Global Film Emperor

Chapter 381 Long time no see
"The winner of the Palme d'Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, for Best Film, is... Steel Heart."

Amid cheers from the audience, Lu Ze simply wiped the water off the cherry, popped it into his mouth and chewed, while Mickey picked up the remote and switched the TV to another channel.

May has arrived in the blink of an eye. The Cannes Film Festival awards ceremony was held yesterday, but because the four members of the crew went to Lionheart Bar to satisfy their drinking cravings after their holiday, they were all dead last night and missed the live broadcast. They could only watch the replay this morning. Here's a recap of the Cannes award winners from yesterday. As for "The Effect," it wasn't in competition.

Because the three major European film festivals are all commercial in nature and are founded by corporate conglomerates rather than by the state, there is an inherent competitive relationship among the three. For example, the Berlin Film Festival changed its Golden Bear award from June or July to February each year in order to counter the Cannes Film Festival.

Furthermore, there is an unwritten rule among the three parties: no matter how outstanding an award-winning film is, it cannot be submitted to the other two film festivals, and it will not be nominated if it is submitted.

The jury preferences of the other three film festivals also differ. The oldest, Venice Film Festival, prefers films that are avant-garde, pioneering, artistic, and innovative in their cinematic techniques. Cannes Film Festival favors films that combine commercial appeal with artistic merit. Finally, Berlin Film Festival has a particular fondness for films that depict social and political issues.

Nowadays, the Cannes Film Festival has taken its commercial nature to the extreme, making it the most popular of the three major film festivals. Logically speaking, if "The Effect" wins an award at the Cannes Film Festival, it will have the greatest impact on boosting the film's fame and generating subsequent revenue.

However, it is precisely because the Cannes Film Festival has shifted its focus towards balancing commercial and artistic films that movies like "The Effect," which use shots without movement or subjective intent throughout, are not popular at Cannes these days. They might get a nomination, but winning is a bit uncertain. So, after much consideration, Mickey ultimately decided to vote for Berlin.

Although he still didn't get the Golden Bear...

In short, the Palme d'Or has come to an end, but filming for "Rebirth" is not yet finished. Although the script is now in its mid-to-late stages, a large number of main and supporting actors will join the cast in the later stages of filming. That will be when the film will truly be difficult to act out.

"Time's up, hurry up and go!"

Mickey turned off the TV and threw the remote on the table. Perhaps because he was excited, he didn't control his strength well and knocked out one of the batteries when he threw it. Of course, the back cover of a normal remote is usually well sealed. The reason that the battery was knocked out is probably related to Lucas sitting on the remote a few days ago.

The other three weren't as excited as Mickey. Watching Mickey jumping around like a monkey, they helplessly put their phones in their pockets and slowly got up. By the way, all four of them were now wearing red Liverpool jerseys, and Lucas was even carrying a large flag.

Yes, on their day off, the crew will be going to Anfield Stadium for the first time to watch a football match between Liverpool and Arsenal.

Although there was no real conflict between Liverpool and Arsenal, Mitch was still very excited, given that the Premier League will soon have a "long" off-season in June and begin the summer transfer window, which may be the last time Mitch sees the current squad this year.

Lu Ze and his two companions remained indifferent. After all, Lu Ze wasn't particularly fond of football and didn't have a favorite team. Lucas and the Kesha brothers only watched the Russian Premier League, and among the Premier League teams, they only had a favorable impression of Chelsea. However, they weren't as hostile to Liverpool as Chelsea fans in the UK. It was Mickey who forced the three of them to wear the Liverpool jerseys.

That said, this was Lu Ze's first time watching a match from one of the top five European leagues live. After all, he came to England for work and had little time for entertainment. This time, he took the bus to the stadium and encountered many enthusiastic fans along the way, which was a very novel experience for him.

Mickey showed them four season tickets that had been resold by someone else. Because the security guards and volunteers were all acquaintances, and Mickey himself was a well-known figure, the four of them entered the stands smoothly. After buying beer, they joined the most enthusiastic crowd of fans.

Watching a game live and watching it on TV are two completely different things. The emotions at the game can infect everyone, even those who know nothing about football. Lu Ze and his three friends, with Liverpool-themed towels around their necks, jumped around and sweated profusely with the most enthusiastic fans during the midday break.

You could feel the stands vibrating, and your ears were filled with cheers and songs. The only downside was that when the players came on, Lu Ze only recognized a few of them, and those were the ones Mickey often mentioned. He could only be a fish in troubled water, awkwardly smacking his lips when everyone called out the players' surnames.

He understood the basic rules of football, and the match between the two giants was a back-and-forth battle, very entertaining. Led by Mickey, a die-hard fan, all four of them shouted until their voices were hoarse.

Both sides scored in the first half, resulting in a 1-1 tie. The second half was even more intense. Although no clashes broke out, the open and expansive style of play in the Premier League was still thrilling.

In the 81st minute, Arsenal committed a foul, and the referee awarded Liverpool a free kick in an excellent position. Trent Alexander-Arnold eventually scored, changing the score.

The cheers, like a volcanic eruption, finally made Lu Ze realize the charm of football. Everyone jumped like madmen, expressing their excitement. The whole stadium was boiling, like a red flower in full bloom.

Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket, interrupting Lu Ze's excited thoughts. He glanced at the caller ID, greeted the three of them, walked out of the stands, found a secluded spot, and answered the call.

"Teacher Chen."

"Lu Ze, are you busy?"

Although Chen Yongbin is the principal of Huaxia Drama Academy and has a lot of honors and titles, his life is not as luxurious as people imagine. Now he is just like an ordinary old man, lying on a grand chair, gently fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, and enjoying the cool under the tree.

Perhaps he is slightly different from other elderly people. The armchair is made of huanghuali wood, and the tree is in his yard, which is located within the second ring road of Beijing. That's all.

"I'm not busy. I was just watching the game, so it might have been a bit noisy. Please don't mind, Professor Chen."

"Ah, let's get straight to the point and not take too long. Do you have time these next few days? Come to the capital. The matters concerning the Electric Power Association need to be taken care of. When you come back, give a presentation, hold a meeting, and then we should also discuss which department you should join."

Lu Ze knew exactly why Chen Yongbin had called him. He was a little excited and reached into his pocket for a cigarette to calm down. However, he realized that although there was no one around, he decided to abandon the idea of ​​spending a few days in the police station to avoid going to jail.

"I understand, Teacher Chen. I'll set off today and should arrive around the morning after tomorrow."

After calculating the time difference between China and other countries, and considering the time needed to catch up on sleep, Lu Ze gave a specific time and immediately booked the next available flight on his phone.

"Don't rush if anything happens. What's meant to be yours will be yours. Okay, call me again when you get to the capital. It's too late here, I need to go to sleep." "Professor Chen, please get some rest. Thank you so much for this."

"we'll talk about it then."

After the other party hung up, Lu Ze breathed a sigh of relief, lightly clenched his fist in the air, thought for a moment, and then dialed another number.

"Hey? Why did you, a busy person like you, suddenly think of calling me? Did you go back to China?"

"It'll be soon, my flight is today. Don't pick me up, I'm thinking of staying at your place for a couple of days."

"Alright, let me know when you arrive. What do you mean 'don't pick me up'? Is that how you do things? Honey! Lu'er is coming to stay with us for a couple of days tomorrow. Don't forget to go to the supermarket tomorrow to buy some seafood, but don't buy shrimp, I don't like shrimp... Okay, see you tomorrow."

The second call was disconnected, and cheers erupted from the stadium, indicating that the match was over. After waiting for a short while at the stands, Mickey and the Mendeleev brothers came out, and the four of them left the stadium. At this point, Lu Ze planned to tell Mickey that he was going back to his country.

"I have some urgent business to attend to today and need to go back to China. I estimate I'll be back in about a week."

As they walked toward the bus stop, the three stopped and looked at Lu Ze with puzzled expressions. It wasn't just domestic directors who were wary of actors taking leave from the set; it was the same abroad. All directors hated anything that might affect an actor's performance.

"What happened?"

"I have something urgent to take care of."

"Can you not leave?"

“I promised them, so I have to go there, and this matter is very important to me.”

"Then go early and come back early. Don't let it affect your condition, or next time I'll cling to your leg and won't let you leave."

As a good friend and a shareholder with shares, although Lu Ze didn't reveal the specifics of what it was, he said it was very important, and Mickey shouldn't have stopped him.

Although rationally Mickey didn't want Lu Ze to leave—officially, it would disrupt the filming schedule and affect the actors' performance—personally, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. So, in many things, it's impossible to separate public and private matters.

When the group returned home, Mickey and the Mendeleev brothers discussed how to change the filming schedule and squeeze out as much of Lu Ze's footage as possible this week. Lu Ze went back to his room to pack his luggage. When it was time to leave, Mickey offered to take Lu Ze to the airport.

After Lu Ze entered the airport, he did not turn around and leave. Instead, he waited until Lu Ze's flight took off and watched the plane break through the clouds before rubbing his hair in distress.

"Why the hell couldn't you have just said something and stopped me?!"

……

Beijing, 9 a.m., the plane landed at the airport.

He didn't notify Song Guiyuan to pick him up. He figured Song was still asleep at this time of day on a weekend, so he hailed a taxi, gave the name of Song's neighborhood, and then closed his eyes to rest.

Old Song's home is far from the airport. He needs to walk a little further east after passing Chang'an Avenue. Perhaps because he was too excited about the E-sports Association, he couldn't sleep due to jet lag. When he glanced at the surrounding street scene, he suddenly realized that he had been here before. There was a very familiar villa area behind Chang'an Avenue.

"Sir, could you please stop here?"

After paying the fare, he walked slowly towards the villa area, standing at the gate in a daze. He wanted to see an old friend, but he didn't know if she was home.

The families living in this villa area are all extraordinary, and the security is naturally very strong. Even if Lu Ze shows his face and registers with his ID card, he still needs the homeowner's consent to enter.

After dialing the internal line, Lu Ze said a few words and handed the phone to the security guard, who then allowed him to enter the area of ​​antique-style Chinese villas.

Following his slightly hazy memories, he kept walking towards the path he remembered. Luckily, he had a good memory, otherwise he would probably have gotten lost on the forked bridge over the artificial lake.

When he finally arrived at the place, he immediately saw a woman standing at the door, secretly wiping away tears. When the woman noticed him, the two ran towards each other at the same time, and the distance between them kept closing until they were face to face, hugged each other, and gently patted each other's backs. She choked up and spoke.

"Aze, you've gained a little weight..."

"It's probably because I've been eating too much and exercising too little lately. I should probably lose some weight. Long time no see, Aunt Han..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)