Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 66 The Main Event After the Film Festival (Please Read On)

"In fact, I am still a freshman in college. I want to thank my school, Huaxia Jingcheng Film Academy. Without the school lending us the equipment, I think we wouldn't even have enough money for the filming."

Many thanks to actors Jiang Qinqin, Duan Long, Sun Honglei and others for their wonderful performances!

Many people have helped me along the way, and I am truly grateful to them. Thank you!

After speaking, Wu Yuchen bowed slightly, then held up the medal in his hand to show it off, revealing a triumphant smile, and walked off the stage amidst applause.

Back in her seat, Jiang Qinqin's face was flushed with excitement. After Wu Yuchen handed her the medal, she held it in her hands and looked at it over and over again, as if she wanted to memorize every single line on the little golden bear.

The short film section is really just an appetizer for the awards ceremony; the real highlight is the main competition section.

The Best Actor award went to Sean Penn, the lead actor in "On the Road to Death." Next, just as Wu Yuchen remembered, the Best Director award went to the mainland Chinese film "The Sun Has Ears," and the Golden Bear for Best Film naturally went to Li An's "Sense and Sensibility."

Chinese film crews truly emerged as the big winners this year, taking home the Golden Bear and a Silver Bear in the main competition, plus Wu Yuchen's Golden Bear for a short film. It's fair to say that Chinese directors stole half the limelight at this year's Berlin Film Festival.

That evening, at the celebration reception held during the film festival, the Chinese community gathered together, including jury members Ann Hui and Joan Chen.

This time, everyone's attitude towards Wu Yuchen has improved considerably, since winning an award or not is a completely different matter.

Ann Hui and Li An even asked Wu Yuchen if he intended to develop his career outside of mainland China, saying they could offer some assistance.

Wu Yuchen thought of Huang Bo's words again: "After you become famous, you'll be surrounded by good people." Although he only won an award for a short film, the potential he showed was enough for everyone to have high hopes for him.

Wu Yuchen didn't refuse outright. Instead, he said that he was only a freshman and still needed to study. He would go out and see the world when he had the opportunity after he had completed his studies.

Li An, Ann Hui, and others smiled and then left Wu Yuchen their contact information, such as business cards.

Although the Berlin Film Festival has closed, it is not the end for the films that participated in the awards ceremony. The main event, no less important than the awards, is still to come in the next few days.

The following day, Wu Yuchen sat opposite a middle-aged white man in a coffee shop.

"Congratulations, Wu! I knew 'Car 44' was good, it's fantastic!"

"Thank you, Mr. Havertz."

"Wu, I think you know what I'm after. Name your price, I want it."

"Mr. Havertz, what price are you willing to offer?"

Havertz clearly had a plan in place: "$8 for global television and theatrical rights."

The price was double what it was before the awards ceremony, and Wu Yuchen thought to himself that the awards could indeed be directly exchanged for real money.

Wu Yuchen thought for a moment and said:

“Mr. Havertz, do you know that during the screening of ‘Car 44’, I talked with audiences from many countries, including Europe, America, Asia and even Australia? They told me that similar incidents of car robbery and collective silence happen frequently in their local areas, and some have even experienced them firsthand. True acts of heroism are only a minority.”

Havertz remained silent, waiting for Wu Yuchen to continue.

"I think you should understand what this means. My book, 'Car 44,' is very international. It will resonate with people in any part of the world because it could be happening around you all the time!"

Clearly, Wu Yuchen meant that his short film had a much wider audience than other genres, and that if you wanted it, you'd have to pay more. "OK, Wu, then please tell me your expected price," Havertz said, shrugging.

"$15 million."

"Oh no, no, no, this is clearly an impossible price!" Havertz reacted strongly.

Wu Yuchen calmly stirred the coffee in his cup with a spoon and said:

"Relax, Mr. Havertz. This price is very reasonable. The Berlin Best Short Film Golden Bear gimmick alone is worth 10 euros in publicity. And this is the combined revenue stream from television and theaters. I know you have a wide range of revenue channels."

In Europe and America, short films can not only be sold to television stations for broadcast and generate revenue, but these film companies also compile short films into anthologies and screen them in independent theaters.

Don't assume no one watches them. The head of an international short film company once stated that short film anthologies perform exceptionally well at the box office, earning millions of dollars in the US and reaching as high as 27th in independent theater box office rankings. And this is only the box office revenue from the US.

“Hey Wu, I admit that ‘Car 44’ is an excellent short film, but we’re not going to pay $150,000 for a short film. That’s too much!”
"I'll give you a maximum of 10, that's the highest price I've ever offered for a short film!" Havertz exclaimed.

Wu Yuchen would be a fool to believe his nonsense, but he also knew that this was an era where distribution channels were king, and distributors were the easiest industry to make money in.

After some haggling, the two parties agreed on a price of $120,000 for the global television and theatrical distribution rights to "Car 44".

To be honest, this price has already exceeded Wu Yuchen's expectations before he came.

After the two finalized the deal, Havertz smiled at Wu Yuchen and said:
“Wu, you are really different from many Chinese people I have met. You are very confident and you know more about the Western world.”

Wu Yuchen smiled and said, "Maybe it's because I'm younger. Young people are always confident, aren't they?"

"Hahaha!"

After finishing his coffee, Wu Yuchen casually asked:
"Havertz, are you interested in the adaptation rights to 'Car 44'?"

Havertz smiled and asked, "Oh? Hasn't anyone approached you about the adaptation rights yet?"

Wu Yuchen remained calm and simply smiled, "Yes, but I'd like to see if there are any more suitable buyers."

Havertz shook his head: "Wu, I'm sorry, our company only handles short film projects. I don't think we're interested in adaptation rights."

"That's such a shame."

Wu Yuchen sighed, then asked:

From your perspective, how much are the adaptation rights for "Car 44" worth?

Havertz narrowed his eyes, thinking that since he couldn't get the adaptation rights anyway, he might as well tell the truth and befriend the young director in front of him.

"Wu, I can't give a specific price. But in my personal opinion, I think if the background of 'Car 44' were changed to the American West and the style became a cult film, I think a segment of the audience would be very interested."

Wu Yuchen nodded upon hearing this, then gave a sincere smile: "Havertz, thank you for your suggestion!"

Please turn to the next page and join the reading!


(End of this chapter)