Chapter 769: Asian films have become the biggest winners at this year’s Cannes Film Festival!
When Fang Minghua received a call from Li Li, the filming of "Xiao Wu" was coming to an end and he was filming the last scene today.
In the footage, Xiao Wu, played by Wang Hongwei, was caught stealing. He was walking on the street with an old policeman. The policeman went to do personal business and temporarily locked him on the cable fixed to the telephone pole.
Xiao Wu squatted on the ground and waited boringly, while more and more people gathered on the roadside. The men, women, and children who were watching pointed and talked, their eyes full of curiosity and contempt, looking at the locked Xiao Wu like a monkey.
Jia Zhangke’s camera kept scanning the crowd and recorded it all.
Fang Minghua stood behind Jia Zhangke and quietly watched him filming.
This scene has actually been filmed just now, and it turned out to be like this: the old policeman captured Xiao Wu, and Xiao Wu was handcuffed and finally disappeared into the vast sea of people.
But Jia Zhangke was a little dissatisfied. He always felt that something was missing. When he was about to finish the work, he suddenly had a whim and decided to reshoot and changed it to the current set of shots.
It’s really shocking.
There is no excessive sensationalism, only a calm narrative, but everyone knows:
Xiao Wu is already "dead" and was completely killed by Jia Zhangke's scenes.
At this moment, Fang Minghua’s mobile phone in the mobile phone case on his waist rang at an inappropriate time, and he quickly walked aside to answer the call.
"Minghua, I'm Lili, I want to tell you some good news." Li Li's sweet voice sounded on the other side of the receiver.
"What? Xinxin can call her mother?" Fang Minghua asked with a smile.
"What, the baby is now six months old, it's still early." Li Li said angrily: "Amazon is listed on the market, the closing price is 23.5 US dollars, your assets have increased by more than 100 million."
"Same joy." Fang Minghua replied with a smile, and then asked: "Did you tell your cousin?"
"Yes. I gave her the shot first. What do you think my cousin did?" Say?"
"What to say?"
"She said she suddenly felt bored after hearing the news."
"Yes, she said that she is busy all day long, and her annual salary and bonuses are only 600,000 yuan, which is not even a fraction of what you earn."
"That's easy, give her a salary increase!"
“What’s the use of a salary increase? My cousin said, just give the whole World Film and Television is only worth 1 billion, which is not as much as your assets in Amazon."
"Oh, did she really say that?"
"Yes, she. She really said that and said she didn’t want to do anything anymore and just wanted to be a rich wife,” Li Li said on the phone.
"Really, that's easy to do. Resign immediately, go home and find a few nannies and maids to take care of you. Wear a mink coat, hold a royal cat, go to a beauty shop, and play cards. What a wonderful life!" Fang Minghua replied seriously.
"Hehe. I lied to you. Do you really believe it? My cousin doesn't want to live like this."
Fang Minghua also laughed.
If Song Tangtang feels a little emotional about this sudden wealth, Thaksin believes in it. But if you want to quit your job and become a rich wife, he won't believe it to death.
He knows best what kind of person his wife is.
The two chatted for a while before hanging up the phone.
Here, Jia Zhangke has called it a day.
“All the filming is finished?”
“Yes, all the filming is done.”
“Well, in order to celebrate the filming of the crew, let’s celebrate tonight. I’ll treat you all. I won’t go home until I’m drunk,” Fang Minghua said loudly.
"Okay" everyone immediately smiled.
During the twenty-one days of filming, Jia Zhangke set a rule that all members of the crew were not prepared to drink! Not even beer! When you come to the famous Xinghua Village in Shanxi Province, how can you not drink some wine?
In the evening, Fang Minghua set up three tables in the hotel. All the crew members, including some temporarily hired handymen, arrived, and everyone came home drunk.
"Teacher Minghua, I am going back to Yanjing for post-production of the film." Jia Zhangke said: "We and Hongwei are about to graduate, and we have a lot of things to do in school."
"Okay, you go ahead. When the film is reviewed, I will come to Yanjing to go with you." Fang Minghua said.
"Okay, thank you."
Early the next morning, the crew disbanded on the spot. Jia Zhangke took the train back to Yanjing, while Fang Minghua drove back to Xijing alone.
After staying in Fenyang for more than twenty days, it was already the end of May when I returned home.
When I saw Song Tangtang when I got home, the first thing my wife said when she saw him was: "I'll tell you some good news. "The Eighth Route Bus" filmed by Lou Ye was nominated for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival."< br>
"It's not bad to be nominated." Fang Minghua said with a smile.
At the beginning of this year, "No. 8 Bus" was released in China, and the box office was really terrible. The total box office was less than 1 million, and the cost of this film was 2 million. In this era, it is no longer a low-cost movie.
Unlike Jia Zhangke and other sixth-generation directors who like to use non-famous actors and even amateurs as male and female protagonists, Lou Ye's movies are never tainted with a commercial atmosphere, but he likes to use stars very much.
The heroine of her debut film "Girl in Danger" is Qu Ying, who is a popular actress in this era. "Weekend Lover" stars Wang Zhiwen and Ma Xiaoqing.
And this "Bus on the Eighth Floor" used Shao Bing and Gai Lili. Both of them are now well-known in the mainland, especially Gai Lili, who has been nominated for the Hundred Flowers Award for female lead several times. is a popular star.
The strange thing is that unknown Lou Ye likes famous stars, and these stars are also willing to star in the movies he makes.
This leads to relatively high shooting costs.
“We are also preparing to send the film to the Sydney Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada to expand its influence. At the same time, we have signed agreements with film distribution companies in France, Germany, Italy, Poland and other countries, and are preparing to release it in these countries first. The country will release it publicly," Song Tangtang said again.
“It’s probably no problem to get back the money, right?” Fang Minghua asked.
“No problem.”
"That's ok, how about the awards at this Cannes Film Festival?" Fang Minghua was very interested.
"I'll show you the list of winners."
Song Tangtang went upstairs to the study and got the latest issue of "Popular Cinema", which suddenly read the list of winners and candidates for this year's Cannes Film Festival.
Fang Minghua sat on the sofa and looked carefully.
Alas.
Asian films have become the biggest winners at this year’s Cannes Film Festival!
The film "Eel" directed by the famous Japanese director Shohei Imamura and the Iranian film "Taste of Cherry" both won the "Palm d'Or"!
Hong Kong’s Sunglasses King won the Best Director Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for directing “Happy Together”!
In addition, James Summers, who served as screenwriter for "The Ice Storm" directed by Ang Lee, won the Best Film Screenplay Award!
Relatively speaking, mainland movies are a bit inferior.
Fortunately, Lou Ye's "Bus No. 8" was nominated for the Palme d'Or, which is a kind of consolation.
"Zhang Yimou doesn't make literary films, and now there is no director who can beat him in the country." Song Tangtang sighed.
"Who said that? Didn't Chen Kaige get nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year for his movie "Feng Yue"?" Fang Minghua asked rhetorically.
"Chen Kaige? That's true, but I heard that he also wants to switch to commercial films." Song Tangtang nodded, "Ignoring them, how was the filming of "Xiao Wu"?" Song Tangtang asked again.
"The filming has been completed. Jia Zhangke has brought it back to Yanjing for post-production. I will go there when it is submitted for review."
"Hey, these young directors nowadays are more courageous than the last." Song Tangtang couldn't help but shake his head when he thought of this.
“This is normal. Didn’t Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige take the risk of their films being blocked by shooting one after another? Now it’s Jia Zhangke and Wang Xiaoshuai’s turn, and they will eventually break through a certain system. These taboos have moved from the underground to the ground.”
Fang Minghua said: “Actually, the biggest “enemy” for directors of this generation is not some leaders of the so-called film bureau, but the market. Even if the ban is lifted for you. ? Still no one is watching!"
Song Tangtang fell into silence.
(End of this chapter)