Chapter 593 Chapter 594 [Special Jury Award] (added for book friend Zhu Haochen 2018)
While Mai Miao Records was making a lot of money, Xiang Nan went to Berlin to participate in the Berlin International Film Festival held on February 9th with the crew of "My Father and Mother" and "That Mountain That Man That Dog".
The crew of "My Father and Mother" is led by Zhang Weiping and Zhang Yimou. Because they are rich, they bring a relatively complete crew, including Sun Honglei, Xiang Nan, Zhang Ziyi, and several leading actors.
The crew of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" didn't have much money, so originally only the producer Kang Jianmin, the director of Xiaoxiang Film Studio, and the director Huo Jianqi went to Berlin together.
Although Xiang Nan also went, he got the spot for "My Father and Mother". The accommodation and air tickets are also provided by Zhang Weiping, which can be regarded as saving some money.
But in fact, Xiang Nan didn't save money, but gave two more money, so that Teng Rujun and Gao Yuanyuan could also go to Berlin.
It was not easy to travel abroad in those days, especially to participate in film festivals abroad. You can see the world, gain experience, and use it to hype.
Xiang Nan wanted to sell Teng Rujun a favor. Tang Wei is about to apply for the Chinese opera, and he hopes that Lao Teng can help give pointers. As for Gao Yuanyuan, Xiang Nan wanted to use the film festival to help her improve her presence.
Gao Yuanyuan has been an advertising model since 1996, and has become popular with her fresh, beautiful, pure and natural image. After that, he starred in "Love Mala Tang", "Can't Find the North", "The Intern's Story" and other film and television dramas, so he is not considered a newcomer.
But in fact, her position in the entertainment circle is basically outside the fifth tier, she is not well-known and has few fans. She didn't get a little bit of fame until she filmed "Yi Tian Tu Long Ji" in 2003.
Xiang Nan wanted to help her open up the situation early, so it was not in vain for her to fight him.
…
"My Father and Mother" and "That Man, That Mountain, That Dog" went to Berlin on the same plane.
At the airport, Xiang Nan naturally also met Zhang Ziyi.
But the two looked at each other, and neither chose to speak to each other.
After months of thinking, Xiang Nan roughly understood Zhang Ziyi's thoughts.
She was willing to be with him at the beginning, but it was because he was more famous, more connected, and more promising than her at that time, so she was willing to be with him.
But then she joined the crew of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The film has an investment of over 100 million yuan and is directed by internationally renowned director Li An. It has high hopes for box office hits and awards in the future.
As one of the leading actors, she has a promising future, so she alienates herself. Combining her personality traits and her emotional experience, Xiang Nan believes that this guess is indistinguishable.
Since this is the case, Xiang Nan simply let go.
Anyway, there are many beautiful women in this world, so he really has to hang himself on her tree.
So seeing Zhang Ziyi again, Xiang Nan didn't go up to say hello again, but chose to sit with Gao Yuanyuan, and shared a box of strawberries with her affectionately in front of Zhang Ziyi.
Let her know that it's not impossible for me to leave her, and I can live a happier life!
Sure enough, Zhang Ziyi's face turned dark when he saw this scene.
…
Because Zhang Yimou is a world-class director, his arrival soon attracted the attention of the media, and they all focused on him.
Xiang Nan, Zhang Ziyi, Sun Honglei and others who followed him naturally followed suit, showing such a small face in the international media. But having said that, it is still far from being famous internationally.
Xiang Nan is very self-aware about this.
On February 9th, the Berlin Film Festival officially opened. The film festival will last for eleven days and close on the 20th. It is worth mentioning that Chinese actress Gong Li is serving as the chairman of the jury of this year's Berlin Film Festival, which is good news for Chinese films.
After the opening on February 9th, "My Father and Mother" and "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" were screened in the exhibition area, and quickly attracted the attention of audiences and filmmakers.
"My Father and Mother" was the focus of everyone's attention from the beginning because of Zhang Yimou.
The director of "The Mountain, That Man, That Dog", Huo Jianqi, although he is well-known in the mainland, is unknown internationally. Xiang Nan, Gao Yuanyuan, and Teng Rujun also found no such person, so they received much less attention.
However, after the two films were screened, they both received extremely high reviews.
“Although the film tells a rural story of a long time ago, the state of the characters after meeting love is the same as that of the audience, so it has received universal resonance.”
"The story is placed in a space that is almost isolated from the world. The beautiful natural environment adds color to the film's love. No matter from the scene, story, performance or even the soundtrack, Zhang Yimou is more mature technically as a director."
People commented on "My Father and Mother" like this.
"The film has beautiful scenery, strong human touch, strong artistry, simple plot and slow rhythm. The tenderness between father and son and the harmonious coexistence between man and nature are shown, which deeply moved the audience."
“Watching this film reminds me of my childhood. And the family composition in this film is the same as ours, a father who is busy with his career, as well as a mother and children...I really hope that men will watch this film.”
"Among the many scenes in this film, there is a scene that is particularly touching: when the father and son stand on the ridge for a while, the son releases a paper plane, and the plane glides slowly in the green valley. The plane made of letter paper It represents a delicate yet powerful force that can touch people who are alienated in their hearts. This picture is like a beautiful poem that can be seen."
""That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" is a deeply touching Chinese film. The seemingly ordinary objects in the film piece together an incredible beauty."
People commented on "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog".
…
Because the film received very good reviews, many filmmakers expressed their interest in "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog". Among them, filmmakers from Japan and South Korea were the most excited.
They are of the same origin as Chinese culture, so they have the deepest understanding of the thoughts expressed in the film. They felt the film's authenticity stood in stark contrast to the fading values of family in their own country. Therefore, it is very necessary to buy it back and release it, so that people can reflect on themselves and regain their lost feelings.
Huo Jianqi was naturally very happy about this.
He has always regretted causing Xiang Nan to lose money. Now finally a film dealer came to the door. Although the price they paid was not high, at least it was enough to repay Xiang Nan's capital.
This made him heave a sigh of relief.
On February 20th, the Berlin Film Festival successfully concluded.
At the awards ceremony held that day, "My Father and Mother" won the Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear Award. And "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" was not in vain, and won the Special Jury Award. As a result, it is more favored by filmmakers.
In the end, its overseas copyrights were sold for a total of 2.4 million US dollars. Compared with the investment of more than 2 million RMB, it can be regarded as a huge profit.
(end of this chapter)