Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 284 An Unexpected Help
Wu Yuchen stared at Robert Iger for a few seconds, then smiled and asked, "Do you want to be friends with me as Robert, or as Mr. Iger, the CEO of Disney?"

The latter smiled and said, "Robert Iger."

This answer means that whether he is personally or as the CEO of Disney, Robert Iger wants to be friends with Wu Yuchen.

Wu Yuchen naturally understood the meaning behind his words, and shook his head with a light laugh:

“Robert, if you’re speaking as an individual, I have to admit you’re a very charismatic person who makes people want to be your friend. But if you’re speaking as the CEO of Disney, frankly, that’s unlikely.”

Robert Iger showed no disappointment, but instead put on a sincere face and said:
“Wu, I know that some mistakes Disney made in the past have created a rift between you and Disney. I’m here today to bridge that rift and let us go back to the way things were. Our collaboration on ‘The Sixth Sense’ was a very enjoyable experience, wasn’t it?”

Wu Yuchen smiled sarcastically and said, "Robert, you should know everything about my relationship with Disney. I don't want to be stabbed in the back again!"

“Wu, this was indeed Disney's fault. We violated the spirit of the contract and caused you great harm. I am very sorry for this! I only hope that you can give me and Disney another chance, and something like this will never happen again!”

Wu Yuchen waved his hand dismissively and said, "Hehe. Disney owes me an Oscar for Best Director. Give me back that first, then we'll talk about other things!"

To be honest, Wu Yuchen's words were not very polite. If it were the presidents of other major film studios, they would have been angered by Wu Yuchen's disrespectful attitude. After all, they are in those positions and hold great power; they are among the most powerful people in Hollywood.

But Robert Iger, true to his nickname "Smiling Mickey Mouse," showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, he appeared thoughtful and then said directly:
"Wu, if this can mend our relationship, then Disney will do its best to help you win the Oscar for Best Director this year!"

Wu Yuchen was genuinely surprised. Disney was helping him with PR for Best Director? He'd never even considered something so fantastical. And what was Robert Iger trying to do?

Wu Yuchen has actually made a lot of preparations for this Oscar for Best Director. For example, he specially made an anti-war film that was in line with the times, and asked Spielberg to coordinate the relationship with "The Pianist".

But to be honest, even after all that he's done, he wouldn't dare say how confident he is of winning Best Director. He doesn't know how many Jewish people Spielberg can convince, and there's also Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" lurking in the shadows, its competitiveness no less than his...

Now, Disney's new CEO has suddenly appeared and offered to help him win this year's Oscars. If Disney's influence is truly on his side, his chances of winning this year have increased significantly!

Wu Yuchen narrowed his eyes and looked at the smiling Robert Iger: "I won't be giving any public relations fees."

Robert Iger shook his head: "This is my way of showing you sincerity! I told you, I'm here today to make friends with you!"

After seeing Robert Iger off, Wu Yuchen fell into deep thought. He absolutely did not believe that a Disney CEO would be so kind as to do public relations for him just to befriend him. Although Wu Yuchen said that Disney owed him an Oscar, he was not so naive as to think that the other party would repay him.

But now, Robert Iger is actually acting like a genuinely kind person, saying he owes him an Oscar and he'll really help him win one, all without making any demands. This has made Wu Yuchen a little suspicious, constantly wondering what the other party is really up to.

However, Wu Yuchen naturally accepted this offer of help without hesitation. Moreover, having learned his lesson this time, he would keep a close eye on things and prevent a repeat of such a betrayal. This further increased his confidence in winning the Best Director award at this year's Oscars.

……

Robert Iger's visit this time was certainly not to betray Wu Yuchen again; as he said, he came to befriend Wu Yuchen. In fact, he had already made friends with Wu Yuchen twice before.

The first thing Robert Iger did after taking office was to visit Roy Disney. He not only invited him back to the board as an honorary director, but also hired him as an advisor, giving this pillar of Disney face. This immediately appeased Disney's employees and veterans, gaining their support and allowing him to smoothly carry out sweeping internal reforms.

After completing the initial internal restructuring, Robert's second friend was Steve Jobs, the owner of Pixar.

Disney's core business is its animation. If Disney Animation were to collapse, the entire Disney ecosystem would crumble. However, in the short term, Disney's own animation division is insufficient to sustain Disney Animation, so Robert Turner set his sights on Pixar. Pixar cannot be allowed to leave Disney; it must be retained, or even acquired!
Robert gave Jobs a lot of face, and even the hot-tempered Jobs couldn't find fault with him. He also made many promises to Jobs, bringing both sides back to the negotiating table to discuss the renewal of Disney and Pixar's contracts.

Immediately afterwards, Robert came to visit Wu Yuchen.

If Steve Jobs represents animation, then Wu Yuchen represents live-action films. Disney has truly had no notable achievements in live-action films in recent years, and Miramax, the Weinstein brothers' company, is currently severing ties with Disney following Eisner's downfall.

Therefore, Disney needs a competitive live-action film business. Robert's interest wasn't just in Wu Yuchen as a person, but also in Marvel Studios and Marvel.

Miracle Pictures, needless to say, has consistently created miracles with Wu Yuchen at the helm. Given the falling out between Miramax and Disney, if Miracle Pictures were to join Disney, it would be more than capable of supporting Disney's live-action film division.

With the phenomenal success of Spider-Man, Marvel's various live-action films have given Robert a glimpse into the possibilities of the future. Marvel has more than just Spider-Man; if they are well-made, they can create a series of IPs, which can be well integrated with Disney and Disneyland!

And the key figure behind all of this is Wu Yuchen!

Therefore, everything he's doing now is aimed at repairing and building a friendly relationship with Wu Yuchen. Whatever plans he has, they can only proceed based on a good relationship with Wu Yuchen. Compared to his goals, what does it matter if Disney helps Wu Yuchen win an Oscar?
If possible, Robert hopes that the future Disney animation division will have Pixar, and the live-action division will have Miracles and Marvel. When that day comes, he believes he can definitely lead Disney to the pinnacle of Hollywood!

Robert Iger is not in a hurry; he is very patient. He is willing to lead Disney for 5 or even 10 years to achieve this day!
On February 5, 2003, then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented a vial of white powder at a UN meeting, claiming it was evidence that Iraq was developing "weapons of mass destruction." However, he refused to have the powder tested.

Upon seeing this scene on television, Wu Yuchen laughed. Others might not know what it was, but he certainly did! It was just a bag of laundry detergent!
Ten years later, the US has publicly admitted that the so-called "weapons of mass destruction" was a lie.

However, now that the fourth-ranking figure in American politics has raised such an excuse at the United Nations, it naturally allows Bush to launch an attack, once again emphasizing Iraq's threat to world security and peace, while also proposing three goals: to disarm Iraq, restore the freedom of the Iraqi people, and protect the world from serious dangers.

In terms of language familiar to people today, it means "demilitarization," "democratization," and "protection of peace."

This announcement escalated the situation once again; it was clearly a declaration of war!
Everyone wasn't stupid; they all sensed the impending storm. Immediately, anti-war protests erupted in many parts of America, with thousands of protesters in New York calling for peace and an end to war.

One sign stood out: “A village in Texas (where George W. Bush was born) misses its idiot.” This phrase, which Bush used to mock him during his presidential campaign, was widely quoted and ridiculed by protesters as the Iraq War broke out.

In short, tensions rose throughout American society, and indeed the world, with anti-war movements erupting in various locations. It was in this atmosphere that the nominations for the 75th Academy Awards were announced on February 11th.

"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas": Best Picture, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score.

"The Hours": Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score.

This time, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" received 7 nominations, while "The Hours" received as many as 9.

Meanwhile, Wu Yuchen achieved another milestone: becoming a director nominated for two Oscars. This also makes him the frontrunner to win Best Director this year!
"Thank you, but it's too early to offer your congratulations now. I hope you can save your wishes for the Oscars ceremony night~"

Wu Yuchen smiled and hung up another phone call. Ever since the list was announced, he had been receiving a constant stream of congratulatory calls. Although Wu Yuchen himself was also very happy, he became increasingly humble and cautious, especially at this crucial moment. He remembered very clearly the time when he was nominated for two directors but ultimately failed.

Wu Yuchen was happy, but some people were furious.

"idiot!"

Neon lights. A man angrily smashes a teacup.

"Miyamoto-kun, didn't you say before that you wouldn't let this movie compete for an Oscar? Didn't you say you'd hand it over to Sony?"

A middle-aged man bowed and apologized: "It's private Marseille! I did try, but the head of Sony North America rejected my request!"

The man snorted coldly. As members of the right wing in Japan, they were extremely disgusted with Wu Yuchen's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas." They had consistently denied the crimes committed during World War II, even whitewashing the atrocities of their ancestors, achieving considerable success over the decades.

But now, Wu Yuchen's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is exposing their crimes in Hollywood, the world's most high-profile city, and at the Oscars. How can they not be angry?
"Matsuda-kun, do you have any contact with Japanese-American groups?"

"We've already contacted them, and they've mobilized some of their resources to protest and even report the incident. But because Wu's filming techniques are extremely cunning, this movie doesn't contain any gore and won't be approved for a higher rating..."

"And what about the media? They're letting some pro-Japanese North American media outlets smear us!"

"Yes, we are already doing that."

"We must do everything in our power to stop it; we can't let this movie achieve good results at the Oscars!"

After he finished speaking, he glared at the Sony director. At such a critical moment, he couldn't even control his own company. What a fucking piece of trash!

"Furthermore, have our diplomats lodge another protest with China, protesting the smearing of Japan's image through the film! Mobilize all our capital resources, especially those that cooperate with China, to exert pressure!"

He knew that China was currently prioritizing its economy and highly valued foreign investment, with Japan being a significant force investing in China. Many Chinese were willing to abandon principles for the sake of the economy and money. By pressuring certain departments and regions in China and threatening to withdraw investment, he hoped to incite internal conflict against Wu Yuchen, which might prove surprisingly effective.

"Send someone to contact Wu Yuchen in person to test his attitude. We should try to be polite first, then resort to force, using both threats and inducements!"

Although they may not be able to do anything to Wu Yuchen, they might actually succeed?
"Hi!"

And all of this was done to target "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas".

Previously, "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" only had limited screenings and its reach was not extensive. However, with the announcement of the Oscar nominations, the number of theaters showing the film increased to 500, which is a significant number.

If this film continues to perform even better at the Oscars, it will definitely be widely distributed around the world, which is the last thing the Japanese right wing wants to see!
(End of this chapter)