Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 104 First Encounter with Little Li

A few days after the Spring Festival, Wu Yuchen took Li Xiaoran on a flight to Berlin.

Last year, his short film was shortlisted, so he didn't receive much attention at first. He took Jiang Qinqin to explore the film properly during the screening.

He was selected for the main competition and was very confident in "Run Lola Run". He was worried that he wouldn't have much time once the screening started, so he came a week early to spend some time with Li Xiaoran.

In fact, Wu Yuchen had already visited most of the major attractions last year, strolling through the cathedral, museums, and the Berlin Wall, experiencing the magnificent light of the "Renaissance". However, this was Li Xiaoran's first time here, and even her first time going abroad, so she was very excited, since going abroad is a rare thing these days.

Besides Li Xiaoran, Wu Yuchen also brought Fu Dalong, Tang Yu, and people from another company. After last year's travels, Tang Yu was already very familiar with the film festival's procedures, so this time he was mainly responsible for coordinating with the organizers on film screening matters.

After a few days of fun, the opening ceremony of the Berlin Film Festival finally arrived. Last year, Wu Yuchen could only watch others walk the red carpet from the sidelines, but this time, as a film in the main competition section, the "Run Lola Run" crew was invited to walk the red carpet.

Of course, compared to truly big-name film crews, their production team is really just a peripheral player, like the crew of "The English Patient," who just received a lot of attention on the red carpet. This film actually premiered in the US last December, clearly aiming for an Oscar, and it certainly garnered a lot of attention and positive reviews.

So those unspoken rules that you have to premiere here to be included in the three major European film festivals are just bullshit. They're just a bunch of domestic film fans making up stories to maintain the prestige of the three festivals. If your film has enough influence, the three festivals will be more than happy to invite you there.

Many films vying for Oscars have done this, using Berlin as a stepping stone to their Oscar campaign; it's become standard practice.

To put it bluntly, the three major European film festivals have already reached a high level of commercialization. The Berlin Film Festival's influence is already somewhat weaker than Cannes', so how could it possibly drive away this natural flow of high-quality Hollywood art films that are being delivered to its doorstep?

This Oscar prelude was also done voluntarily by the Berlin Film Festival. From this perspective, it's obvious which of the three major film festivals (the Big Three) and the Oscars holds more influence and status in the eyes of Europe and America.

After seeing the cast and crew of "The English Patient," Wu Yuchen spotted Spike Lee, the African American director, walking the red carpet with his "Hitchhiking" crew, where he received applause from many. Although American, Spike Lee is a regular at the Big Three European cinemas, where he has amassed considerable fame.

At this moment, Li Xiaoran, who was next to Wu Yuchen, excitedly pulled him and said, "It's Leslie Cheung!"

The man walking down the red carpet was none other than Leslie Cheung, dressed in a suit. He gracefully linked arms with Shu Qi and waved to both sides, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd.

Leslie Cheung has been very well-known in the three major film groups since "Farewell My Concubine". This time, he was selected for the film "Viva Erotica" directed by Derek Yee, so naturally, the film was promoted with Leslie Cheung as the main focus. At this time, Shu Qi, who was next to him, was very excited.

Wu Yuchen looked at director Derek Yee, who was two steps behind Leslie Cheung, and thought to himself that he was quite funny. In this movie "Viva Erotica", he created a character named Derek Yee, who was a director who committed suicide by jumping into the sea because the movie flopped at the box office, and played the role of Lau Ching-wan.

After that, Wu Yuchen took Li Xiaoran's arm and walked down the red carpet, and the emcee's introduction began at the appropriate time:

"Next, please welcome the crew of the film 'Run Lola Run'! Its director is the up-and-coming director Yu Chenwu, who impressed everyone last year with his short film 'Car 44,' winning the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival. This time, he brings us a feature film, 'Run Lola Run.' I wonder what kind of surprises he will bring us this time!"

Many of the attendees at the Berlin premiere were loyal fans who had been there every year. They didn't know who was walking the red carpet, but when they heard "Car 44" mentioned, many of those who had seen it last year remembered this sharp-style short film.

"Wu! Keep it up!"

"Wu! Welcome back to Berlin!"

"Wu! I love your 'Bus 44', and I'm really looking forward to your new movie!"

"Wu! Your 'The Night the Comet Came' is amazing, super cool!"

Wu Yuchen was slightly surprised to hear so many people cheering for him. After all, his most famous film in China, "We Two," and the awards he won at the Tokyo International Film Festival probably didn't have much influence here. He didn't expect that "Car 44" would actually leave an impression on many people. He was even happier when he heard someone shout "Coherence," which meant that the film was doing well in Europe as well.

As Li Xiaoran watched Wu Yuchen wave to the audience on both sides of the red carpet and saw so many people cheering for him, she realized even more about Wu Yuchen's influence. She realized that her man was so amazing!

In the 90s, an era when the trend of worshipping foreign things was prevalent, it was undoubtedly a great honor to have so many foreigners cheer for you. At this moment, Li Xiaoran felt a sense of pride and honor!

After walking down the red carpet, Wu Yuchen saw several Chinese film crew members chatting together behind him, so he pulled Li Xiaoran over.

Before Wu Yuchen could even speak, Huang Jianxin, an old acquaintance, greeted the people around him with a smile and introduced them:

"Come on, let me introduce you. This is our director, Wu Yuchen, who won the Jury Prize and Best Actress award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for his film 'We Two'!"

Standing next to Huang Jianxin was a familiar face, Feng Gong, who was the male lead in Huang Jianxin's movie. He had already met with Wu Yuchen and the others a couple of days ago.

There are quite a few Chinese-language films selected for the Berlin Film Festival this year, including Derek Yee's "Viva Erotica", Huang Jianxin's "Ambush", Tsai Ming-liang's "The River", and Yim Ho's "I Love Kitchen".

Yim Ho, who hails from Hong Kong Island, met Wu Yu-chen last year, when Wu won the Best Director award at the Berlin International Film Festival for "The Sun Has Ears."
"Wu Yuchen, we meet again! I read your 'We Two'. I didn't expect your style to change so much. I thought you were going to continue with the sharp and absurd style of 'Car 44'!"

Wu Yuchen shook hands with him and said with a smile, "I'm currently in a period of bursting inspiration, and I want to try everything!"

Derek Yee, who was standing nearby, also greeted Wu Yuchen with a smile: "Hello, Director Wu. I've heard Ann Hui mention you before. You're very talented!"

"Director Er, you're too kind. I still have a lot to learn."

At this moment, Leslie Cheung smiled and shook hands with Wu Yuchen, saying, "Director Wu, 'We Two' was filmed so well, it's really touching, I even shed tears!"

"Thank you! Zhang... Can I call you Young Master Rong? We are both your loyal fans!" Wu Yuchen pulled the excited Li Xiaoran over and said to Zhang Guorong with a smile.

"Of course it's alright, it's all because my friends are flattering me!" Leslie Cheung laughed heartily, then took the initiative to shake hands with Li Xiaoran, making her very happy.

As everyone was chatting and making plans to support each other, a burst of cheers and screams erupted from the red carpet behind them, though it was clear that most of the voices were female.

A moment later, Wu Yuchen saw the film crew coming down from the red carpet. Seeing the person in front of him made Wu Yuchen slightly dazed. His first impression was, "So handsome?!"
The man in the lead had blue eyes, flowing golden-brown hair, and a black bow tie that added a touch of gentlemanly charm. Coupled with the lingering captivating smile on his face, he was simply a world-class handsome young man.

No wonder so many women screamed just now, it was Leonardo DiCaprio!
Leonardo DiCaprio's latest masterpiece, "Titanic," hasn't been released yet, and he's not nearly as famous, but that doesn't diminish his good looks' appeal to women. Wherever he goes, he causes female movie fans to scream.

He's attending the film festival this time as the male lead in "Romeo and Juliet," and yes, also in hopes of winning an Oscar.

Just then, Leonardo DiCaprio's gaze fell upon Wu Yuchen and the others who were staring at him. He smiled and nodded in a friendly manner before heading towards his group of Hollywood colleagues.

Even Leslie Cheung, who was standing next to Wu Yuchen, couldn't help but exclaim, "So handsome! He's truly blessed with natural good looks!"

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Young Master Rong, you're very handsome too!"

Leslie Cheung chuckled and shook his head, then said with a smile, "Director Wu, if you're willing to debut as an idol, there are definitely companies in Hong Kong that would be willing to sign you!"

Both of them couldn't help but laugh.

……

After the opening red carpet ceremony, the screenings began that afternoon. This time, "Run Lola Run" was assigned a separate screening room. The location wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either, considering there were quite a few popular films this year. Films from Hollywood, such as "The English Patient," "Romeo and Juliet," and "The Sex Book Tycoon," were given the best seats.

However, Wu Yuchen and his team have made ample preparations for the publicity. In addition to the poster and flyer strategies they were already familiar with, Wu Yuchen also specially invited reporters this time!
He didn't bribe the reporters; he didn't have that kind of influence or connections in unfamiliar Berlin. Instead, he treated them to dinner and then invited them to see "Run Lola Run." He wasn't stingy with the money for the meal and coffee. Whether it worked or not, there was no harm in giving it a try.

Hannah is a reporter for Bild, Germany’s largest newspaper—no, it should be said that it is Europe’s largest newspaper in terms of circulation—and is responsible for covering the Berlin Film Festival.

Two days ago, she was invited out for coffee by a director from the East, a young and handsome Asian man. After being introduced, she learned that he was the director of the short film that won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last year, and had also won some minor awards at other international film festivals last year.

Hannah knew that every year some directors or producers would try to bribe journalists to increase their exposure, and she, who always upheld fairness and equality, despised this practice. As a professional journalist with ideals and integrity, Hannah would condemn such behavior and then leave gracefully.

However, this young director Wu didn't seem to be talking to her. He was genuinely discussing his new movie with her, and Hannah became very interested in "Run Lola Run," a film entirely featuring a female protagonist and a "damsel in distress" story.

At the entrance of the theater, Hannah looked at the girl on the poster—a girl with flamboyant red hair, dressed somewhat eccentrically, hands on her hips, and staring at the girl in front of her with a determined look—and immediately felt a sense of initial attraction to her.

As an independent modern woman, Hannah had long been fed up with those pretty faces in movies who only obeyed men. It seems that Wu hadn't lied to her; this was indeed a female-centric movie.

Hannah walked into the theater with a smile. She felt that for this reason alone, even if the quality of "Run Lola Run" was slightly poor, she would still mention it in today's report. After all, this was a fight for a world of women's equality!
Lucas, a spirited 20-year-old, came to the film festival with friends over the weekend, hoping to find some movies that would suit his taste. Suddenly, a young man stopped him and enthusiastically asked:
Hey guys, do you guys like playing video games?

“Oh, of course! We love both gamepad games and computer games!” Lucas asked, seemingly oblivious to why he was asking this at the film festival.

The young man handed them a flyer. It featured a red-haired girl with a somewhat cartoonish appearance, leaping from the head of a ferocious, baring dog. The flyer prominently displayed the following text:

"Run Lola Run - A Game Completion Journey!"

The young man laughed and said, "If you like playing games, you definitely can't miss 'Run Lola Run.' From the moment the lights go out in the theater, you'll feel like you've entered a game!"

Upon hearing this, Lucas immediately said, "Lola? That sounds like Lara Croft, the female lead in Tomb Raider. Is there any connection?"

The Tomb Raider series, released last year, was a bestseller in Europe and America, and its female protagonist Lara Croft is a household name among computer game players, with few unaware of her.

"They all have their own personalities and pursuits; they are all the heroines of the game, and they are all on an adventure!"

Lucas and his friend exchanged a glance: "That sounds pretty cool!"

"Trust me, it will definitely not let you down!"

Lucas and his friend were intrigued and headed to the theater showing "Run Lola Run".

A middle-aged man in his forties was also looking at the flyer in his hand:

Do you regret the decisions you've made?
Would things be better if we could do it all over again?

Across Time, Choosing Destiny – Run Lola Run

The middle-aged man listened to the young man's introduction and hesitated for a moment while looking at the brochure before heading to the "Run Lola Run" theater as well.

Tang Yu watched with a smile. Sure enough, hiring several university students who were fluent in both German and English to do promotional work in Berlin and distributing different promotional materials to different groups of people was an extremely wise choice!

(End of this chapter)