Millennium director

Cannes or Berlin?

For Wu Yuan, this question is like asking him, do you want to compete with "The Pianist" or compete with "Spirited Away" and "Bloody Sunday"?

To be honest, both options are hellishly difficult!

Although Wu Yuan is very confident in "The Embalmer", both "The Pianist" and "Spirited Away" can be regarded as classics among classics.

"Spirited Away" is the pinnacle of RB's animated films, and "The Pianist" vividly captures the complex expression of human nature in war, contributing countless classic scenes to world film history.

This year's Cannes and Berlin are both years for the release of classic films.

As for Venice?

Venice won't open until the end of August or early September, and Wu Yuan doesn't want his first thought when encountering difficulties to be to retreat instead of facing them head on.

Seeing Wu Yuan meditating, Han Dong, who had no idea how strong Cannes and Berlin were this year, frowned in confusion: "If you haven't thought about it, I suggest you go to Berlin."

"This year we have many films that will be screened in Berlin."

"The Big Shots directed by Feng Xiaogang, Happy Days directed by Zhang Yimou, Eyes of Love directed by Li Xin, and Man 40 directed by Xu Anhua will all go to Berlin."

"And you also went to Berlin last year, and you won the Best New Actor. You can be considered a direct descendant of Berlin. It would be better to go to Berlin for your first literary film."

Berlin?

After muttering something in his mind, Wu Yuan nodded subconsciously.

Berlin is fine, too. Not to mention the many Chinese directors who work in the same industry, Berlin's awards system is more suitable for "The Embalmer".

The Cannes Film Festival does not encourage the same film to win more than two awards. Try to divide the cake in the main competition section. A film can only win one award.

The Berlin Film Festival is much more relaxed in this regard. Last year at the festival Wu Yuan participated in, he won the Best Film Golden Bear for "Intimacy" and also won the Best Actress.

"Love You, Love Me" and "Seventeen-Year-Old Bicycle" also won the Jury Prize and Best Director, and each won the Best New Actor/Actress.

Of course Wu Yuan hopes for the best outcome of "The Embalmer", that is, while he wins an award, Zhang Guorong can also win the best actor, fulfilling his dream!

If you want to achieve this perfect ending, Berlin can still hope that Cannes is simply impossible.

"Then let's go to Berlin." Wu Yuan nodded with a smile.

The registration deadline for this year's Berlin Film Festival is January 12th, which is a very tight schedule.

After Wu Yuan agreed, Director Han immediately used China Film's relationship to send the copy of "The Embalmer" to Berlin, and the entire process was humanely transported by air.

Wu Yuan is still very confident about whether he can be shortlisted. This movie seems to be easy to shoot, but it really condenses a lot of his hard work!

Although I dare not say that it can surpass the original version, Wu Yuan can definitely say with pride that the final effect of "The Embalmer" directed by him is no worse than the original version. It can only be said that each has its own merits!

There’s no reason why you can’t even be shortlisted for the main competition!

The fact was exactly as he suspected.

At the end of January, the Berlin International Film Festival shortlist was announced.

This year's Berlin International Film Festival has more than 300 films of various types from all over the world participating, of which 23 films have been shortlisted for the main competition.

The organizing committee has specially listed a long list of shortlisted films.

As one of the three major international film festivals, the Berlin Film Festival naturally attracts the attention of countless people, including many mainland movie fans.

But when mainland movie fans, industry colleagues, and reporters carefully checked the shortlist as in previous years, they found a familiar yet unfamiliar name among them.

""Departures"——yuan wu (China)"

Just by looking at the title, no one knows this movie, but when they see "yuan wu", keen domestic movie fans immediately think of a Chinese director who has become famous in Hollywood.

Wu Yuan!

A director who is both familiar and unfamiliar to most domestic movie fans!

The familiarity is due to the overwhelming coverage of "The Night the Comet Came", which made many domestic movie fans remember this new director who won awards at foreign film festivals at the age of only 18.

It's unfamiliar because after "The Night the Comet Came", Wu Yuan went to Hollywood to make movies, and his "Juno" was not released in China.

Although many domestic media have reported on the North American and global box office of "Juno", domestic audiences who have not seen the movie are still a little unfamiliar with him.

Many movie fans know that this director is so powerful that he even went to Hollywood to make movies, and they were also box office hits.

But when asked about how good Wu Yuan is, what his directing style is like, and how he uses camera language, they can't quite explain it. They are not as down-to-earth and familiar as Feng Xiaogang.

But as soon as it was announced that Wu Yuan's new film had been shortlisted for the main competition section of the Berlin Film Festival, Wu Yuan's name immediately became a hot topic among movie fans.

At this stage, the influence of Europe's three major international film festivals in the country cannot be overshadowed!

Thanks to the hard work of the fourth and fifth generation directors, the three major European companies now have greater influence in the country than Hollywood!

All mainland directors of high status must have won awards from three major film festivals before they can be called China's great directors!

Now that Wu Yuan has been shortlisted for the main competition section of the Berlin International Film Festival, his character and status are really different!

Reporters from all walks of life immediately gathered in the capital with long guns and short guns, hoping to find Wu Yuan and conduct exclusive interviews with him!

I wonder where Wu Yuan lives?

It doesn't matter, just go to the film school and block the door!

Who doesn’t know that Wu Yuan is still a student at the Film Academy? If you can’t find him, go find his teacher!

Overnight, hundreds of media from all over the country gathered at the entrance of the Film School. Fortunately, most students have gone home for the holidays, otherwise it would have affected the normal access of teachers and students!

But it’s not a problem to just let these reporters surround you!

Professors and directors of the directing department such as Xie Xiaojing and Hou Keming, who had just learned that Wu Yuan had been shortlisted for the Berlin International Film Festival, had no choice but to persuade the media to leave.

"Friends from the media, Wu Yuan is really not in school. He is now preparing to go to the Berlin International Film Festival. The school is already on holiday, so please stop blocking the door."

"Director Xie, will Director Wu's new movie be released in China? When will it be released?" a reporter shouted excitedly.

Xie Xiaojing explained patiently: "It should be released in China. I don't know the specific release date."

"Director Xie, can you tell us what the theme of Director Wu's new movie is?"

"What's the story about?"

"The English name of the movie is "Departures". Does it mean leaving?"

The reporters seized the opportunity and asked questions.

Xie Xiaojing was also a little unable to resist, so she had to reveal: "The Chinese name of this movie is "The Embalmer". As for the content of the movie, let's go to the cinema to experience it together after it is released!"

"Where is Director Wu now? Is it convenient for us to interview him?"

The conversation was over for the day. Xie Xiaojing shook her head, quickly backed away, let the security guard get on top of her, and left the school gate without looking back, leaving the reporters alone to continue shouting in the cold wind.

As for where Wu Yuan is?

He was in the headquarters building of China Film Group, sitting across from Director Han, sipping tea!

"I knew this movie would be shortlisted for the main competition. I knew it when I saw the script!" Director Han held the tea cup and warmed his hands with a joyful smile on his face.

"I have already arranged the air tickets, and all the leading actors from the cast of "The Embalmer" will go to the red carpet together!"

"This year's Berlin Film Festival will open on February 6th and close on the 17th. All of you domestic film crews participating in the festival will spend the Spring Festival in Berlin."

"I plan to personally lead the team this time. I will find a good Chinese restaurant in Berlin then. Everyone will have a lively Spring Festival in a foreign country!"

Listening to Director Han's ramble, Wu Yuan chuckled and nodded, having no objection to his arrangement.

In terms of experience in participating in film festivals abroad, none of the ten Wu Yuans had more experience than Han Dong alone!