Global Film Emperor

Chapter 429 An Upset
Light a cigarette, and pale blue smoke fills the car. Open the sunroof, and the smoke, like birds that have been suppressed for too long, frantically rushes out of the car, embracing the sky, even if it means vanishing into nothingness.

A pair of bright eyes peered through the car window, watching the passersby on the street. Groups of people of all races were taking pictures of the scenery of Lido Island with their phones. Many people noticed the luxury car driving by and their cameras unconsciously turned towards it, wondering who the passengers inside were. Unfortunately, the car window tint became a chasm between the artist and the audience.

"It's been a long time since I've been here."

The extended wheelbase model had ample rear legroom. He crossed his legs, looking at the familiar yet strangely forgotten street scene. He could clearly remember where the main road led, the colors of the casino chips, and even the beautiful face of the woman he had spent a passionate night with. But what year and month that day was, and whether he was happy, required careful recollection.

He rose to fame in Venice, winning the accolade with his debut film and being hailed as a genius most anticipated by audiences. He was twenty-four years old that year, his mother passed away that year, he saw Fanny for the first time in an ultrasound, and his girlfriend left him that year.

That year, he achieved great success, but also experienced the longest separation. He witnessed the birth of a life, but his personality flaws led to the breakdown of his family.

In his words, life is a net woven with both joy and sorrow, imprisoning us like fish in water. And there will always be a year when everything seems to accelerate, the fisherman pulls the net in, and from then on, he has no chance of escaping.

Lu Ze and Fatini couldn't fathom the emotions swirling in his thoughts, nor did they join the conversation he brought up. They simply leaned against the car window, sipping their whiskey.

It is now 3:40 pm. The three of them started drinking at 9 o'clock. They didn't drink much, just took a sip now and then. But time allowed the alcohol to ferment in their bodies. The feeling was not unpleasant, just a slight buzz that made their bodies feel light and floaty.

The driver got out of the car and received the license plate. He was the twenty-fourth car in line. Logically speaking, Fatini, who represented Gambiano Films, should have been the first or last to arrive.

However, for Mickey and Lu Ze's sake, he still rearranged the order, hoping to gain more attention. In addition, the presence of the three of them together would also completely reveal the Gambiano family's investment plan in Universal Brothers Pictures to the world, and show the Gambiano family's attitude to the outside world. As for whether it was necessary to make such a big fuss? Sorry, this is Italy, and the Gambiano family will make a big fuss about everything they do that can be seen in the light of day.

The closer they got to the venue, the louder the cheers became. Iron railings blocked both sides of the driveway, and thousands of fans and tourists followed behind. The little golden statuette with its classic black and silver paint slowly drove onto the red carpet. The driver closed the sunroof, temporarily blocking out most of the cheers, but a few cheers still reached the ears of the three of them, which excited Lu Ze and Mickey.

Only Fatini is not yet a formally established figure in the industry and has not submitted any of her own works for competition, so it is difficult for her to understand the reason for the two's excitement.

"Come on, guys, wish us a great start and our seventh trophy."

"Your fourth seat, cheers."

With more than half a glass of whiskey left, the three of them finished it in one gulp. Seeing that the previous actor had already walked the red carpet, they exhaled a breath of air with a strong smell of alcohol. Mickey took the lead, got out of the car first, and waved to the audience across the street.

The cheers weren't loud, and many people couldn't even name Mickey. After all, while movies are the director's art, it's the actors who draw the director's attention more.

When Fatini got out of the car second, Lu Ze noticed that many reporters had incredulous expressions on their faces, unable to understand why the two of them were in the same car.

"Holy crap! Quick, take a picture! Big news! Big news!"

Fatini's exit did not elicit a greater cheer from the general audience, even less than when Mickey got off the bus. Interestingly, the intensity of the flashbulbs was no less than when the big star got off the bus earlier.

Lu Ze chewed a piece of gum and slowly got out of the car. Only now did the cheers from the audience increase by a third, barely reaching an ear-piercing level.

He is an Asian actor, and his image has changed so much since "The Rebirth" that only a very small number of Mickey Mouse fans recognized Lu Ze as who he was.

The cheers mostly came from female audience members. They might not even know who Lu Ze was, but as long as he was handsome, they would cheer for him. If he was their type, they would go crazy for him.

Lu Ze's appearance this time was no less sensational than John Lone's appearance in front of Western audiences in the last century. After all, as long as Lu Ze controls his weight and does a good job of styling, his appearance will definitely not be inferior to John Lone's. Moreover, he is taller and more robust, which is more in line with Western aesthetics. If John Lone brought Western audiences the beauty of Chinese gentlemen and demeanor, then Lu Ze now shows the masculinity of Chinese men.

His brows were furrowed, his face serious, and although he was chewing gum, he did not appear ostentatious or rude at all. Instead, he resembled a tough and ruthless gang leader.

Without turning around, he swung his hand behind him and slammed the car door shut, causing another round of screams from his female friends. This fully proves that the idea that as long as you're handsome enough, even girls will find you cute when you poop does exist.

At the peak of his life, with outstanding looks, a fit physique, maturity, wealth, composure, good temperament, taste, and high status, can you give a girl a reason not to be captivated by him? In any case, none of the men present could think of one, and even those with homosexual tendencies started screaming.

Lu Ze had no idea how many fans he had gained at the scene and in front of the TV, or how many strong men had harbored evil thoughts about him. He simply continued as usual, took out a pen, walked up to the audience, shook hands with many of them, and left his autograph.

At domestic film festivals, most fans hold up light sticks in support, but Lu Ze doesn't know whether they are genuine fans or hired actors. In contrast, at international film festivals, fans in the front row usually hold up sketchbooks and ask the artists to sign them. There's no need to compare them, because Lu Ze wouldn't know whether they kept the autographs or took them back to sell.

The only advantage of fans holding up sketchbooks for Lu Ze is that he doesn't have to sign their clothes or bodies, avoiding a lot of embarrassment. He's seen female fans ask him to sign their collarbones or other suggestive places before, but he really can't bring himself to do it.

There were already cars waiting behind them. Although no one dared to say anything with Fatini there, the rules still had to be followed. He put down his pen, patted Mickey, who was still engrossed in signing autographs for his enthusiastic fans, and went up the steps with Fatini.

Upon arriving at the entrance, they were surprised to find the previous actor still waiting. Seeing Fatini approaching the steps, he warmly walked over, respectfully shook hands with her, and after exchanging pleasantries, they entered the venue together.

The invited group to the film festival is very diverse. It is not only film industry professionals who attend. Models, singers, fashion moguls, painters, performance artists, social celebrities and other people are invited. They arrived relatively early, and the reception inside the theater was not crowded at the moment. Mickey and Lu Ze were not the kind of people who came to the event just to make friends. They found an empty seat and picked up their glasses again.

As for Fatini, he was immediately surrounded by a huge crowd as soon as he entered. Everyone's face clearly showed their obsequiousness, so the two of them kept their distance from him to avoid Fatini having to introduce them to this group and waste his breath.

It's not that no one wants to befriend Mickey and Lu Ze. Some people are eager to get close to Mickey, and it would be even better if they could become intimate partners. However, everyone has heard about Mickey's temper. This guy has a strange temper, and people who don't like him shouldn't expect to hear a nice word from him. It's better to keep a certain distance from such a person.

"Wow, Amy Fontaine is here too."

The cherries at the banquet were quite good, large and sweet. The two of them wouldn't embarrass themselves by wolfing them down in public, but they always liked to try a bite of the food that looked good when the waiters brought it. They were more relaxed and simply there to eat and drink.

Following Mickey's gaze, Lu Ze noticed a woman with a great figure, about 1.75 meters tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Although she was a bit older, with noticeable wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, her elegant and noble temperament made up for her age. She was wearing a long dress with a high slit, and with her red lips slightly parted, she was chatting and laughing with others while holding a champagne glass.

"she is?"

"An Italian supermodel from twenty years ago, my dream goddess. I can guarantee that when I was eighteen, I would waste at least a roll of toilet paper on her every week. Back then, just one poster of her winking was enough to set me ablaze with desire."

That's a bit disgusting. Lu Ze didn't want to hear how he used to fantasize about shooting in front of the poster. He pushed away the reminiscing guy, who had a lecherous face, and spat out a cherry seed with some disgust.

"That's enough. I don't want to hear about your sleazy past. I'm going to the restroom."

He got up and headed towards the restroom, taking the opportunity to tour the theater's interior. Although the Venice government renovates the theater every year, this grand theater, which is over thirty years old, still bears the marks of time. It certainly has a sense of vicissitude and weight, but if you say it's a bit old and the interior is somewhat outdated, that's perfectly acceptable. Your opinion of it depends entirely on your own view of this theater that has been visited by countless celebrities.

Gradually, the venue filled up with people. Countless men and women chatted and laughed politely. Lu Ze had just straightened his clothes and wiped the water droplets from his hands, preparing to meet up with Mickey, when he unexpectedly spotted several Asian faces in the crowd. They were sitting together, and one of them seemed familiar, confirming to Lu Ze that these people were his compatriots.

These people also noticed Lu Ze and hurriedly stood up to nod to him. Seeing this, Lu Ze walked over and didn't forget to grab a glass of champagne.

"Teacher Lu."

The four men were all quite young, hovering around their twenties. Lu Ze couldn't quite remember the name of one of the men, so he could only vaguely reply with a "hello."

Hey! When did you get here?

Lu Ze was slapped on the back. He was a little drunk and didn't recognize the voice at first. He turned around in surprise, but his expression was immediately replaced by delight. He didn't even put down his wine glass before hugging the person who came.

"Uncle Ying, it's been a long time."

Calculating the time, Lu Ze and Liu Ying's collaboration was nine years ago. Back then, "Mr. Tree" helped him gain a foothold in the film industry, while "The Boxer" was the starting point for Lu Ze's rise to fame. In a way, Liu Ying can be considered one of the rare benefactors in his life. In addition, after not seeing each other for several years, Lu Ze's excitement at this moment was not fake.

He looks much older than he did back then. Although he's not even sixty, his hair is already completely white, like an old, vicious bully dog ​​in its twilight years. His wrinkles are piled up, and even in his old age, his face doesn't look kind. Even when he smiles, you can't feel any kindness at all.

Perhaps his private life has led to a bad reputation in China. Things have gotten better as he got older. But if you count back from fifty years old, he has a long history of bad behavior. Even so, his relationship with Lu Ze is very harmonious because he is really good to Lu Ze.

He helped Lu Ze when Lu Ze was in trouble. Regardless of whether he solved Lu Ze's problem or not, he helped Lu Ze, and that was enough. It was for this reason that Lu Ze continued to associate with this bad guy. He was bad, but he never harmed Lu Ze.

"Sigh, it's been years. You've become quite a figure. I saw 'Rebirth,' it's well-made, a great film. How come I didn't realize you had such great potential back then?" "Without luck, and with the support of benefactors like you and my master, I wouldn't be who I am today."

"Hey~ you're just kidding me, okay? Fine, if you say that, I can brag about it to others later. I'll take it."

"It's what you deserve, it's what you deserve."

After chatting for a while, Lu Ze turned his attention to the group of young men. He then learned that they were the lead actors in Liu Ying's new film. They had come to Venice to compete in the sub-competition section, the Horizons section. The film had its premiere in Venice, but the response was lukewarm, and it was unlikely to be nominated. They were just hoping to gain some recognition and promote the film back home.

This is a common phenomenon, so Lu Ze did not laugh at Liu Ying's strategy of exporting and then reselling domestically. However, his interest in observing Liu Ying's new work diminished, and since Liu Ying did not extend an invitation, the matter was put aside.

Perhaps it was because he didn't even make it into the finals that he was so discouraged. For a director with nearly forty years of experience, this was a huge blow. He realized that he was getting old and couldn't come up with any new ideas anymore. Nothing could make him sadder. He had even secretly complained to Lu Ze when the young actors weren't around that he would never meet someone like Lu Ze again in his life.

He received a text message on his phone that the ticketed audience in the upper tiers had all entered, and it was time for them to go in as well. Fatini and Mickey were waiting at the entrance. He had no intention of introducing Liu Ying to Mickey, because he knew in his heart that Mickey would not take such an aging director seriously, even if it was for Lu Ze's sake.

They had arranged to have a casual dinner together that evening. Under Liu Ying's watchful eye, Lu Ze left and met up with Mickey and the other person. He took the lead and entered the room first, and his seat was excellent, right in the middle of the second row. Of course, this was thanks to Fatini.

Surrounded by high-ranking executives from the Italian film industry, whom Lu Ze did not recognize, he waited patiently for the opening ceremony to begin after exchanging business cards.

……

Inside the theater, the lights were turned off, the screen lit up, and a strong male lion slowly emerged from beneath the screen. It walked across mountains and rivers, past the ancient Roman Colosseum, past the Vatican Cathedral, and past various famous Italian landmarks. Finally, it arrived in the water city, walked onto the red carpet, entered the theater, stared intently at the screen, snorted, and let out a soft roar towards the audience.

The screen dimmed, and the red curtain slowly closed. Not long after, just a few minutes later, the sound of a piano came from behind the curtain. The curtain was slowly pulled back again, and the lights came on one by one from back to front, until the stage lights shone with a golden light. A symphony orchestra of more than thirty people tipped their hats to the audience.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra arrived and performed a classical Italian piece to welcome friends from afar. Of course, this was what Fatini told Lu Ze; he didn't know exactly what the orchestra was playing, but he felt... it was quite soothing.

He was getting sleepy, and the alcohol was still affecting his brain. He couldn't help but yawn, and Mickey next to him followed suit. The two of them simultaneously reached out to wipe away their tears, their steps remarkably synchronized.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 80th Venice International Film Festival Awards Ceremony. Thank you for coming all this way."

After the orchestra finished their performance, the female host went on stage to give a speech. Instantly, thunderous applause erupted, like firecrackers hidden in the room, waking Lu Ze and his companion. They stood up, not knowing what had happened, and joined the audience in clapping with a blank mind.

After the applause stopped, the two slowly lowered their heads until they reached their lowest point. Suddenly, they shuddered, jolted awake, sat up straight, and barely opened their eyes to look at the stage.

Beside him, Fatini was speechless, suddenly regretting why she had arranged for the two of them to be in the front row. The camera was filming in this direction, and the director was probably laughing his head off behind the monitor.

It's no exaggeration to say that Lu Ze and Mickey always manage to embarrass themselves in unexpected ways. They can be incredibly impressive when they want to, but they always manage to stumble and fall flat on their faces. At the Berlin International Film Festival, they were already a laughingstock for taking the bus to the event. This time at the Venice Film Festival, they were nodding their heads like they were pounding garlic. Fatini didn't know what to say.

She could only gently tap Lu Ze's thigh to wake him up. Seeing him looking at her blankly, covering his face, and pointing at the camera, Lu Ze immediately perked up and quickly poked Mickey, but he didn't wake up...

He was sleeping so soundly he was almost snoring, and his lips were still glistening. No matter how much Lu Ze called or twisted him, he would at most open his eyes, say "Hmm?" with a questioning tone, and then lower his head to continue sleeping, just like some parents at parent-teacher conferences.

He slept soundly through the Horizon and Future Lion segments, all the way to the main competition segment. When he wanted to sleep again, Lu Ze wouldn't let him. In front of the cameras, he shook him vigorously awake. Lu Ze didn't know how long the cameras had been filming them. They had already embarrassed themselves badly enough, so it wouldn't matter if they embarrassed themselves again.

"Ok?"

"Yeah, yeah! We're already in the main competition, wake up!"

On stage, the female host and the male presenter each occupied one side. Amid applause, the presenter officially announced the works nominated for the Best Screenplay Award.

"The following film was nominated for Best Screenplay at the 80th Venice International Film Festival: Mitch Taylor, *Afterlife*."

“I’m not a financier, so I understand what the circulation of money means.”

“I’m not an entrepreneur, so I don’t know how to design buildings to accommodate more people.”

"..."

"I would die for my ideals, so I ultimately died for my ideals, and I regretted it for the rest of my life."

When Heya's voice rang out again, cheers erupted from the audience, and countless people stood up and applauded, paying tribute to this idealist who only lived in the script.

Even the presenters laughed and didn't stop the cheering until they realized their behavior was inappropriate. Then they urged each other to quiet down and wait for the presenter's next nomination.

"James Diaz's Butterfly Girl".

"I always believe I can fly, to embrace the sky, to make a home in the clouds, to escape all my troubles. When it rains, I fly above the clouds to avoid getting wet. When the sky is clear, I keep company with the sun. When the moon is full, I keep company with the moon. The stars are my friends, and the birds are my followers. I will take them with me until I can no longer fly and fall to the ground."

"Dillon Bunken's 'The Broken House'".

“I once had a complete home, but a typhoon tore it apart. It took away my daughter and also tore a wound in my heart. Over the years, I have been searching for my home, even though I know it is dilapidated. Perhaps the ground is covered with moss, wild wheat grows in the cracks to absorb nutrients from the soil, the ceiling smells musty, and the tiles have long been smashed by homeless people who get angry for no reason. But it is still precious, at least to me.”

There were only three nominees for Best Screenplay this year, which is not surprising and is within reason. It was only when the presenters announced the winners that a huge uproar was caused.

"The winner of the 80th Best Screenplay Award is James Diaz!"

"what?"

The audience gasped in surprise; the first award in the main competition was a complete upset!
Among everyone's predictions, Mickey Taylor was the undisputed choice for the best script, with no other possibility. After all, the script for "Afterlife" could easily outperform the other two scripts. But now, a dark horse has made a comeback, leaving the audience wondering what happened. However, to give James Diaz some face, no boos were heard, even though everyone knew that people watching on TV should have been booing him.

Even Mickey frowned, and after thinking for a few minutes, he finally smiled with relief and explained to the still dissatisfied Fatini, "It's okay. We lost the screenplay award, but we have a better chance of winning the next big award. Believe me, I can only choose one between Best Film and Best Director. You should know that film festivals are never multiple choice questions, but single choice questions. I should have realized that. A monopoly is never a good thing for a film festival."

Perhaps both the presenter and the recipient felt a little awkward, as they both knew in their hearts who the award should have been. James Diaz simply said a few words and then slowly stepped down from the stage.

The crew of "Butterfly Girl" is now also feeling gloomy. They received two nominations, and have only won one. As for the awards that follow... they are basically out of the question.

Actually, everyone knows that not only Chinese people value balance, but foreigners do too. Soon, the winner of the second award was announced: the Best Actress award went to Canberra Garcia, the lead actress in "Broken House".

The award was well-deserved, and the public had no complaints. Online opinions about the film festival gradually shifted from criticism to approval. Of course, a few people still clung to the issue of the screenplay award, but since the awards ceremony had already taken place, the matter was considered closed and there was no possibility of appeal.

When Canberra shed tears while reading her acceptance speech, the audience erupted in applause, congratulating this woman who dropped out of high school, went astray, served three years in prison, and then turned over a new leaf after her release. She is now a mother of three.

Lu Ze was also moved by this hardworking woman. Perhaps because of maternal love, she was able to change herself and do her best to become a superhero, just to buy a can of milk powder for her three children who had not yet grown up.

But Lu Ze quickly suppressed his emotions and focused on waiting for the presenter to announce the Best Actor nomination.

"The winner of the Volpi Cup at the 80th Venice Film Festival, and the nominee for Best Actor is... Lu Ze for 'Rebirth'."

"..."

There's not much focus on the Golden Lion Awards, so we'll speed up this part and move on to the storyline about returning home tomorrow.

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(End of this chapter)