It's reasonable for me to be a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning director and an all-around

Chapter 31: A Small Heart's Inner World is in Turmoil!

All morning, Lü Rui didn't even leave the house; he was constantly answering and making phone calls.

He contacted the main cast members, including Jiang Wen, Zhang Fengyi, Zhang Guorong, Ning Jing, and Mao Shunyun, and invited them to go to Venice together.

Not a single person refused!
Even Leslie Cheung showed great interest when he heard about going to the Venice Film Festival.

At the same time, many people called to congratulate us!

Tian Zhuangzhuang, Xie Xiaojing, Jiang Wei, Zhang Jiandong, Wang Fengsheng... these are at the school level.

Dennis, the Warner Bros. copyright manager who bought the rights to "Gone Girl" last time, also called to arrange a meeting in Venice.

Then there were Dong Xuan, Guan Yue, Zhou Yiwei, Lin Jiachuan, Zhao Peng, and others, who either called or sent text messages.

Why didn't you choose me?

On the phone, Dong Xuan sounded incredibly aggrieved.

Despite having a role in "Gone Girl", Lü Rui didn't contact her at all during the casting and filming process for "Mystic River".

This inexplicably gave her a strong sense of crisis.

"Didn't you go to film 'Snowflake Goddess Dragon'? If you get a lead role, you should seize the opportunity. There are hardly any scenes for actresses in 'Mystic River'..."

Lu Rui made up a reason casually, and then quickly changed the subject.

After all, he can't exactly say, "You're too old to play a little girl," can he?

"Next time there's a role that suits me, remember to call me up!"

"Oh."

Just as Lü Rui was about to go out for dinner after hanging up the phone, his phone rang again.

He glanced at the caller ID and casually pressed the answer button.

The next second, Liu Yifei's clear voice came through the phone, like a little lark: "Senior! Can I go to Venice with you?"

Lu Rui asked in confusion, "Aren't you still filming?"

"Filming will wrap up in a week."

"But...school starts soon, right? Are you sure you can get away?"

The Venice Film Festival runs from August 27 to September 8, which coincides with the start of the new semester at the Beijing Film Academy.

As a freshman in the class of 02, Liu Yifei had to go through the enrollment procedures.

"I can ask for leave!"

"Then you should tell your mother. If she agrees, I'll take you with me."

"it is good!"

After hanging up the phone, Liu Yifei looked up and blinked her big, watery eyes at Liu Xiaoli.

"Mom~"

"Don't try to coax me." Liu Xiaoli glared at her. "You're not allowed to go. You won't win any awards anyway, so what's the point of going there? Go to school obediently."

"To broaden my horizons," Liu Yifei said confidently. "I'm destined to become a film queen, so going to film festivals early to broaden my horizons will be of great benefit to my acting career."

Besides, there aren't any classes since it's the beginning of the semester, and the QQ group says there's a week of military training that will make me tanned, which will make me less pretty. I'm not going.

Liu Xiaoli was speechless at her reasoning, so she could only poke her head and say, "You! You never give me a moment's peace!"

"Hehe~ Let's go to Venice together, I'll use my earnings to buy you a pretty dress."

The mother and daughter chatted in hushed tones, while at the Beijing Film Academy, Lü Rui was staring blankly at the banner that had somehow appeared on campus.

Warmest congratulations! "Mystic River," a new film by Lü Rui, a sophomore in the Directing Department of our school, has been shortlisted for the 59th Venice International Film Festival!

"..."

After a moment of silence, Lü Rui covered his face and fled.

He overestimated his own thick skin and ultimately failed to develop the same level of shamelessness as Zhao Peng.

That guy is already bragging about him in the QQ group, saying things like he surpassed Feng Xiaogang, beat Zhang Yimou, and suppressed Chen Kaige... It's all so exaggerated!
"It's been nominated for another film festival?"

In Huayi's office, Feng Xiaogang listened to his assistant's report and his expression faltered.

"Yes, the main competition unit."

The assistant emphasized it again, but little did he know that these words were like a knife, stabbing straight into Feng Xiaogang's heart.

The scenes from that day at the College Student Film Festival are still vivid in my mind.

He still vividly remembers the sarcasm that Lu Rui, a junior colleague, used against him!
What do you mean he looks down on the three major film festivals?
It's obvious that the three major film festivals don't want him!
Moreover, not only the three major European awards, but even the three minor domestic awards, namely the Golden Rooster, Golden Horse, and Hong Kong Film Awards, do not give him awards, because they think his films are too "vulgar"!
If Lü Rui were to bring back another trophy, his pride would be completely shattered!
Of course, that's not the key point.

If Mystic River surpasses Big Shot's box office, that would be truly devastating!

At the same time, Lu Chuan, who was in a hotel near the Hoh Xil no-man's-land, could no longer sit still.

Both of them were "disciples" trained by Jiang Wen, but Lü Rui's development speed and prospects are far superior to his!

The media has started comparing the two again, making him afraid to even look at the news.

"No way, I want to go to the film festival too, I want to win an award, I absolutely can't let him outdo me!" Lu Chuan roared inwardly!

The next second, his gaze suddenly fell on the unopened documentary videotape on the top of the coffee table.

—"Me and the Tibetan Antelope"—"Since it's all about the Hoh Xil no-man's-land, it should be okay to 'borrow' some plot points, right?"

……

Before heading to Venice, Lü Rui still had many things to take care of.

The moment he passed the make-up exam, he went to China Film Group and discussed the release date of "Mystic River" with Han Sanping.

September is definitely not a good time; the market activity is too low.

In addition, Chen Kaige's "Together" is scheduled to be released in September, so Lü Rui doesn't want to meet with him.

It's not that I'm scared, it's just that Chen Kaige likes to show off too much. Getting involved with him inevitably leads to being dragged down and is very annoying.

"How about November? Or December?" Han Sanping suggested with a burning gaze.

Zhang Weiping was furious that he wouldn't let China Film Group participate in the investment of "Hero".

"If not, let's do it in October. We'll take advantage of the 7-day National Day holiday and maybe we can get a high box office."

Lu Rui had no interest in getting involved in those messy things; he just wanted to boost box office sales.

With "The Bourne Identity" in November and "Hero" in December, has he gone mad? Why would he deliberately pit "Mystic River" against these blockbusters?
There's absolutely no comparison between drama films and commercial films!

"alright."

Han Sanping pondered for a while and then followed his advice.

With the release date set and discussions with several investors regarding publicity and distribution completed, everything was ready.

Before heading to Venice, Lü Rui took some time to buy three more suits.

The opening ceremony, the film premiere, and the closing ceremony—that's exactly three events.

Beijing Capital International Airport, 25th.

Half an hour before boarding, Liu Xiaoli and her daughter Liu Yifei arrived safely on time.

The little girl was dressed quite fashionably today, wearing a light purple striped tank top and shorts, showing off her long, straight legs perfectly.

The double braids are both playful and girlish, exuding youthful energy and vitality, perfectly showcasing a fresh and sweet temperament.

"Hello, senior!"

She was still some distance away when she raised her hand and waved it vigorously in Lü Rui's direction, her movements filled with undisguised joy.

Liu Xiaoli glanced at her, her tone both helpless and indulgent as she complained, "Can't you be a little more reserved? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at you?"

Liu Yifei chuckled and said, "It's okay, he's a senior, not an outsider."

"..."

Liu Xiaoli didn't reply, but looked at the light in her eyes and sighed silently.

With their arrival, the rest of the team members also arrived one by one.

"Let's get on board."

At Han Sanping's command, everyone followed.

Like the Berlin International Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival is one of the three most famous international film festivals in Europe and the world.

However, unlike the Berlin Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival prioritizes "artistic merit" in its selection process, with the aim of "film serving serious art."

In plain terms, I prefer films with novel forms and unique techniques.

For example: "cross-dressing", "male-male", "female-female", "human-animal"...

On the plane, Jiang Wen's casual explanation of science stirred up a storm in Liu Yifei's young mind!

"How scary!"

Lu Rui and his group departed from mainland China, while Leslie Cheung and Mao Shunjun departed from Hong Kong.

The two arrived in Venice almost one after the other, and then took a ferry to Lido Island.

Lido is a long, narrow island in Venice. During the film festival, venues such as the Palais des Festivals on Lido host various film screenings, award ceremonies, and other events.

After successfully checking into the hotel, Lü Rui immediately followed Jiang Wen to the registration desk to sign in.

After filling out the forms, the two strolled around the cinema area.

The promotional posters for "Mystic River" have already been put up, thanks to the China Film Group team.

At the same time, Lü Rui also saw many familiar blond-haired, blue-eyed faces.

"There's someone I need to introduce to you beforehand. You might have to deal with him in the future, but you must always be vigilant!"

When Jiang Wen arrived in front of the promotional poster for "The Brothel Sisters", he suddenly stopped and looked very serious.

"Who?" Lu Rui asked curiously.

Jiang Wen pointed to the poster and said in a deep voice, "That's the person in charge of the film's distribution company."

Lu Rui turned his head and saw two lines of text written at the bottom of the poster.

Distributor: Miramax Films.

CEO: Harvey Weinstein!!!
(End of this chapter)