1979: The child's mother is a celestial being.

Chapter 78 Double Happiness (Please Subscribe!)
"Director Shi, you wanted to see me?"

Just now, Chen Fusheng was writing a script in the group office when he was suddenly called over by Director Shi's secretary.

"Correct."

Deputy Director Shi looked up at Chen Fusheng and nodded at him.

He asked in a casual tone:

"Has Comrade Han Sanping gone to report to the Beijing Film Academy?"

"Yes, I've already gone. I just went this morning."

"So what are your plans for the future?"

"I want to try directing myself." At this point, Chen Fusheng naturally didn't keep anyone in suspense.

Deputy Director Shi was not surprised by the answer; instead, he encouraged him, saying, "That's good. Young people should try more things."

After a pause, Deputy Director Shi continued, "So, do you have any ideas about what your next film will be?"

"There is some, but it's not perfect yet."

Seeing Chen Fusheng's response, Deputy Director Shi didn't press further. Instead, he abruptly changed the subject and revealed his purpose:
"I called you over here, Fusheng, to talk to you about the release status of 'The Tuner' in China..."

When this topic came up, Chen Fusheng noticed the conflicted and troubled look on Deputy Director Shi's face, and couldn't help but make a bold guess:
"Director Shi, is it impossible for 'The Tuner' to be released in the country?"

"It's not that it's completely impossible to release the film. The bureau held several meetings about the film last week, and the following issues were the main points of contention."

Chen Fusheng subconsciously sat up straight, and saw Deputy Director Shi open a notebook and continue speaking:

"First, the film contains many violent and bloody scenes such as murder, kidnapping, and assault, which may have a negative social impact."

"The second point is the issue of moral values. Many characters in the film have complex moral values ​​and blurred lines between good and evil. For example, the male protagonist you played, although he was just trying to survive, kept lying, deceiving, and even participating in crimes. This excessive display of the dark side of human nature does not conform to the positive moral values ​​that our country advocates in films. Some older comrades have the biggest controversy over this point."

"Thirdly, your film also contains some erotic innuendo, such as the male lead's observation of women in certain scenes while he is pretending to be blind. The comrades from the Women's Federation believe that this is disrespectful to women and suggest that it be deleted or modified."

"Fourthly, the film has a certain negative portrayal of various social classes, such as the hypocrisy of the upper class, the profiteering of the middle class, and the greed of the lower class. Although your film is set in the Republican era, and the social contradictions at that time may have been like that, Chinese films nowadays still advocate positive images and take the positive development of society and the good life of the people as the main direction. Therefore, some comrades oppose the film's release in China for this reason."

Although Chen Fusheng had considered that his film might not be able to be released in China for the time being, he never expected there would be so many 'problems'.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Fusheng asked, "Director Shi, you just said that it's not entirely impossible to release it in China. What do you mean by that?"

"Simply put, they're still arguing, and the problem with 'Andhadhun' isn't as big as Ling Zi's 'Wilderness,' whose film is already confirmed to be unable to be released in China."

Chen Fusheng roughly understood the implication in Deputy Director Shi's words and asked for confirmation: "Director Shi, does that mean that if 'Andhadhun' can achieve good results at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, it might be possible to release it in China?"

"More or less," Deputy Director Shi nodded. "Of course, I'll try to make an effort again during this time."

After saying a few more nice words, Chen Fusheng left Deputy Director Shi's office.

To be honest, he wasn't that concerned about whether the movie could be released in China right now.

His attitude was probably that it would be good if he could participate, at least it would be an explanation to the crew members who worked with him in the film. If he really couldn't participate, he wouldn't suffer any loss.

Chen Fusheng left his workplace in the afternoon because he had arranged with Li Jun last Saturday, which was the day before yesterday, to go to the real estate administration bureau this afternoon to complete the transfer procedures.

The sooner the property is transferred, the sooner he can find someone to renovate it and then bring his wife and daughter over.

"Ahh~"

"Ahh~"

On his way to Li Jun's house, Chen Fusheng inexplicably sneezed twice in a row.

He rubbed his nose and said, "Could it be that Old Han was talking bad about me at school?"

……

Actually it is not.

However, there are indeed people discussing him right now.

It was a group of elderly men and women.

The cast includes Xia Yan, Zhang Junxiang, Shui Hua, Bai Yang, Wang Ping, Xie Fei, Yu Lan, Xie Tieli...

These people are all well-known figures in China's literary and artistic circles.

They are currently gathered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, because they have another identity: members of the selection committee for the first China Golden Rooster Awards.

I won't go into too much detail about Mr. Xia Yan. As mentioned earlier, he is currently the vice chairman of the China Film Association, but he is the de facto person in charge.

Others generally possess at least one of the three roles: director, screenwriter, or writer.

But most of them are directors.

The first Golden Rooster Awards was jointly organized by the my country Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association.

So these judges were actually selected from the Film Association.

As for why this award is called the Golden Rooster Award, it's because this year is the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese lunar calendar, and there's a Chinese idiom called "the golden rooster crows at dawn," which has a good meaning, so it was named the Golden Rooster Award.

Although, in the two or three decades that followed, the reputation of this award was ruined.

However, its original intention was undoubtedly good.

It is to improve the level of Chinese film art.

Whether it's effective or not is a matter of opinion.

Let me explain why the first chicken egg was laid in Hangzhou. The reason is that at the beginning of the year, the secretary-general of the China Film Association came to Hangzhou on a business trip. While touring West Lake with the secretary-general of the Zhejiang Film Association, the latter had a flash of inspiration and said, "I think the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards don't necessarily have to be held in Beijing. Hangzhou can do it too."

Thus, this Hangzhou edition set a precedent for the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival to be held in local cities in the future.

It's worth mentioning that the Hundred Flowers Awards were suspended again this year because of this chicken.

Back to the selection process—

The award everyone is currently judging is the Best Actor award.

The nominees include Chen Fusheng and his novel "Bullfighting," and Li Zhiyu and his novel "Bashan Night Rain."

Then it was gone.

This award has been vacant for a period of time.

However, it was not canceled this time.

Moreover, Chen Fusheng and his film "Cow" won the Best Actor award at the first Golden Rooster Awards with an overwhelming number of votes.

Yes, an overwhelming number of votes.

There were 25 judges in total. He received 15 votes, while his opponent Li Zhiyu only received 5 votes, and five others abstained.

"Voting is over. Comrade Chen Fusheng received 15 votes, more than half, so this round of voting is valid. Therefore, the Best Actor Award will be awarded to Comrade Chen Fusheng and his film 'Cow'... Next, we will present the Best Screenplay Award."

"The nominees for Best Screenplay are Ye Nan's 'Bashan Night Rain,' Lu Yanzhou's 'Legend of Tianyun Mountain,' and Chen Fusheng's 'Bullfight.'"

"Now, each judge will state their reasons for making a recommendation."

This is yet another time-consuming war of words.

However, in the end, Chen Fusheng and his "Cow" received the most votes.

……

Beijing.

No. 16, Siji Hutong.

The two-courtyard house that Chen Fusheng transferred from Li Jun last Monday has been completely renovated by eight workers over the course of a week, and it looks brand new compared to a week ago.

The yard used to be overgrown with weeds, but now that it's been cleaned up, it's not only much brighter, but it's also been paved with stone bricks so that it won't get muddy when it rains.

It's still missing some embellishments. Chen Fusheng will get some potted plants or trees to plant in the yard later.

Of course, if Liu Xiaoli has any ideas, she can be entrusted with them.

Besides the changes to the courtyard,

The roof tiles had been used for too many years and many of them had turned pink, so Chen Fusheng replaced them all with new ones.

The previous owner left behind a lot of furniture, such as beds, cabinets, tables, and stools, but Chen Fusheng didn't want any of it.

He sold or gave away half the house to the workers who did his renovations. You could say that, apart from the house itself, he discarded almost everything else in the room.

He was even dissatisfied with the kitchen stove, so he had the craftsman dismantle it and rebuild it according to his design.

The toilets were also demolished and rebuilt.

These things seem complicated, but Chen Fusheng hired eight workers, and the efficiency was quite high. It only took a week for the renovation of his courtyard house to be basically completed.

Next, all he needs to do is wait for the paint to dry, then buy some furniture, pick a good day, and he can move in.

Chen Fusheng calculated the time and figured he could bring his wife and daughter over after he returned from Cannes!
"Speaking of which, the news from Cannes should be coming back by now, right?"

Just as he was thinking this, Lingzi pushed a bicycle into the yard.

"Wow, in just one week, Fusheng, your courtyard has changed so much! If you weren't here, I would have thought I had gone to the wrong place."

"Haha, after all, we hired eight workers. More people means more strength."

Chen Fusheng then invited, "Sister Ling, would you like to take a look at my newly renovated house?"

"Okay."

Halfway through the tour with Lingzi, Chen Fusheng asked, "Sister Ling, what brings you here today?"

"Oh, I've come to tell you some good news."

"What good news?" Chen Fusheng asked curiously.

"The Cannes Film Festival has announced its selection list. Congratulations to Fusheng for your film 'Andhadhun' being selected for the main competition."

Although Chen Fusheng had expected this outcome, he was still momentarily stunned by the surprise that came with the good news.

"That's great! And what about you?"

Ling Zi shrugged: "Just as that selector named Pierre said, my film didn't quite meet the Cannes Film Festival's selection criteria, so it was rejected as expected."

"Didn't you get a screening spot?" Chen Fusheng felt that Old Li wouldn't go back on his word.

As it turned out, Lingzi was just deliberately keeping him in suspense.

The next second, he smiled and said, "I got it. I have to thank you again. If you hadn't talked to Pierre about the screening, I probably wouldn't have been able to go this time."

With a sigh, Lingzi continued, "Sigh, my movie can't even be shown in China. If it can't even be sent abroad, I'm afraid I won't have the motivation to make the movie you wrote for me, 'The Cotton Robe'."

"Your thinking is too pessimistic. If you can't go to Cannes, there's always Venice, right? Or you can send it to Berlin next year, or maybe when the wind changes, your film will be able to be released?"

Chen Fusheng was unsure whether Ling Zi's film "The Wilderness" had ever been shown in China, but he felt that in the late 1980s, all sorts of monsters and ghosts could be shown, so there was no reason why "The Wilderness" couldn't.

In fact, "The Wilderness" was indeed released in China in 1988, although it didn't make much of a splash.

"How do you know the wind direction up there will change?" Lingzi asked curiously.

"I don't know, but our country is undergoing reform and opening up, and I guess it's definitely moving towards greater openness."

Chen Fusheng hadn't expected this woman to be so sensitive. He didn't want to continue the discussion, so he took the initiative to change the subject.

"Old Han probably doesn't know about this news yet, right?"

"Yeah, he probably doesn't know yet."

"Why don't we go to Beijing Film Academy now and tell him, and invite him out for a meal so we can all celebrate together?"

"sure……"

That evening, Chen Fusheng returned to the Film Bureau.

To his surprise, there was more than one piece of good news today.

But two.

"Comrade Fusheng, you're finally back."

Chen Fusheng is still staying at the bureau's guesthouse. As he passed the front desk, he stopped abruptly because of the registrar's words.

"Um... Aunt Li, is something the matter?"

"There is a letter for you."

"letter?"

Chen Fusheng walked over curiously and took the letter, only to find that it was a large envelope, the kind that is usually only used by government agencies.

He said that he had just received a letter from his wife yesterday, so there was no reason for her to write again so soon.

"Thank you, Aunt Li. You go ahead with your work. I'm going upstairs now."

After returning to his dormitory, Chen Fusheng immediately opened the letter.

"What the heck? The Golden Rooster Awards organizing committee actually sent me an invitation?!"

At this moment, Chen Fusheng was not happy, but bewildered, because no one had told him that he had submitted "Cow" to the Golden Rooster Awards.

Furthermore, the awards ceremony listed here is on May 23, which conflicts with the Cannes Film Festival.

"Ah, is this the trouble of happiness?"

Chen Fusheng sighed. It was too late today, so he planned to ask his supervisor for help explaining tomorrow.

……

The next morning, Chen Fusheng, carrying the invitation letter from the organizing committee of the first Golden Rooster Awards, knocked on the door and entered the office of his direct superior, Deputy Director Shi.

"Director Shi, I only received this letter last night and learned that 'Cow' has been submitted to the Golden Rooster Awards. However, this timeline clearly conflicts with our trip to France for the Cannes Film Festival. What do you think is the best way to respond?"

Sensing the doubt in Chen Fusheng's voice, Deputy Director Shi explained to him: "As far as I know, this year's Golden Rooster Awards mainly recognizes all domestic films released last year, and no application is required. So Fusheng, don't be surprised that you received an invitation, after all, you had a film called 'Cow' released in China last year."

Chen Fusheng suddenly realized.

He was actually too caught up in the situation to see clearly.

Because in later generations, no matter what film festival you want to participate in, you have to register first, and the same is true for the two foreign film festivals he participated in.

Therefore, they fell into a cognitive bias.

Deputy Director Shi continued, "As for why you can't go... how about this, I'll call and ask for you first."

"Okay, thank you, Director Shi."

There was a telephone in Deputy Director Shi's office, and he didn't try to hide it from Chen Fusheng, making the call right in front of him.

He called Xia Yan's office, the vice chairman of the Filmmakers Association.

At the same time, it was precisely because he did not avoid mentioning Chen Fusheng that Chen Fusheng 'accidentally' overheard that he actually had two trophies.

Even Deputy Director Shi felt a little embarrassed on the phone to refuse on Chen Fusheng's behalf.

After a long pause, Deputy Director Shi put down the phone and looked at Chen Fusheng. Chen Fusheng also looked at him, and neither of them knew how to start the conversation.

Of course, it was Deputy Director Shi who broke the silence first: "Comrade Fusheng, you should have heard it just now. You have two awards at the Golden Rooster Awards, so it's not good to refuse them directly... I was thinking, how about you have your spouse accept them for you? That would show that you value them more, but I don't know if that would be convenient."

"Okay!" Chen Fusheng nodded after thinking for a moment.

His decisiveness, however, baffled Deputy Director Shi. "Why don't you call home and ask your wife for her opinion first?"

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Fusheng replied, "It's hard to explain over the phone in just a few words, so... I'd like to go back and discuss it with my wife. Director Shi, is that alright?"

Deputy Director Shi thought that Chen Fusheng wanted to take a vacation so he could go home and see his family, but he didn't expose him and allowed it.

However, in reality, Chen Fusheng's purpose in going back this time was not only to spend time with his wife and daughter, but also to bring his wife and daughter with him when he returned next time.

Since the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony doesn't start until the 13th of next month, and they departed around the 10th, he can definitely come back at the beginning of next month.

It's only early April now, and his newly painted courtyard house will be ready for occupancy by the end of April.

Moreover, if my wife really needs to go to the Golden Rooster Awards to help accept the award, their film bureau will definitely send people, and they can arrange for my wife to go with them.

Actually, Chen Fusheng had already thought of this 'perfect' plan when Deputy Director Shi suggested that his wife help him receive the award.

That's why he agreed on behalf of his wife without hesitation.

What followed was all acting.

(End of this chapter)