Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 208: Sure Win
It's obvious that this is why competitors are starting to find fault with Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen's record-breaking double nomination for Best Director is an undisputed advantage that no one can deny. Therefore, let's nitpick his work from other angles.

Wu Yuchen has two weaknesses.

First, there's his skin color, or rather, his race. The international situation isn't as tense as it will be 20 years from now. Hollywood won't specifically target Chinese people; they simply look down on people of all skin colors, including Black people, because Hollywood is now entirely white!
For example, 94% of the current Oscar voters are white. If racial discrimination were rampant, no other race would have a chance at the Oscars. However, the white community is now divided, with more and more liberals siding with people of color. Hollywood is a hub for liberals who support the equal rights movement, which is why more and more awards have been won by Black people in recent years.

Compared to Black people, Asians actually have less say in Hollywood. However, although everyone is aware that the topic of race and skin color exists, no one dares to openly use it to attack the other side, otherwise they would be branded as racists.

Wu Yuchen wasn't worried about skin color, because there was a precedent from his past life: Li An won an Oscar in 2001 and was nominated for Best Director. Basically, if Li An hadn't had any issues during the same period, Wu Yuchen wouldn't be concerned about it either.

The second point is Wu Yuchen's biggest weakness, which has been pointed out: he is too young!

The Oscars also have a seniority system, which is especially evident among actors. Young actors, particularly those who are considered "little fresh meat" (young, popular male celebrities), are basically ineligible for the Best Actor award. Directors, while not as prominent figures as actors, also experience a seniority system.

Wu Yuchen's age is obvious, so he will naturally be used as a weak point by the enemy.

This is actually what Wu Yuchen is most worried about. Being young means giving way to the old folks. You young people have plenty of time, but we old folks have one foot in the grave. How can we be so insensible?

So despite receiving two nominations, Wu Yuchen didn't dare to say he had an advantage and wasn't very confident.

Of course, Wu Yuchen's PR team wasn't going to be idle. They immediately came up with a solution, directly contacting relevant media outlets to speak on his behalf, listing Wu Yuchen's past film credits one by one:

From the initial Golden Bear for Best Short Film for "Car 44", to Best Film at the Sydney Film Festival for "Coherence", to Best Director at the Tokyo International Film Festival for "We Two", then Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival for "Run Lola Run", Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for "Mr. Donkey", Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for "Amour", and three commercially successful films that have been widely circulated in the United States in recent years: "Frequency", "Phone Booth", and "The Sixth Sense". Among them, "Frequency" also won the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, the most famous award for American science fiction films. "My Sassy Girl" and "The Classic", which have caused a sensation in Asia, were also mentioned.

Looking at Wu Yuchen's film resume, accolades, and box office performance, it surpasses that of many directors who have dedicated their entire careers to filmmaking. Shouldn't awards be judged based on the films themselves? Even if seniority is a factor, shouldn't the evaluation be based on past film achievements and experience, rather than age? If that's the case, the Best Director award should perhaps be renamed the Oldest Director award!
At the same time, Wu Yuchen and his team dragged their opponent into the mess—none other than Sam Mendes, the director of "American Beauty."

Sam Mendes is only 34 years old this year, and he used to be a British stage and musical director. "American Beauty" is his first personal film. His previous film experience is zero! From this perspective, his qualifications are actually far inferior to Wu Yuchen's, and he is even the weakest of the four Best Director nominees!
Aside from Sam Mendes and Wu Yuchen, the other two directors are Lasse Hallström, the Swedish director of "Always Sunny," who is 55 years old this year, and Michael Mann, the director of "The Insider," who is 57 years old this year. To be honest, Sam Mendes is more than 20 years younger than these two directors—he's too young!
This is where things get interesting.

Based on the initial impressions from the outpost, most people favored Sam Mendes and Wu Yuchen in terms of the film itself, especially since both are relatively young, with Sam Mendes being a complete novice in filmmaking. Meanwhile, the films by the other two veteran actors seemed to underperform compared to the younger generation.

So now, should we select the older generation based on seniority, or should we select the younger generation?

If we choose Sam Mendes, then why not choose Wu Yuchen? Although he is younger, Wu Yuchen has real advantages with two nominations and a much richer resume than Sam Mendes, a newcomer!

This is Wu Yuchen's strategy: since my weakness is there and I can't change it, I might as well drag you down with me!

He remembered clearly that in his previous life, Sam Mendes, a newcomer directing his first film, had won Best Director at this year's Oscars. Therefore, he wanted to label him as part of the younger generation, putting him on the same starting line as himself. Let's see how you guys choose!
This whole situation has left Sam Mendes in a bit of a mess. They weren't the ones who released the news accusing Wu Yuchen of being too old, but now he's been dragged into it too. His weak resume has been thrust into the spotlight, like a megaphone announcing to everyone: This guy is a complete newcomer to filmmaking! How dare he win Best Director?!

At this critical moment, Steven Spielberg, a prominent director at the height of his career in Hollywood, stepped forward and publicly stated: "Hollywood and the Oscars should never use the age of the director as a judging criterion; the awards should return to the film itself."

After Spielberg spoke up, his friend George Lucas followed suit, and many others also supported this argument, stating that the creativity of young people would make Hollywood and the Oscars more vibrant.

Wu Yuchen laughed after seeing Spielberg's actions, not because he was grateful to Spielberg. Spielberg stood up for him, but for Sam Mendes and "American Beauty," because DreamWorks is the producer of "American Beauty"!
Don't underestimate DreamWorks. It's weaker than the seven major Oscars because of its distribution channels and censorship issues, but when it comes to Oscar connections, DreamWorks, with its three giants, is actually very powerful and has been winning awards one after another in recent years.

This is Hollywood. DreamWorks, which once tried to win over Wu Yuchen, is now his biggest rival in his Oscar race. Hollywood is always all about profit!

Spielberg's statement, while unlikely to eliminate all age prejudice, certainly had some effect, in Wu Yuchen's opinion. At the very least, when compared to Sam Mendes in terms of seniority, he certainly wouldn't be at a disadvantage, given his long resume which compensates for the 10-year age difference between them.

Even so, Wu Yuchen dared not be complacent or think he was in the lead. At most, he had only patched up this weakness and stirred up the waters. In the end, it was still unknown who would win or lose.

At such a critical juncture, we cannot afford to relax in the slightest. There have been instances where teams have led in the first stage but were then overturned in the second stage, and such examples are still fresh in our minds.

Last year, in the Oscars prelude, "Saving Private Ryan" basically swept the field in the first round of preludes, with a huge lead, while "Savage Love Story" performed only moderately. Public opinion was overwhelmingly predicting that "Saving Private Ryan" would be a big winner at this year's Oscars.

When it came to the final Oscars ceremony, "Saving Private Ryan" only managed to retain Spielberg's Best Director award, while "Shawn" swept up seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Screenplay, much to everyone's surprise.

This was also Harvey Weinstein's legendary performance, turning the dud "Salwin in Love" into an Oscar winner, and personally orchestrating a major reversal through public relations.

Therefore, Wu Yuchen is now constantly on the go, spending his days in different movie theaters and his nights attending various banquets in Hollywood.

The back-and-forth between the parties has caused quite a stir.

At this moment, in the Disney president's office, a man nearing 60 finished reading the report in his hand and asked Miles, who was standing in front of him:

"How was this movie, 'Love'?"

Miles, who had dealt with Wu Yuchen before, immediately said, "Mr. Eisner, this is an Asian story, a completely art film."

Upon hearing this, Eisner understood: Asian-centric arthouse films were basically unprofitable. As for whether Wu Yuchen would win Best Director, he didn't even ask—too young!

Eisner frowned: "Let them focus their energy on 'The Sixth Sense.' We've paid so much money to this young director, not to serve him!"

Disney paid a hefty sum to acquire the remaining rights to "The Sixth Sense" from Wu Yuchen, and naturally, they want to capitalize on the Oscar buzz to maximize their profits. Director Wu Yuchen also has an obligation to cooperate with the film's promotion. In Eisner's eyes, awards are merely a means to an end; everything serves profit, and making money is the primary objective.

After receiving the call from Miles, Wu Yuchen felt exhausted. He wanted to win Best Director for "Amour," so naturally, he was talking about "Amour" a lot at various events, mentioning "The Sixth Sense" much less often—it was unavoidable. However, he verbally promised to cooperate with Disney's publicity department to promote "The Sixth Sense."

After all, they still have to rely on Disney's public relations team. He doesn't have the energy to handle so many judges by himself. His public relations team has to visit and persuade the judges one by one in private, for example, by giving them a copy of the latest Sony player and playing a movie by Wu Yuchen on the spot to deepen their impression of the judges.

While it might be a stretch to say the Golden Globes are a bellwether for the Oscars, the Confederation Awards are undoubtedly the most reliable indicator. This is because the Confederation Awards judges have the highest overlap with the Oscar judges!

Hollywood's various unions only award prizes related to their own professions. For example, the Screen Actors Guild awards various actor awards, while the Directors Guild Awards are an annual comprehensive evaluation of directors in multiple fields such as film, television, theater, and radio. It can be regarded as a combination of the Oscars, the Emmys for television, and the Tonys for theater.

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has far greater financial resources than individual film critics' associations. It has its own headquarters, the DGA Building at 7920 Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, where the guild holds its major annual events. Undoubtedly, the Best Director award is the most important award at the DGA Awards each year, and the highlight and climax of the ceremony.

Like the Oscars, the Directors Guild Awards have five nominations, but the list of nominees is not necessarily the same as that of the Oscars. For example, of the five films nominated for the Oscars this year, "Always Sunny" was not nominated for the Directors Guild Awards. Instead, it was nominated by Tom Hanks, the director of "The Green Mile".

"This year's best film director is..."

At this moment, all four nominees were nervous. After all, the Directors Guild Awards are a highly regarded and prestigious award in Hollywood. For Wu Yu-chen, Sam Mendes, and Michael Mann, who were also nominated for the Oscar for Best Director, the anxiety was even greater. Winning the Directors Guild Award for Best Director is practically a guarantee that the Oscar for Best Director is already in hand!
Why do I say that? Because in the past 51 editions of the Directors Guild Awards, only four times has the Directors Guild Best Director winner not won the Academy Award for Best Director. In other words, winning this award guarantees you an Oscar over 90% of the time! It's practically a sure thing!
Therefore, forget about the Golden Globes being the ultimate predictor; Hollywood knows the guild awards are the real preview of the Oscars. That's why directors usually seem so calm at the Oscars—they basically already know the outcome!

As the presenter on stage took out a slip of paper from the envelope, Wu Yuchen involuntarily clasped his hands tightly together. Sam Mendes, whose hands were on his lap, also unconsciously clenched his thighs. Michael Mann, who was over fifty years old, craned his neck and stared straight at the stage, clearly eager for the award.

"Love, by Wu Yuchen!"

In an instant, Wu Yuchen felt a rush of heat to his head, and involuntarily swung his arm and roared. At this moment, he simply couldn't control his emotions!

Richard, standing next to Wu Yuchen, was also extremely excited and shouted to Wu Yuchen:

"You did it! You really did it! You're creating a miracle! You'll win this year's Oscar! The youngest director to win two Oscars, you are a miracle! A miracle that no one can surpass!"

Wu Yuchen hugged Richard tightly and said from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you, buddy, thank you for everything you've done for me! I'll never forget it!"

Looking back over the past four months, Wu Yuchen knows that without Richard, he might not have achieved what he has today, and Richard deserves credit for everything.

Richard patted Wu Yuchen on the shoulder: "Wu, it's time for you to go up and receive your award!"

Wu Yuchen released Richard, straightened his collar, and then flashed a genuine, radiant smile. Amidst the applause of the directors, he confidently and proudly walked onto the stage to accept the award.
"It's really hard to believe! This place made me feel the openness and inclusiveness of America. For a young person like me to win Best Director is inseparable from the support and recognition of all the seniors present. I am very grateful!"

Wu Yuchen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Actually, I have a lot more to say, but I think it's better to save it for another occasion. Thank you again!"

The crowd burst into laughter upon hearing this, as everyone knew that the other occasion Wu Yuchen was referring to was the Oscars ceremony.

Looking at the spirited Wu Yuchen on stage, the fifty-something Michael Mann couldn't help but show a somewhat lonely expression. In the end, did the judges choose the young man this year?
Sam Mendes looked at Wu Yuchen on stage and sighed. His hopes for the Best Director Oscar were gone. His film career had had a dream start; the success of *American Beauty* over the past few months had kept him basking in a dream, and the Best Director award seemed so close. But now, Wu Yuchen had shattered that dream.

You might say he's not convinced, but there's nothing to be unconvinced about. He is indeed a new director, and compared to Wu Yuchen's long list of film achievements, his resume is simply not impressive. He can be considered to have lost fair and square.

However, Sam Mendes quickly composed himself. Even without Best Director, he could still contend for Best Picture. "American Beauty" remains the frontrunner for Best Picture. If he could win this most important Oscar award, his start would still be dreamlike, at most just slightly less glamorous.

As the awards ceremony concluded, everyone moved directly to the banquet hall next door. Undoubtedly, Wu Yuchen was the center of attention, with everyone approaching him for friendly conversation. In high spirits, Wu Yuchen welcomed everyone and gave polite replies to each one.

Everyone present, including Wu Yuchen himself, felt that the Oscar for Best Director was a sure thing. After all, in the past 51 years, only four unlucky individuals had won the Directors Guild Award for Best Director but failed to win the Oscar. Could he possibly become the fifth this year?
Wu Yuchen shook his head with a smile in his heart. In fact, the fifth unlucky guy in his previous life was none other than Li An, who would win the Directors Guild Award for Best Director next year with "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

However, Li An was truly unlucky, because next year he'll be facing Steven Soderbergh, who will also receive two Best Director nominations. Wu Yuchen, on the other hand, won't be as unlucky as Li An; he himself is a double nominee!

Speak of the devil, and he appears! Wu Yuchen saw a bespectacled, bald man carrying a wine glass walk towards him. It was none other than Soderbergh!
Steven Soderbergh is no unknown figure. Ten years ago, his debut film, Sex, Lies and Videotape, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. He was only 26 years old at the time, which made him an instant star.

But there's a rumor about this film: it's said that after it was made, it wasn't taken seriously at all, but then it came across Harvey Weinstein, that fat guy, who took a liking to it at first sight. Harvey then personally stepped in and made extensive edits to the film before sending it to Cannes, where it won the Palme d'Or.

Harvey Weinstein did indeed have a nickname in Hollywood: "The Scissorhands," referring to his scissors-wielding skills when editing films purchased by his studio. Therefore, many say that at least half the credit for this film's awards goes to Harvey Weinstein, which greatly displeased Soderbergh.

Wu Yuchen didn't know if the rumor was true or false, but the two of them certainly never collaborated again after that. A director who won the Palme d'Or with his debut film—Harvey just let him go so easily? There must be something fishy going on.

"Wu, congratulations! I really admire your documentary-style shooting technique in 'Love'. In fact, I'm also planning to make a similar semi-documentary style film recently."

Wu Yuchen's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but ask, "Thank you, Steven. May I ask what kind of subject you're filming? I'm quite interested in that."

Soderbergh didn't hide anything: "It's a film about a drug, not focusing on the addicts themselves, but on its distribution channels. It's just a pity that things aren't going too smoothly so far."

"Oh? Are you facing financial difficulties?"

Soderbergh gave a helpless look: "After I approved the project, I went to all the major companies. Harrison Ford was initially willing to play the role, but last month he suddenly changed his mind, feeling that it would affect the heroic image he was building. Fox also called off the project..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen's eyes lit up. This must be Soderbergh's masterpiece that combines box office success and artistic merit, "The Web of the Unique," which swept numerous award nominations, helped him win the Oscar for Best Director, and grossed $2.5 million worldwide.

Since I've already secured his double nomination for Best Director, I might as well help him out now. So, I said with a smile:

“Steven, I’m quite interested in your project about exclusive distribution channels. If Fox isn’t willing to give the green light, my Miracle Pictures is willing to provide you with the funding for the production.”

Soderbergh was taken aback at first, then his face lit up with surprise: "Wu, are you serious?"

"Of course, bring your script and project plan to my company tomorrow and we'll discuss it in detail."

Having already secured the Oscar for Best Director, Wu Yuchen's PR schedule has become much lighter, giving him ample free time to discuss the project with Soderbergh. For such a lucrative and prestigious project, Wu Yuchen wouldn't mind investing. Even the handsome and charismatic Wu Yuchen needs to demonstrate his internationalist spirit!

Like Wu Yuchen, Richard, though still managing the team's public relations activities, was also in a much more relaxed mood. Helping Wu Yuchen secure two nominations and ultimately win the Best Director Oscar would be another significant achievement for Richard, certainly paving the way for a promotion!

However, after Richard received a phone call, his expression changed, and he hurriedly packed his things and rushed back.

The design of Disney's headquarters building is quite interesting; it's supported by seven dwarfs. The offices and meeting rooms inside the building are also decorated with various whimsical designs, constantly implying that the entire company serves children.

However, Richard stood nervously at the door of an office, feeling neither relaxed nor happy. Every time he came here, his heart would involuntarily race, even after achieving good results. This was because he was about to meet the Emperor of Disney, the "Tyrant" Michael Eisner.

(End of this chapter)