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

Chapter 32 The Game Begins! Will the Snipe and the Clam Fight and the Fisherman Benefit?

Miramax Films, founded by brothers Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, is one of Hollywood’s most influential independent film studios.

In 93, the company was acquired by Disney, officially launching its journey to win film festival awards. One of its most classic achievements was helping "Shakespeare in Love" beat "Saving Private Ryan" in the Oscar race for Best Picture...

With Jiang Wen's explanation, Lü Rui, combining his memories from his past life, suddenly gained a deeper understanding of Harvey Weinstein.

It's incredible that a romance film could beat an epic war film in the Oscars!

This shows that this person is definitely a top expert in the field of public relations!

"How did he do that?" Lu Rui asked curiously.

Jiang Wen was taken aback: "You mean... trying for the prize?"

"Correct."

"I don't know the specifics of the operation. I only know that when Saving Private Ryan was in the critical stage of its awards campaign, a large number of negative reviews suddenly appeared, which greatly diminished the Oscar judges' impression of the film."

Are they using paid trolls to post negative reviews?

Lu Rui muttered to himself, took a deep look at the name "Harvey Weinstein," and then turned and left with Jiang Wen.

The film festival opened as scheduled the following morning.

Lü Rui and the main creators of "Mystic River" walked the red carpet and entered the main venue amidst enthusiastic congratulations from many domestic media outlets.

Only one Chinese-language film, Mystic River, was shortlisted for the main competition, so domestic media attention was almost entirely focused on it.

The opening ceremony film was titled "Frida".

This is a biographical work that tells the story of the short but dramatic and legendary life of a Mexican female painter.

Although everyone had heard Jiang Wen explain the style of the Venice Film Festival on the way here, they still didn't expect that the opening ceremony film would address the two major issues of "teacher-student relationship" and "lesbian relationship" right from the start!
On the screen, the passionate scenes were presented to everyone without any cover-up, which was truly eye-opening!

Liu Yifei raised her hand to cover her eyes, but curiosity peeked through her fingers. She wanted to see but was also a little shy, and her pretty face was flushed.

As the film ended, Gong Li, as the chair of the jury, made her official appearance and delivered a speech thanking the filmmakers who had gathered from all over the world.

"Over the next 13 days, I will lead all the judges to conduct a fair and impartial scoring and selection process for the 22 films shortlisted for the main competition. Please stay tuned."

With this, the film festival officially begins!

"The 59th Venice International Film Festival has successfully opened, and the entire cast and crew of 'Mystic River' appeared on the red carpet at the opening ceremony."

"Director Lü Rui said in an interview that his purpose in coming here was only to learn, and winning awards was secondary."

"Gong Li's lack of Italian proficiency led to poor coordination with the local host, resulting in several awkward silences."

The media has fully launched its reporting efforts.

Lü Rui did not pay special attention to these developments. Instead, he spent a whole week at the cinema, analyzing and understanding the works of his competitors one by one.

His goal for this competition remains the same: the Best Director award.

As for the Golden Lion Award, he didn't even consider it, because the competition was too fierce!
More importantly, he learned that the film production companies coming from Hollywood were almost all working with local "public relations" agencies to conduct targeted public relations operations against the jury.

However, China Film Group neither has nor can afford to fund "Mystic River" in its bid for awards.

"Venice is different from Berlin. Here, winning awards isn't just about the quality of the films; you also have to spend a lot of money!"
But who will pay for this? China Film Group can't possibly, because this expense can't be reimbursed. A simple "loss of state-owned assets" would be enough to send Han Sanping into serious trouble when he returns!

At the premiere of "Mystic River", Jiang Wen, who was accompanying Lü Rui to greet guests, gave him another lesson in science.

Although China Film Group holds the power to influence the import of films, the money can only be used to buy copyrights.

Such behind-the-scenes operations as public relations can never be accounted for through proper accounting.

After listening, Lü Rui fell into deep thought.

In his previous life, he had never been exposed to these things and always thought that China Film Group was omnipotent.

However, the deeper the understanding, the limitations of the state-owned enterprise system gradually became apparent.

"If I want to win an award... it seems I'll have to find another way."

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the direction of the red carpet.

Lu Rui looked up and saw Gong Li leading the judging panel towards him.

Then, a scene that caused a sensation in the domestic media appeared!

Nearly ten years later, Juxian, Duan Xiaolou, and Cheng Dieyi appeared together again! This scene of time intertwining evoked a myriad of emotions in many people.

The sound of camera shutters clicking away filled the air.

Jiang Wen smiled and made a gesture reminiscent of a Peking Opera opera: "Back then, I was almost chosen to play Cheng Dieyi, all because of that Chen Kai."

Gong Li covered her mouth and chuckled: "Director Kai said that he had nightmares for half the night after seeing your costume fitting photos."

Upon hearing this, Lü Rui blinked and deliberately raised her voice to howl, "Damn it! Your Majesty, please grant me a precious sword, and watch me charge out and capture that damned Liu Bang brat alive!"

"Hahahaha!"

The group burst into laughter.

"Are you deliberately trying to mess with me, kid?"

Jiang Wen pretended to hit him, and Lü Rui ran away, which made the surrounding laughter even more enthusiastic.

After exchanging pleasantries, Gong Li led the jury into the venue.

As the guests outside gradually dispersed, Lü Rui was about to walk back with Jiang Wen when a Cadillac suddenly stopped at the end of the red carpet.

The car door opened, and a portly, stern-faced foreigner stepped out and strode over.

"It's Harvey," Jiang Wen whispered a reminder.

Lu Rui nodded slightly, a smile spreading across his face, and stepped forward to greet him.

"Hahahaha!" Before the person even arrived, a rough laugh came crashing down.

Harvey forced a kind and benevolent expression and grasped Lü Rui's hand: "Lv, I've heard so much about you."

"Hello, Mr. Harvey."

Since they had already heard about each other, the small talk didn't get awkward.

“I heard from the jury that your film was fantastic, so I came all the way here to see it.” Harvey’s face crinkled into a wide grin. “Welcome.”

Lu Rui smiled and agreed, but a question arose in his heart.

Did you hear that from the judging panel?

Something doesn't seem right!

According to the rules, after the opening ceremony, shouldn't the judges keep their distance from the filmmakers and avoid private contact?

Is it...

A thought flickered in his mind, and he walked toward the venue with Harvey.

Harvey, a seasoned public relations professional, is incredibly skilled with words!
In just a few steps, he hailed Lü Rui as a "once-in-a-century genius director"!
If it were a younger director, they would probably be overwhelmed by the praise by now.

But instead of becoming arrogant, Lü Rui was filled with alarm.

This guy is so enthusiastic on our first meeting; he clearly has ulterior motives.

You have to understand, this is the chaotic Western entertainment industry. If you make a fool of yourself here, you'll get what's coming to you sooner or later!
It's no exaggeration to say that men are even more valuable than women here.

This group of old sixes are all about novelty and having fun!

The venue was already packed, and the moment the two appeared, they attracted countless eyes.

Han Sanping, sitting in the front row, frowned slightly, staring at the two whispering to each other and wondering to himself, "How did they end up together?"

Dennis Smiths, Warner's copyright manager standing next to him, looked tense and knew something was wrong.

"Has Harvey got his eye on this film? Oh no, this is a huge problem!"

As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the lights in the venue slowly dimmed, and the opening credits of "Mystic River" lit up on the screen.

Two hours later...

"Clap clap clap!"

Thunderous applause rolled through the hall and lasted for a full 12 minutes before it stopped.

Lu Rui's mouth was almost frozen from smiling.

After the applause finally subsided and the crowd began to leave, Harvey suddenly approached and asked, "Lv, can we talk alone?"

Lu Rui glanced at the gazes cast around him, pondered for a moment, and then nodded, saying, "Alright."

The two walked to a secluded corner.

Harvey started by introducing Miramax Films' formidable strength: "Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Scream—I was the one who propelled these films to their peak."

In terms of awards and distribution channels, I dare say no one in Europe and America can handle it better than me. If you're willing to give me the overseas distribution rights for *Mystic River*, I can guarantee you'll win a major award at this year's film festival!

really!

Lu Rui's suspicions were finally confirmed: this guy's real intention was not what he thought it was, but rather the distribution rights!

However, "agency distribution" is not a buyout; the final profit depends entirely on the other party's word.

In the future, Warner Bros. may have turned the Harry Potter IP into a "loss-making project," which shows how cunning these foreigners are at manipulating accounts.

But the lure of "guaranteed award" was right in front of him, and it stirred his restless mind.

Lu Rui neither refused nor agreed, only saying that he needed to consider it.

Harvey simply said, "Hurry up, don't waste time," and then turned and hurried off to his next destination.

During his trip to Venice, he wasn't just eyeing "Mystic River."

Meanwhile, Dennis Smith, who had been restless, quickly approached Harvey as he left.

At the beginning of the year, Warner Bros. bought the rights to "Gone Girl" and made a fortune from it, with film adaptation projects also in full swing.

Therefore, the team is determined to acquire the copyright to "Mystic River"! After all, the quality of this film far surpasses the former.

But Harvey's sudden appearance put him on edge.

As soon as he reached Lü Rui, Dennis anxiously asked, "What did Harvey just say to you?"

"He wanted the distribution rights to Mystic River and said he could help me win a prestigious award no less than the Best Director Award."

Lü Rui started his blatant deception.

"What?!" Dennis's expression changed drastically. "You agreed?!"

Lu Rui remained silent, glancing at Han Sanping, who had come along with him.

The latter immediately smiled and smoothed things over: "Dennis, this is a trade secret."

Dennis was getting impatient. "Han! Warner Bros. can offer the same terms as Harvey! Mystic River must be left to us..."

"I'll think about it carefully."

After exchanging a few words, Dennis hurriedly went to discuss countermeasures with his team.

He was determined to get Mystic River and would never let Harvey have it!
Han Sanping turned to stare at Lü Rui: "What are you thinking?"

Instead of answering directly, Lü Rui asked, "Warner or Miramax, which side is stronger?"

"Warner, of course!" Han Sanping blurted out, then suddenly narrowed his eyes. "You want to play the 'when two birds fight, a third party benefits' game?"

"Shouldn't business competition be about the highest bidder winning?" Lu Rui shrugged. "Since Harvey can offer a 'guaranteed award' in exchange for distribution rights, Warner has no reason not to follow suit, right?"

Han Sanping pondered for a moment, then made a decision: "Leave this to me. I'm more familiar with dealing with foreigners than you are, and I guarantee I can get you some good terms."

"Okay, then I'll trouble you, Mr. Han. Please feel free to ask if you need any help."

"Well, okay."

Han Sanping gave him a deep look, inwardly sighing:

"He understands creation, is good at strategy, and has such a deep mind at such a young age. This kid's future achievements will definitely be great. He really is a 'dragon that will rise to prominence when the wind blows'!"

The pace will be quite fast. Um... if you feel it's too fast, you can tell me and I'll slow it down a bit.

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(End of this chapter)