Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 95 Closing Ceremony Awards Ceremony, New Film Language
In the early morning of February 14, the Berlin Film Festival special pages of major domestic media were flooded with news of the premiere of "Buried".

The film shot by Wu Chen in 15 days caused a sensation at the Berlin Film Palace, received high praise from international film critics, and also sparked heated discussions in China.

Especially during the Chinese New Year, when everyone is bored, they will occasionally make a comment.

Moreover, Wu Chen's status in Berlin was clearly stated in the news reports.

"On the day of the premiere, the entire jury was present, Keanu Reeves and Cate Blanchett were in attendance, and the premiere of 'Buried' was packed."

This is not the treatment a new director deserves for his debut at the three major international film festivals. It is completely excessive.

At the same time, Wu Chen and Jason Blum were busy negotiating copyright fees.

Jason held up five fingers:

"Wu, based on the current popularity, I estimate the European copyright fees could be over 500 million euros."

"I collected and analyzed the data last night. First of all, our movie is a movie that can attract people with just one sentence, that is, 'a man is buried alive and survives with only a mobile phone.'

And the hype of your filming being completed in 15 days is also very beneficial to the film sales."

Jason's eyes lit up, and he continued, "Our costs are comparable to those of Saw from two years ago. During negotiations, I'll let them know that Buried Alive is similar to Saw in that it offers low risk and high returns. Sales through theatrical box office and home theaters will definitely be worth the money."

Wu Chen nodded slightly, okay, this is just empty talk.

This pie sounds tempting though.

"Of course, there's also the Bale factor. We spent $50 to hire Bale, and it certainly wasn't wasted. After Bale starred in 'American Psycho' in 2000, his thriller-style performances were deeply rooted in people's hearts.

He made the film more commercially valuable.
Of course, whether this price can be broken through in the end depends on the last day in Berlin."

"How much does it usually float up?" Wu Chen took a sip of coffee and asked slowly.

"Golden Bear, at least this number." Jason counted on seven fingers.

Wu Chen was stunned. It could float up to 70%.

The title of Golden Bear is really useful.

"what about others?"

"It only ranges from 10-50%. For example, the Best Screenplay award is only 10%. In fact, the Grand Jury Prize is not that high either, so it can only go up 30%."

Jason spread his hands. Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller and stood up: "We should get to work."

These days, Wu Chen and Jason have been busy from morning to night negotiating copyright issues with film producers from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.

“In Germany, Constantin Film offered €150 million for the nationwide distribution rights;

Gaumont of France offered 120 million euros;
100 million euros from Optimum Releasing in the UK;
Spain’s Aurum Producciones also came, with 80 euros;
Japan's Toho also got involved, offering $60, and scattered offers from other parts of Asia totaled around $50."

Jason roughly calculated that the film has been sold in Europe for nearly 600 million euros, and the Asian copyright has been sold for 170 million US dollars. Latin America and Australia and New Zealand are still under discussion, but it is estimated to be around 100 to 200 million US dollars.

"For North America, I've contacted Lionsgate for distribution. Someone from Lionsgate will be coming later to evaluate the plan based on the current situation in Berlin. As for the DVD rights, we can package them together with Lionsgate, and the estimated amount will be no less than $200 million."

Jason said, then looked at Wu Chen, "The one in China?"

"I'll communicate with you later in China!" Wu Chen nodded.

It is normal for China Film Group to give the import quota to "Buried". After all, importing other movies is also importing, so it is better to import our own movies.

"OK, we can relax a bit now. The rest depends on whether 'Buried' can win an award and make it big."

Jason collapsed on the sofa immediately. He had spent a lot of time and energy on negotiations these days. They were all European film producers, and the more money they paid, the harder it was to negotiate.

The latter parts of Latin America and Australia and New Zealand are much easier.

The Berlin Film Festival's circle is so small, and the news that "Buried" was sought after by film producers spread like wildfire.

As soon as the crew of "Peacock" finished the exclusive interview arranged by Poly Huayi, Lu Yulai, Zhang Jingchu, Feng Li and others started talking about it, with envy flashing in their eyes.

Gu Changwei still had no expression on his face, and he said lightly, "Get ready, the premiere will be tomorrow!"

On the afternoon of the 15th, Wu Chen took time out to watch the premiere of "Peacock". Outside the Cinema Palace, snowflakes were falling lightly, and there were fewer people on the red carpet than at the opening ceremony.

Gu Changwei came up with the crew. Jiang Wenli held his arm, wrapped tightly in a black dress. With a bright smile on her face, she waved to Wu Chen, "Director Wu, here we come!"

Zhang Jingchu followed behind with a stiff smile on his face.

With Jiang Wenli acting like this, others thought she was the supporting actress.

Wu Chen smiled and nodded: "Sister Wenli, Senior Brother Gu, congratulations on the great sale. I'll go in first."

The seats in the theater were not full, and the audience were mostly local Europeans and a small number of domestic reporters.

The lights dim and "Peacock" begins. The camera slowly sweeps across the gray streets of a small town in northern China in the 70s. A family of five is eating dinner in the corridor.

The film's shots are delicate, but the rhythm maintains the slow style of art films.

Although "Peacock" was not as popular among filmmakers as "Buried", it received very good reviews after its premiere. Some questions from foreign media at the press conference showed that most of them could understand and even resonate with the film.

The two Chinese-language directors received good responses in the main competition unit, and the news was still exciting when it spread back to China.

On February 16, the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, in Yudu, the filming of "Crazy Stone" started in a low-key manner.

As the producer, Zhang Qiang naturally came.

"Boss Han just called me and asked me to tell the crew that since it was just after the Lunar New Year and China Film was busy with its work, he couldn't come over. Congratulations on the start of filming on Stone, and best wishes for a successful start."

Ning Hao's face was filled with excitement. "Producer Zhang, thank President Han for me. I will definitely live up to his expectations."

At this moment, the cell phone in Ning Hao's pocket rang, and it was Wu Chen's voice that came.

"Brother, congratulations on the launch!"

"Hahaha, thank you, junior brother. I heard that you made a big splash in Berlin. I look forward to seeing you win the award at the closing ceremony." Ning Hao said happily.

Everyone in the crew listened and was envious.

News from Berlin has been coming in these days. Wu Chen's "Buried Alive" was well received in Berlin, and it has long been known to everyone in the film circle.

Even Gu Changwei's "Peacock" received high praise in Berlin.

The industry is looking forward to whether Chinese directors can shine in Berlin this time.

"Everyone, come over here and take a picture!" Ning Hao called out to everyone after hanging up the phone, then gave a thumbs-up and said, "Good luck with the launch!"

On the other side, people from Lionsgate and an old acquaintance, Peter Brock, arrived in the negotiation room.

However, this time he was just accompanying, as it was Michael Burns, the COO of Lionsgate, who came to negotiate.

Jason Blum patted Peter Brock's shoulder familiarly, and the other patted him back with great disdain, whispering:
"Fcuk, Jason, if I knew you and Wu were working together on Buried Alive, I would definitely fight you."

"You can't win against me. You, Lions Gate, will not agree to those conditions."

Jason Blum's grinning face makes him look like he deserves a beating.

Burns sat down and spoke directly:
"Jason has discussed everything with us regarding distribution. We've already developed three distribution plans based on the current status of Buried Alive."

Peter Brock took out the documents and handed them to Wu Chen and Jason.

Wu Chen took a look and saw that the first plan was to have an Oscar-winning schedule;

推荐档期：2005年11月11日（感恩节前两周）或 12月2日（颁奖季早期）。

Release strategy: Previews will begin in key cities like New York and Los Angeles, followed by full expansion in mid-December.
The plan also provides a release schedule evaluation: "This plan is extremely risky, but high risk, high reward, not recommended." The second plan is a high-box office strategy, maximizing the popularity of the Berlin Film Festival, based on the premise of winning a major award in Berlin.

Recommended release date: March 25, 2005, five weeks after Berlin, when it will attract the most attention from moviegoers, or April 8, the Easter release date.

The competition pressure in the March-April period is relatively small, and it will not encounter the superhero blockbusters in the summer period, so it is relatively safe.

Of course, the last set is the horror movie prime time, September 2005, warming up before Halloween
"Wu, I personally recommend options two and three." Jason approached Wu Chen and whispered.

"Of course!" Wu Chen looked up at Michael Burns without hesitation. "I think option two is great. If we don't win the prize, then we'll go with option three."

"It's a very safe strategy." Michael Burns couldn't deny it and smiled. "Then let's talk about family copyright."

Then the four of them started a negotiation for millions of dollars in the negotiation room.

Wu Chen and Jason Blum worked very hard to negotiate the cost of home copyright down to $300 million.

Just like that, three days passed in a flash.

The closing ceremony officially started at 14:00 on February 19, local time in Germany.

Yesterday, Wu Chen received a notice from the organizing committee and will be preparing to participate in the closing ceremony tomorrow. The crew of Gu Changwei's "Peacock" also received the notice.

Everyone looked particularly excited when they stepped onto the red carpet today.

At the closing ceremony, even though Zhang Jingchu was overshadowed by Jiang Wenli's elegance and grace, she was still extremely happy.

Wu Chen and Gu Changwei walked into the award ceremony hall while chatting and laughing, but the two crews were not placed together. The crew of "Buried Alive" was arranged on the left, close to some European crews, while the crew of "Peacock" was arranged on the right.

The closing ceremony seemed to start very early, but various things took some time and the award ceremony started in the evening.

"Damn it, let's finish it early. I'm hungry." Jason twisted his neck and listened to the award-giving items that had nothing to do with "Buried Alive". He couldn't help but yawn and touched his belly.

"Don't worry, there will be a celebration dinner in Berlin later, and you will be indispensable." Wu Chen smiled, leaning back in his chair and almost squinting his eyes, ready to take a rest.

Finally, as Roland Emmerich, chairman of the jury of the main competition unit, took the stage to deliver a speech, the major crews sitting in the front rows on several sides instantly perked up.

Even the media reporters surrounding the venue seemed more energetic.

Everyone knows that the annual Berlin Film Festival is about to win its final grand prize.

This will also be the most glorious moment of the year in this venue.

“Movies are a window through which we see different sides of the world.

Whether exploring the depths of human nature or showcasing cultural diversity, every shortlisted work has brought us surprises. Over the past ten days, we have witnessed countless wonderful moments."

As the applause rang out, the award ceremony of the main competition unit officially began.

The first award was the Blue Angel Best European Film, which was a reserved award and the Dutch director won it smoothly.

The Best Film Music award went to a French director.

When it came to the Alfred Bauer Award, everyone started to get a little anxious, because from this point on, they were all considered good awards.

The final winner was "A Cloud on the Horizon" by Chinese director Tsai Ming-liang.

He also won the Best Artistic Contribution Award, achieving two major victories at once. When he gave his acceptance speech on stage, it was like a spring breeze.

What followed was the Silver Bear Award for Best Actress, which all the actresses in the crew who had not yet won the award could not ignore.

Inside the venue, the breathing sounds were noticeably louder.

The big screen played wonderful clips of the film's actresses in turn, and Zhang Jingchu was among them. She delicately interpreted the growth and struggle of a girl in "Peacock", winning praise from many film critics.

However, when the presenter read out the name of the final winner - "The winner of the Best Actress Award is Julia Yates, "Sophie Schuyler: Hope and Resistance"! ", the camera swept towards Zhang Jing, her smile froze for a moment, and then she quickly adjusted and showed appropriate applause.

"It's good that you didn't take it!"

Jiang Wenli was very happy at this time. Since there was a prize and it was not given to Zhang Jingchu, it could only be a better prize.

Gu Changwei wanted to comfort Zhang Jingchu, but when Jiang Wenli glanced at him, he immediately stopped.

At this time, it was the turn of the "Buried Alive" crew to feel a little nervous.

"The winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor is..."

The scene fell silent, and everyone was waiting for the name to be revealed.

"Christian Bale, 'Buried'!"

Suddenly, there was thunderous applause.

Christian Bale was slightly stunned, then smiled, stood up and hugged Wu Chen.

"Congratulations!"

"Wu, thank you. Taking on your role is the best decision I have ever made. I believe there will be more big awards waiting for you in the future." Christian Bale said gratefully.

When the Best Actor award was given to Christian Bale, it also meant that the crew's guaranteed spot was gone.

Bale's speech was concise and powerful: "I thank the jury and Wu Chen for creating a role that pushed me to the limit.

This film allowed me to experience acting in a way I had never experienced before, and it gave me a new perspective on the possibilities of cinema.”

At this time, domestic reporters around were frantically recording all this.

At this time, it was finally the turn of the Best Director Award, and the atmosphere gradually reached a climax with the appearance of male and female actors.

Directors of films that haven't won awards yet can't help but hold their breath.

Gu Changwei nervously grabbed Jiang Wenli's hand.

"Don't worry!" Jiang Wenli called softly.

"The winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director is...
Wu Chen, "Buried Alive!"

Bell, who had just returned, hugged Wu Chen excitedly. Jason also jumped up: "Wu, it's a double award!"

"Our Chinese-language directors are really going to explode now. Tsai Ming-liang from Taiwan won two, Director Wu's crew won two more, and Director Gu got one more. Wow, that's five awards in total."

"That can't be counted like that. Director Wu's Buried Alive doesn't entirely belong to the domestic film category."

"Who cares? But the Best Director award goes to Director Wu!"

Wu Chen was also a little dazed.

The audience burst into warm applause.

"Your junior brother is really amazing." Jiang Wenli couldn't help but exclaim in amazement as she watched Wu Chen walk up to the stage slowly.

Gu Changwei nodded lightly: "Indeed!"

Standing in front of the microphone, Wu Chen took a deep breath and glanced at the audience:

"I am honored to be here and I want to thank the Berlin Film Festival and all the friends who supported this film."

He paused and smiled lightly, "Buried Alive was a crazy idea, and Bale's involvement made it possible.

This movie made me believe that as long as we explore bravely, we can find new film languages.

And I have indeed found a new language, which I hope to share with you someday."

(End of this chapter)