Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 87 Arrival in Tokyo
Japan's film industry has declined, and its film industry has long been surpassed and even crushed by Chinese-language films, but its Tokyo International Film Festival is currently the best held in Asia.

It's important to distinguish between film festivals and film awards.

Film festivals, such as the three major European film festivals, were originally founded to screen films and to promote artistic exchange through film. Almost all the films that participated in the festivals were films that had not yet been released. Of course, nowadays everyone values ​​the final awards.

Film awards like the Oscars are awarded to outstanding films released in the past year, and the eligibility criteria are that the films must have been released in the past year.

Therefore, comparing the Tokyo International Film Festival with the Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Awards is actually somewhat inaccurate.

A film can easily participate in film festivals before its release and then win film awards after its release. For example, Jiang Wen's "In the Heat of the Sun" participated in the Venice Film Festival in 94, was released in China in 95, and then went to Taiwan to participate in the Golden Horse Awards this year, 96.

I'm mentioning this because Wu Yuchen is currently on a flight to Tokyo, where "We Two" has been successfully shortlisted for the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Wu Yuchen brought Zhou Xun and Tang Yu with him this time, but Grandma Jin Yaqin was too old to come along.

Besides Zhou Xun, two other crew members from films also nominated for this year's Tokyo International Film Festival, "The King of Masks" and "Red Light Stop, Green Light Go," accompanied her.

This "Face Changer" isn't the one directed by Wu Baige, but rather a film about traditional Chinese culture, directed by Wu Tianming. Some may not have heard of him, so let me mention another film he directed, arguably his posthumous work, "Song of the Phoenix." The producer's kneeling plea for box office success sparked widespread discussion.

Both "Song of the Phoenix" and "The King of Masks" focus on traditional Chinese culture and are honestly very conscientious domestic films. Wu Yuchen has great respect for director Wu Tianming.

The other film, "Red Light Stop, Green Light Go," is directed by Huang Jianxin, a highly experienced director who has won the Golden Rooster Award and the Five Ones Award. He is also the leader of the Chinese delegation to the Tokyo International Film Festival.

Compared to Wu Tianming's taciturn nature, Huang Jianxin was quite talkative, even chatting with Wu Yuchen across the aisle.
"Xiao Wu, you have a bright future ahead of you! When I was your age, I didn't even know what a movie was. I didn't get the chance to make my first movie until I was over 30."

"Teacher Huang, you flatter me. The environment is getting better and better. If it weren't for the funding from the movie channel, I wouldn't have been able to make this film!" Wu Yuchen said modestly.

"Sigh, you know, the domestic economy is getting better and better, but our movie box office is getting worse and worse. Ten years ago, our national box office was over 3 billion yuan. Back then, when 'Romance on Lushan Mountain' was released, a movie ticket cost 25 cents, and the box office exceeded 100 million yuan in just half a month."

Look at it now, tickets in Beijing can sell for 15 yuan, and the total box office is less than half of what it used to be. Let alone 100 million yuan, it's hard to even reach 50 million. It still has to rely on Jackie Chan from Hong Kong to keep it going!

Sigh, you've been caught in this situation, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing..."

Huang Jianxin shook his head and sighed as he spoke.

Wu Yuchen thought to himself that things hadn't hit rock bottom yet. It wouldn't be until the beginning of the century, a few years later, when the total box office dropped to 8 million, that would truly make many film professionals despair. In those two years, many film-related major graduates either chose to study and become teachers or take the civil service exam.

"Teacher Huang, I believe things will definitely get better and better in the future. With a better economy and more money for ordinary people, more people will definitely go to the movies!"

"I hope so. I'll come to Tokyo to support you!"

"Thank you so much, Teacher Huang!"

Wu Yuchen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the man had stopped talking. He always felt like he was chatting with a boss. Then he glanced at the woman sitting next to Huang Jianxin, who was also the female lead in his movie, Ding Jiali. Uh, she was Sun Honglei's older sister and ex-girlfriend in his previous life.

It is said that Sun Honglei climbed up to this older woman in order to get resources. The older woman helped him obtain a lot of good resources, but after he became famous, he kicked her away.

Wu Yuchen doesn't know if this rumor is true or false, but some marketing accounts claim that the older sister knelt down to Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping to get Sun Honglei the opportunity, which is pure nonsense. "My Father and Mother" was filmed in 98, and Sun Honglei and the older sister met in 99 when they were rehearsing the play "Madame Curie". Before he met the older sister, he was no longer an unknown.

At this moment, he called out to Zhou Xun, who was sitting by the window looking out, "Director Wu, look outside, it's so beautiful!"

It was Zhou Xun's first time on an airplane, and she was overjoyed as she looked at the blue sky and layers of clouds outside the plane.

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at Zhou Xun's childlike appearance.

……

Wu Yuchen had previously participated in the Berlin Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival, and the procedures were actually quite similar, so he remained quite calm. However, Zhou Xun was different; it was her first time going abroad and her first time attending a film festival, and she was constantly excited.

The Tokyo International Film Festival is similar to the three major European film festivals, and it also has various screening sections. This time, "We Two" was selected for the main competition section and was given a special exhibition hall. They even sent a translator and two staff members. The service provided by Xiao Ri Zi in this regard is indeed more thorough than that in Europe.

Upon arrival, as is customary, the first thing to do is to put up the prepared promotional posters, display boards, banners, and the like.

He paid for all the publicity himself, as he had already negotiated with the movie channel. The overseas rights to the film belonged to Wu Yuchen, so he called Tang Yu over to help. With two more staff members this time, they were much faster and finished in one afternoon.

On September 27, the film festival officially kicked off. Wu Yuchen and Zhou Xun were invited to walk the opening red carpet, receiving much better treatment than before.

The film festival was held in Roppongi, an area lined with shopping malls and office buildings. As Wu Yuchen walked the red carpet with Zhou Xun, his gaze swept past the crowds on both sides of the red carpet. Just a few feet away, he could see white-collar women going to work and shopping, which made Wu Yuchen feel a little strange.

However, being in such a bustling area does have one advantage: it attracts a lot of passersby and spectators. When he returned to the exhibition hall, Tang Yu told him that it was almost full.

Asuka originally came to Roppongi to go shopping today, but she unexpectedly saw the film festival being held and curiously came in with her friend Yukina.

The two girls were just wandering around aimlessly when they came across a poster. They saw a girl with a small face, about the same age as them, hugging a kind-looking old lady from behind, resting her chin on the old lady's shoulder. It was a very warm and harmonious scene, which reminded Asuka of her grandmother who had raised her since she was a child back in her hometown. She stopped and stood there.

"Yukina-chan, shall we watch this?"

"Didn't you say you were just looking around? If you go to the movie, you won't have time to shop!"

"We've been walking around for so long already, let's just find a place to rest, okay?" Asuka said, tugging at her friend's hand and acting coquettishly.

"Okay, okay, my legs are getting a little sore too." "Yukina-chan is the best!"

After they finished speaking, the two women held hands, bought tickets, and entered the "We Two" exhibition hall. The theater was already quite full when they entered, and the lights went out shortly after they sat down.

The movie title, "You and Me," appeared on the big screen, and to the audience's surprise, the film also included Japanese subtitles. This was a version that Wu Yuchen personally funded, as the main purpose of selling the rights to "You and Me" was to make a small profit.

At the beginning of the movie, we see a little girl riding a bicycle in the snow, looking lonely and helpless. Soon she arrives at the old lady's courtyard house.

A few brief words of conversation revealed to Asuka that the girl was a student adrift in Tokyo, looking to rent an apartment. This resonated with Asuka, as she herself had moved alone from her hometown to the metropolis of Tokyo after graduating high school, and deeply understood the feeling.

However, the old lady displayed a harsh expression during the negotiation process, which left Asuka with a slightly unpleasant impression.

After the girl moved in, the two constantly clashed over everyday trivialities, such as gas, phone calls, and electric heaters. The old lady's shrewdness and meanness made her very dislike her. Watching Zhou Xun lament about a stray dog ​​abandoned on the street, wanting to take it home to adopt it but having to give up because she couldn't even support herself, Asuka felt a pang of sadness. This was something she had experienced herself.

However, when Asuka saw the old lady fall into a long silence after realizing she had misunderstood the girl, slowly hang up the lantern she had knocked down, keep looking into the girl's room on New Year's Eve, and prepare a table full of food to wait for her to return, a warm feeling welled up in Asuka's heart, and her opinion of the old lady changed drastically.

As the girl returned and sat down at the dinner table with the old lady, while brilliant fireworks burst outside, Asuka couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two of them together.

The snow-covered landscape of winter, the green leaves of spring, the warm sun and heavy rains of summer—as these scenes changed, the relationship between the old woman and the little horse grew increasingly harmonious. When the girl was heartbroken in the summer, the old woman even sat alone outside the door talking to the little dog, constantly comforting the girl who had locked herself in her room. But as autumn arrived with its withered yellow leaves, the girl had to move away.

Watching the old woman holding the girl's hand, her repeated questions, "Really moved out? Really emptied out? Really emptied out? Just like that?" felt like knives cutting into the softest part of Asuka's heart, causing her to burst into tears.

The old woman's wrinkled face, her dull and empty eyes, and her lost and dejected appearance made her look so pitiful that Asuka felt extremely distressed!

"No! Don't move!" Asuka cried out, clutching her friend's hand.

However, the girl did not hear her calls and left anyway. Her departure seemed to have taken away the old lady's soul, and she soon fell ill. The courtyard house was given to her grandson as his wedding room.

As the film draws to a close and the next harsh winter arrives, the girl and the ailing old woman stand silently in a country cottage, tears streaming down their faces. Asuka covers her mouth and sobs softly.

The old lady eventually passed away, but this love remained forever in the heart of the grieving girl, moving all the audience members present.

At this moment, Yukina's eyes were also red, but she still hugged Asuka to comfort her.

Asuka wiped away her tears, leaned her head on Yukina's shoulder, and said in a slightly hoarse, tearful voice:
"Xue Nai, I miss my grandma back home..."

When the lights in the theater came on, there was little applause. Many people were sobbing quietly, some with red eyes, and others were wiping their eyes with tissues.

The organizer's translator initially wanted to pick up the microphone to remind everyone, but Wu Yuchen stopped him, giving the audience some time. After a while, Wu Yuchen led Zhou Xun and the translator to the center of the stage.

"This is Director Wu Sang and lead actress Ms. Zhou from the film 'We Two'. Please give them a round of applause!"

Applause slowly rose from the audience, growing louder and louder until it finally stopped.

After Wu Yuchen and Zhou Xun greeted everyone, they quickly moved on to the Q&A session.

The first person called upon was a middle-aged woman, around forty years old. She wore glasses and her eyes were a little red. She stood up and asked:
"Director, is this a true story? I know it might be presumptuous, but it feels so real to me, like it happened to me twenty years ago."

Wu Yuchen took the microphone and explained:
"The inspiration for the film came from a true story I observed happening around me; the passing of an old lady evoked many emotions in me,"

"Thank you, director. This film truly moved me deeply. In Tokyo today, it's rare to see this kind of warmth and affection between strangers. I remember when I was little, the uncles and aunts in my neighborhood would be very friendly, but now we might not even greet each other when we meet..."

The middle-aged woman seemed to have been deeply moved by the film, and she talked for quite a while before stopping.

However, neither Wu Yuchen nor anyone else present showed any impatience; that's just the atmosphere at film festivals. Moreover, her words resonated deeply with many. Especially after the economic collapse of Japan in recent years, everyone has become more self-centered, leading to increased indifference between people in society.

Wu Yuchen then called on several audience members and answered their questions one by one. When he called on a girl who looked to be around 20 years old, she stood up and asked:

"Director, why are you so cruel? Does the girl really have to move away?"

This question amused Wu Yuchen. How could they film the rest of the movie if they didn't move the items?

However, he also knew that these were assumptions often made by viewers who had already invested emotions in and resonated with the film, so he said:
"The girl can't stay with the old lady forever; everyone has their own life."

“But I feel so sad. If she hadn’t moved away, the old lady wouldn’t have gotten sick and wouldn’t have passed away. If it were me, I would have regrets for the rest of my life…” Asuka said, tears streaming down her face again.

Wu Yuchen glanced at the sentimental Japanese girl, a thought struck him, he cleared his throat, and uttered a classic movie line in a slightly deep voice:

"Life is like a train journey to the grave, with many stops along the way. Few people can accompany you from beginning to end. When those who have been with you have to get off, even if you are reluctant to part, you should be grateful and wave goodbye."

After Wu Yuchen finished speaking, the entire theater fell silent. Asuka stood there in a daze, her words echoing in her mind.

A moment later, thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue and lasted for a long time!

Wu Yuchen bowed slightly in thanks, not surprised by the audience's reaction. After all, this was one of the most classic lines from the Japanese animated film, *Spirited Away*, which had dominated the Japanese box office for over two decades!

It would be strange if these lowly people weren't moved!
(End of this chapter)