After all of them were reborn, who would still be an actor?

Chapter 708: Miss's Global Premiere, Released in Mainland China!

Spielberg: "Lee is a genius, a cinematic genius!"

Nicole Kidman: "I'm a fan of his, and I hope to work with him someday."

Leonardo DiCaprio: "Lee should come to Hollywood. I look forward to working with him."

Ang Lee: "We admire each other, but we haven't sat down to have a proper talk about the film yet. The Lady is a very excellent and mature film, and I like it very much."

Jacob: "Miss, you made it through your own merit, I guarantee it with my reputation!"

……

Among the Hollywood guests present, the most eye-catching was the presence of the entire cast and crew of The Great Gatsby, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Spider-Man dressed in formal attire, giving Li Mingyang a great deal of face.

Li Mingyang met Xiao Li at the casino. It was fate that they met, so he invited him to the premiere of the young lady's movie.

Little Li is quite well-behaved and easy to talk to; he agreed right away.

He also said he would bring the crew along.

You kept your word, that's excellent.

Following the Hollywood guests were celebrities from the European arts and culture scene, people who are ordinary to the average person and have little fame.

But in the eyes of Western media professionals, they are all renowned filmmakers.

Following them were stars, directors, and filmmakers from both the Korean and Chinese entertainment industries, with no particular order of precedence. Zuo Shandiao and Li Meijin even walked the red carpet together.

The red carpet for the global premiere of "Miss" lasted from dawn till dusk.

7 p.m.

Li Mingyang led the main cast and crew of the drama "Miss" on the red carpet.

Wearing a black suit and sunglasses, Li Mingyang led the way, like a suit-wearing thug, and burst into people's view.

On either side of him were the two big and two small gold pieces.

Kim Min-hee's light red sheer dress was alluring and mysterious, and her demeanor was elegant.

Kim Tae-ri wore a pure white off-shoulder dress, perfectly reflecting her status as a newcomer to the film industry, pure and simple.

Following them were two South Korean film emperors, Lee Byung-hun and Ha Jung-woo, and then Jing Tian and other behind-the-scenes figures.

The ten-person creative team appeared, and the flashbulbs on set never stopped, illuminating everyone in bright white light.

Jing Tian kept a low profile this time, not wearing an expensive haute couture gown that costs millions, but instead wearing a simple black dress with only a gold belt to define her proportions.

There was no overshadowing of the main subject.

Upon reaching the large platform in the middle of the steps, Li Mingyang was filled with excitement at the sight of a spectacle comparable to the opening ceremony of Cannes.

This is life!
This is the scene he fought for!
In a foreign land, in the cultural arena of the West, he raised the highest award in European art, the Palme d'Or!
Subconsciously, Li Mingyang slowly raised his hand, as if to touch something.

"Director Li? Director Li?" Xiao Sa whispered a reminder.

Li Mingyang raised an eyebrow but ignored him.

It only took Xiao Sa two seconds to understand what Li Mingyang meant. Holding the microphone, he laughed and said, "Director Li, what are you doing? There's nothing in front of you."

"some."

"What is it?"

"My Palme d'Or".

Li Mingyang clenched his fist as if the golden palm was firmly grasped in his hand.

It took Xiao Sa three seconds to figure out Li Mingyang's attitude; he had come to Cannes with Zhang Ziyi.

Li Mingyang has been changing his mind these days, telling everyone he's bought the Palme d'Or.

A moment later, he added in a low-key manner that the Palme d'Or was still undecided, but that his other works were also excellent.

Now they're saying the Palme d'Or is his...

His attitude is unpredictable, like he's ill.

But the Palme d'Or undoubtedly belongs to Li Mingyang.

Xiao Sa has never seen so many Westerners supporting an Eastern director before.

In less than a week, Li Mingyang had become very close with the Western filmmakers in Cannes, laughing and joking around...

This person's social skills are insane...

Without any restraint, he often saw Li Mingyang embracing beautiful Hollywood actresses and bragging to others.

Every time he saw Li Mingyang, he was filled with envy... He had several women at home, and he was still flirting with other women outside.

After completing his routine interview with the crew of "Miss," Xiao Sa followed Li Mingyang into the inner area.

The Lumière Theatre, the largest theater in the Palais des Festivals, has 2300 seats and spans two floors. From the stage, it appears quite festive with its bright red color.

Film critics, journalists, and accredited movie fans were seated on the second floor, while celebrities and filmmakers who walked the red carpet to show their support were seated on the first floor.

As the opening host, Xiao Sa boasted for a while on stage, but in reality, he had never seen a prostitute, and everything he said was recited from the script given to him by Li Mingyang.

"Director Li, it's almost time for the screening. Is there anything else you'd like to say to everyone?" Xiao Sa asked as usual.

And they were ready to hand over the microphone at any time.

Li Mingyang thought for a moment, then reached out and grasped the microphone. Overwhelmed with emotion, he took two deep breaths before slowly speaking: "Someone told me that movies have no borders. I didn't believe it before, but after coming to Cannes, I believe it now. Movies have no borders, and cultures can resonate."

"Thank you!"

……

The screening room went dark.

The screen lit up, and Li Mingyang's film, which he had declared would win Best Film at Cannes, was being screened.

Fan Binbin crossed his arms, leaned back in his seat, and stared intently at the screen with his bright eyes.

She had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

She was very curious about what kind of art film Li Mingyang had made.

Li Mingyang no longer needs to prove himself in commercial films.

This is the second art film.

The first part is a tender bouquet of flowers.

Before watching the show, Fan Binbin watched the BBC's "Fingersmith," and the plot of the show didn't surprise him much.

But when Kim Min-hee appeared, Fan Binbin lost her composure.

She had met Kim Min-hee many times, and in her eyes, Kim Min-hee was not a particularly beautiful actress, even somewhat ordinary.

But Kim Min-hee, the actress playing Miss Kim in the film, exudes a strong feminine charm simply by standing there, her eyes brimming with emotion…

Kim Tae-ri, who is slightly better looking in real life, is less beautiful in the movie, but her pure and unadulterated acting is very pleasant to watch.

The maid is much braver than in the original story, and the young lady is far less cunning than in the original story.

As the match was drawing to a close, she even began to wonder if she was a lesbian...

"Exquisite visuals, outstanding acting, strong sense of character immersion, reasonable editing, suspenseful pacing, just the right amount of music, and thought-provoking open-ended questions..." Zhou Xun said with a touch of sadness.

Fan Binbin glanced at Zhou Xun sitting next to him, who was starting to show off again...

They act all cultured... but actually they don't know anything.

Fan Binbin really didn't want to sit with Zhou Xun, but since the entire Hong Kong entertainment circle wasn't coming, she looked around and found that the seat next to Zhou Xun was the best, and it wasn't particularly unpleasant either.

"Brother Xun, is this level of risqué acceptable?" Fan Binbin whispered.

Zhou Xun hesitated for a while before glancing at Fan Binbin and saying, "No."

"No, what do you have to regret?"

When did I have any regrets?

Fan Binbin laughed, his smile filled with blatant provocation.

Zhou Xun's eyes narrowed, then she smiled faintly, "I forgot, Bingbing doesn't mind, it's just that there's no chance... never a chance in her entire life."

Finally, Zhou Xun didn't forget to stab him in the back.

This stab made Fan Binbin's face change color, and he stared straight at Zhou Xun.

Zhou Xun chuckled twice, "You're courting death, daring to fight me."

Seeing that Fan Binbin might explode at any moment, Huang Xiaoming, who was standing to the side, could no longer pretend to be dead. He quickly tried to calm Bingbing down and persuade Xun Ge to calm down so as not to embarrass Director Li.

At that moment, the theater went dark, and the movie ended.

The lights suddenly blared again, and the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

The enthusiastic applause had nothing to do with the award.

The scores in the event program are unrelated to the awards.

However, the fact that the Cannes Film Festival's official artistic director Thierry, Cannes Film Festival president Jacob, and the entire jury were all present to watch the film together was a first for the festival this year.

After the world premiere of "The Lady in the Palace," there were fewer articles questioning whether she could win the Palme d'Or, and many European film critics gave her very high praise.

The woman in question is not only a lesbian, but also a feminist; in predicting exam questions, she hit the nail on the head regarding this year's political trends in Europe and America...

什么是艺术电影？

Unlike commercial films, which have special effects, budget, and box office revenue as factors to consider.

Profitability is success.

Art is a concept, a trend of thought, an exploration, and an abstraction.

It's something defined by a group of people who control the discourse of art.

So, as for what exactly the woman is like, the media can express their opinions, film critics can share their thoughts and feelings.

But the final decision rests with those who control the discourse of Cannes art.

This year is a very special year, and Spielberg, as the chairman of the jury, has a lot of influence.

If he wanted, he could influence the thoughts of all the judges and get Cannes to agree with his opinions.

Spielberg has a very thorough understanding of the power he wields.

But he will not easily exercise his rights.

He will only exercise his rights if Li Mingyang fails to win the Palme d'Or.

Winning the Palme d'Or was the decision that best served Li Mingyang's personal interests.

After the global premiere of "Miss", the judges went to the meeting room prepared by the organizers for a closed discussion.

The issue is simple: is the lady good enough to win the Palme d'Or?

After a less-than-intense discussion, all the judges looked at Spielberg, the meaning of which was clear.

If you think it's okay, then it's okay.

"Let's hear everyone's opinions?" Spielberg said with a smile.

If you're not an expert, you might not understand what Spielberg means.

But the experts present gleaned a great deal of information from it!

And it's very explosive information.

Everyone's opinions will be the program booklet!
In previous years, the Cannes Film Festival has followed the principle of "the hottest films are bound to fail," meaning that the films with the highest scores in the festival's daily publication and the best reviews from all sides often miss out on the Palme d'Or.

Spielberg intends to refer to the event publication's ratings.

The Cannes Film Festival's daily publication, *Screen*, records the festival's screening schedule, introduces the films being screened, interviews with filmmakers, and provides in-depth analysis of popular films.
At the same time, it also gathers the opinions of many media outlets and senior film critics, and scores the films in the main competition section daily (using a 4-point scoring system). The final average score often aligns with that of the Cannes official jury.

As of now, the Cannes Film Festival's program has released ratings for nine of the films already screened in the main competition.

"A Touch of Sin" is currently in first place with a score of 3.2.

"Past" and "Return" ranked second and third with scores of 2.8 and 2.6 respectively.

"Like Father, Like Son" ranked fourth with a score of 2.5.

"Beautiful Face" received a score of 2.4.

Bergman received a score of 2.1.

Jimmy Piccard received 2 points.
"Herri" received a score of 1.6. "Straw Shield" received a score of 1.3.

The evaluation in the event program mainly depends on the judges' opinions, and Spielberg, not wanting to appear too authoritarian, chose to refer to the event program.

An old fox is always an old fox.

……

A high rating in the program does not guarantee a Palme d'Or.

Film critics are not a jury, after all.

Therefore, the highest award-winning films often do not necessarily receive high ratings from film critics.

Jia Zhangke's "A Touch of Sin" has an average score of 3.2, and two top film critics gave it a perfect score.

Among them is Michel Simon, president of the International Federation of Film Critics and editor-in-chief of the French film critic magazine "The Main Feature".

As a result, he won the Best Screenplay Award.

Li Mingyang's New World received a very low rating in the Cannes Film Festival publication... only 1.6.

Ultimately, he won the Best Screenplay award, just like Jia Zhangke.

With such low prize money in the event program, Li Mingyang had no idea he could win an award. After all, it's quite rare to win an award when the prize money is so low...

The program released the scores for the two main competition films the following afternoon.

Drunken Folk Songs: 3.3 points

Miss, 3.3 out of 10!
Tie!

Tied for first place!

Li Mingyang felt there was nothing to celebrate, but the South Korean media collectively wrote extensively about it, exaggerating and boasting wildly...

Relying on being featured in the program's publication, Section Chief Jia has been getting massive exposure across the country, achieving a level of exposure in just a few days that rivals that of the past few years.

The Miss China program tied for first place and swept across the Chinese and Korean internet.

Film critics' reviews poured in like a torrential downpour, creating an extremely alarming atmosphere.

As a film that won the Palme d'Or, The Lady has sparked discussions among tens of millions of netizens.

Many film critics' reviews contained spoilers, and the young lady's veiled mystery sparked countless people's fantasies.

A explicit sex scene is about to unfold.

"Holy crap, Li Mingyang has finally made a lesbian erotic film!"

"The day has finally come! I want to see it!"

"Kim Tae-ri is quite pretty. She was so popular right from her debut. It would be so great for her to be a director in Korea."

"You think domestic directors aren't happy? They just don't let you see them, haha. Director Li is much more honest, letting everyone watch together."

"Ha ha!"

"Haha +1"

"I read some film reviews, and it's really explicit. This movie can't be shown in mainland China!"

"I won't watch it even if it's released in mainland China! It'll definitely be a censored version. I'll wait for the uncensored pirated version from South Korea!"

"Haha, we're thinking the same thing."

"Pictures, pictures, pictures..."

"Holy crap! That guy upstairs is awesome, he's secretly filming!"

"My god, those positions are so exciting!"

"How come Kim Min-hee looks so good in the movie? That figure, those breasts, those eyes..."

Intentional unauthorized filming is unavoidable.

Drawn by both film reviews and piracy, countless netizens eagerly awaited the Korean pirated version.

Surprisingly, that afternoon, China Film Group suddenly announced that it would import the film, which would be edited and released simultaneously with the Korean film.

The release of "Miss" in mainland China surprised not only mainland netizens but also Li Mingyang himself.

Bellsley Hotel.

"Is it really going to be released in mainland China?" Li Mingyang asked.

Zuo Shandiao patted Li Mingyang's shoulder forcefully, "This is a good thing, why are you looking so gloomy? Don't you want to?"

I'm not willing to give a shit!

The movie "Miss" revolves around sex; removing the sex scenes is like removing its soul!
Although it has a foundation of suspense, suspense alone cannot support the entire movie.

It became just an ordinary movie.

“The essential parts have all been cut…” Li Mingyang said.

"As long as there are box office revenues, don't you want to make that money?"

"Of course I want to... but this film is an art film, and the best parts have been cut, so the box office won't be very high..."

"Haha, I didn't have confidence when I first met you. The Palme d'Or is the best publicity. With this kind of hype, it'll easily gross hundreds of millions at the box office."

Zuo Shandiao chuckled and said, "Since it's a Sino-Korean co-production, let's follow the domestic revenue-sharing ratio, with Enlight Media and China Film Group jointly distributing it. What do you think?"

"Thank you, Third Master. Guangming will definitely not let you down," Wang Changtian quickly pledged his loyalty.

"Can it reach a box office of one billion?" Zuo Shandiao asked.

“This…” Wang Changtian looked at Li Mingyang.

Li Mingyang really wanted to say, "If we don't cut the sex scenes, we can easily make a billion."

After cutting the sex scenes, Li Mingyang didn't even know how to handle the publicity.

There's no selling point!
If Kim Min-hee were replaced by Fan Binbin, it wouldn't be without a chance.

Unfortunately, no, domestic audiences don't even know who Kim Min-hee is.

"We'll do whatever Third Master says. When it comes to setting goals, the higher the better!"

Li Mingyang was just trying to fool him. Just when he thought Zuo Shandiao would force him to sign a pledge, Zuo Shandiao smiled and nodded, letting the matter drop so easily.

Zuo Shandiao has always been domineering, always resorting to high-handed tactics.

Li Mingyang and Wang Changtian were quite surprised that Gao Ju did not fight this time.

The three then discussed the promotion of the Miss China pageant.

The film "The Eagle Shooting Heroes" received ample treatment, with at least 40% of the screenings allocated to its premiere, which is undoubtedly very high for an overseas art film.

It also made a big exception, allowing for simultaneous release in China and South Korea.

Li Mingyang felt that Zuo Shandiao was particularly cute today, and was really too easy to talk to. Except for the sex scene, everything had to be deleted.

Whatever other requests Li Mingyang made, Zuo Shandiao tried his best to fulfill them.

The super low ticket subsidy of 5.9 yuan is back again.

"Third Master, then it's settled. I have a gathering to attend, so I'll be leaving now." Li Mingyang glanced at the clock on the wall, stood up, and smiled.

Zuo Shandiao waved his hand, gesturing for Li Mingyang to sit back down. "You're going to Jacob's private party, right? No rush, I'm going too."

Li Mingyang nodded and sat back down.

With a snap, Zuo Shandiao lit a cigarette, his brows furrowing sharply. "There's something I'm curious about."

"What is it? Does it concern me?"

"Of course it's related to you." Zuo Shandiao took a couple of puffs of his cigarette and said with a serious expression, "How exactly did you get this Palme d'Or? Don't tell me you bought it. If money could buy a Palme d'Or, you wouldn't be the one getting it."

The underlying meaning of this statement is that if praying to the gods were truly effective, you wouldn't even be able to get through the temple gates.

"It really was bought, for over a billion US dollars! Who could afford such an insane price?"

"Since I asked you, it means I know the price. A billion dollars is indeed an astronomical figure for an individual, but for a group, it's just a small matter. I don't need to elaborate on how much money has been spent on subsidies for films in China, do I?"

The domestic subsidies for the film industry are comprehensive, covering the entire industry chain from project initiation to production, distribution, and release.

The subsidies for cinemas are the largest, including a one-time subsidy for each screen, as well as incentive subsidies, loan subsidies, and real estate subsidies.

Of course, none of this compares to the financial film policy! Combined with ticket subsidies, it's an absolute game-changer!
"Nothing can be hidden from Third Master. In fact, money is one aspect, but connections are the most important aspect. Spielberg and Li Meijin are longtime friends, and he strongly supports me in winning the Palme d'Or."

"One hundred million US dollars and 10% of FBTV's shares, this price is too low." Zuo Shandiao stated the price directly, his face full of disbelief.

Now that you know the price, you still don't believe it? No, just how valuable do you think the Golden Palm is?
"Those are just the payments to Spielberg; there are also copyright contracts from Hollywood, totaling over a billion dollars."

Zuo Shandiao raised his hand holding a cigarette, pointed at Li Mingyang, and said, "Don't even mention spending billions of dollars to buy the copyright, I don't believe it even if you directly spend billions of dollars to buy the Palme d'Or."

"Times have changed. The Palme d'Or is arguably the highest award an Asian can win. It's not very useful for European directors to win it, but for Asian directors, whoever wins it is awesome. A billion dollars can create a god. You don't think the script was made without money, do you?"

Zuo Shandiao's words made Li Mingyang roll his eyes in disbelief.

So you don't believe I'll win the Palme d'Or?

"Believe it! Why wouldn't you believe it!"

"..."

"Don't you think you're special?"

"It's quite unique; it seems like I'm the only one with capital."

Zuo Shandiao paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "I told you to go to Hollywood, but you wouldn't listen. You underestimate others. No director who can make a name for themselves in Cannes is short of money, especially Asian directors. Those small directors in your eyes secretly control the fate of countless people and hold shares in numerous corporations."

"You don't include Korean directors among Asian directors, do you...?"

Zuo Shandiao shook his head with a wry smile. "You haven't been in the K-pop scene long enough, and you have CJ as your backer. Many things aren't what you see. Korean directors aren't as poor as you think, and Japanese directors are richer than you imagine. The funds they can mobilize are beyond your imagination. Do you understand cultural intimidation?"

Don't understand...

"Judging from your expression, you clearly don't understand. Let me put it this way: Cannes is the birthplace of Asian cinema's stars! And Hollywood's breeding ground for 'evil spirits'!"

"understood."

"Hollywood is full of idiots. Have you ever seen a crappy art film cost tens of millions of dollars? That's pure fraud!"

"No way... I think I'm pretty smart."

"That's because you've been dealing with the smartest people... Thierry was able to take Jacob's place because of his shrewdness and business acumen. With your limited abilities, you think you can compete with him?"

"I didn't fight with him, we have a very good relationship."

Zuo Shandiao bent down, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, placed his hands on his knees, and said in a deep voice, "The biggest difference between you and them, the most special thing about you, is your youth. Those guys are on average forty years old, and you are only twenty-four! You are sixteen years ahead of them! That is your biggest bargaining chip!"

"really……"

Most of the world's famous directors completed their debut films around the age of thirty.

Winning an internationally recognized award and achieving instant fame before the age of thirty is extremely rare.

Li Mingyang won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes at the age of 23.

It's already at the monster level.

At 24, he won one of Europe's three most prestigious Palme d'Or awards, so calling him Asia's top director is not an exaggeration.

Although he doesn't have many awards, he's young, so who dares to say he won't win more in the future?

Moreover, Asia also has three mainland Chinese directors who live off the Palme d'Or for the rest of their lives.

Li Mingyang originally wanted to follow Zuo Shandiao's advice, finish quickly, and leave as soon as possible.

He didn't want to mention the agreement between the six major Hollywood studios. If Zuo Shandiao knew, he would be overjoyed, and Zuo Shandiao wouldn't be able to back out even if he wanted to.

Just when he thought that Zuo Shandiao was done showing off and was about to leave...

Zuo Shandiao suddenly blurted out, "Did you kneel or not?"

Li Mingyang was stunned, and Wang Changtian was also stunned.

How am I supposed to answer that?!
"If you don't kneel, plenty of others will... If you want to win the Palme d'Or on someone else's turf, how can you do it without kneeling? You think that if you go to South Korea, they won't care about your status as a director from Tokyo University? What a joke! Asian directors who want to win the Palme d'Or have to kneel!"

"Sometimes it's okay to kneel down, no one will blame you."

"Those who are bought and those who are begged are essentially the same."

After Zuo Shandiao finished speaking, he patted Li Mingyang on the shoulder, pointed to his watch, and said, "Let's go, the banquet is about to start, don't keep them waiting."

(End of this chapter)