this film festival.

  The arrival of Xiang Nan also added a lot to this Berlin Film Festival.

   After all, he is an international star with hundreds of millions of fans all over the world.

  Although the three major European film festivals advertise art, they are still essentially a platform for buying and selling movies, just like auto shows and game shows.

  Thousands of filmmakers bring their works to the exhibition every year, and tens of thousands of film dealers come here to buy films every year, and the annual transaction volume is billions to billions of dollars.

  Since it is a trade fair, it naturally needs exposure and attention. As a world-class superstar, Xiang Nan's presence at the film festival is of course a great thing for the Berlin Film Festival.

  Media from all walks of life came to interview and report, including some internationally influential media, such as BBC, Der Spiegel, Agence France-Presse, Bloomberg and so on.

  Seeing the reporters chasing and blocking Xiang Nanwei, and the fans cheering and applauding and blowing kisses to him, everyone on the crew of "Old Well" was a little shocked.

  They knew that Xiang Nan was famous, but only after seeing him with their own eyes did they know how famous he was.

   "Ning Wei, you are too powerful." Cong Shan couldn't help sighing.

   "It's okay." Xiang Nan smiled. In fact, he is not very popular in Europe. After all, here has its own film industry and its own stars.

  If it were South America and Southeast Asia, where the local entertainment industry is relatively backward, the fans flocking to them would fill up their hotel.

  …

  After arriving in Berlin, Xiang Nan began to promote "Old Well" and try his best to win votes.

   You know, the three major film festivals and even the Oscars are inseparable from the sophistication of the world. Similarly, whoever is good at gaining profits and catering to the tastes of the judges will be the easiest to win votes.

  The former Hollywood tyrant Harvey Weinstein won so many Oscars through drilling. It is precisely because of this that those artists are scrambling to cooperate with him.

  Xiang Nan knew this, so in order for Cong Shan to win the award, he also had to start digging. Take Cong Shan to accept media interviews, take her to meet the judges of the film festival, well-known European filmmakers and so on.

   Of course, he also promised a lot of things.

   For example, promised to help Roman Rolanski, let his lover Natasha Kinski act as the heroine of his film; promised Italian director Giuseppe Tornadore, to invest in his new work...

   It is also because of his generosity that he has won many votes.

  In addition, "Old Well", as the first film to participate in the three major European film festivals after China's reform and opening up, has itself received attention and preference.

  It’s like when Zhang Yimou participated in the exhibition with "Red Sorghum" and won the Golden Bear Award all at once. But in fact, "Red Sorghum" is his first time as a director. How good can it be? Can it really surpass other films exhibited in the same period?

  So at the final awards ceremony, "Old Well" won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, Cong Shan won the Best Actress Award at the Berlin Film Festival, and Zhang Yimou was nominated for Best Actor.

   It can be said to be a great success.

   "Ning Wei, that's really great~" Cong Shan said happily.

  She is the first Chinese actress to win the best actress title at an international film festival. This honor is really precious.

   "Yes, congratulations, you can feel proud now." Xiang Nan laughed.

  Before, Cong Shan was often excluded, and some people accused her of not knowing how to act. Now that the Berlin Best Actress laurels are in hand, let's see who dares to speak up.

  However, Xiang Nan also knew that Cong Shan won the award because she was a little too hyped.

  On the one hand, it is because of his public relations, and on the other hand, it is also because Chinese films are participating in the exhibition for the first time, and they have the so-called novice luck.

  …

  Because of the award of "Old Well", the film still sold well in the end, with a total of more than five million US dollars in royalties, which is considered very good.

   After all, its cost is less than 800,000 RMB.

   After the Berlin Film Festival ends, the mainland delegation will go back.

When parting, Xiang Nan pulled Zhang Yimou back, "Mr. Zhang, I watched this "Old Well", and I think your photography skills are very good, and you have a considerable talent for color and composition. I think you can be a director Yes, how about it, do you have any plans in this regard?"

  Although Zhang Yimou is the leading actor of "Old Well", he is also the photographer of this film. As long as there is no role for him, he is responsible for being the cameraman. Many shots in the movie were shot by him, and the shots are very textured.

   "I'm the director?!" Zhang Yimou was taken aback.

  Of course he thought about being a director. However, at that time, the state-owned film studio also needed to rank seniority. He didn't have that qualification, the factory wouldn't let him direct a movie at all.

   "Yes, I just want to ask you a question, to be honest, do you want to be a director?" Xiang Nan nodded and asked.

  Zhang Yimou blinked, then nodded, "Of course I want to be a director."

   But there is no filmmaker who does not want to be a director.

   After all, as a director, you can make a big promise, you can film according to your own wishes, and you can use this to express your own ideas...much more powerful than a photographer.

   "Okay, as long as you have the heart." Xiang Nan nodded, "I want you to direct a movie, I wonder if you are interested?"

   "Which one?" Zhang Yimou asked curiously.

   "This "Red Sorghum"." Xiang Nan handed the script to him and said.

  As soon as Zhang Yimou heard it, he became interested.

  In 1983, Xiang Nan published many influential works in mainland literary journals, which caused a sensation in the literary world.

   One of them is "Red Sorghum".

  It was a novella, telling a story about my grandfather and my grandmother during the Anti-Japanese War.

  The story is written very tastefully. Although the text is rough, the characters are very vivid. Looking at those words, one can think of the endless red sorghum on the plain, with thick roots, thick ears, dark green leaves, full of vitality, just like the five thousand years of Chinese civilization.

  No matter how many sufferings, setbacks, and wars we have suffered, we have always straightened our spine and held high spirits.

  Zhang Yimou liked that novel very much, so now that Xiang Nan wants to give it to him to direct, he is very excited.

  (end of this chapter)