Chapter 654: Chapter 478: Maybe It Will Come True (Part 2)
Was it a problem with Gu Huaichun?
No, she could tell that Gu Huaichun was not being perfunctory nor was he acting carelessly. He was very serious in his acting.
But he didn’t have her luck, he met Kang Xin, met Cong Lan, also encountered Wen Bing and Xue Qin. Under different directors, she gradually unearthed more and deeper layers of herself.
Gu Huaichun did not meet them, so, he really could only rely on himself.
Zhou Yun thought to herself, if there were good projects, she really should recommend Gu Huaichun.
But she feared Yuehai would not agree.
Would Gu Huaichun, like Zhou Yun, act in a small-budget film like "Life"? No no no, impossible, Gu Huaichun is our Top, how would he act in such small-budget art films?
Like Zhou Yun, to have a cameo in "Two Tigers"? Haha, although Gu Huaichun was not a movie buff, he couldn’t act in big budget films like "Two Tigers", he wouldn’t stoop so low as to act a side role with only ten minutes of screen time.
...
Conceptually, they are just different.
Zhou Yun fought for the right to choose her own roles from He Yong’s hands, but Gu Huaichun didn’t have that right, he could only obey the company’s arrangements.
In the afternoon, Zhou Yun suddenly received a message from Xue Qin asking if she was free to have dinner together.
Zhou Yun happened to be free in the evening, so she replied with an okay.
"Post-production for ’Behind the Scenes’ is done, ’Falling Leaves’ is a bit more troublesome." Xue Qin brought up the situation of these two films as soon as they met, "I think ’Behind the Scenes’ is even better than ’Falling Leaves’, done in one go, really nice. Although the drama is a bit strong, it is not as graceful but has a kind of wild vibe which I really like. Sister Luo Qi told me that several film festival selectors have shown interest in ’Behind the Scenes’."
Zhou Yun asked: "Is ’Behind the Scenes’ planning to do the film festival circuit?"
"Yes." Xue Qin nodded, "It wasn’t planned originally, but Sister Luo Qi tried to hold an internal screening of the film, invited some friends to watch, and everyone liked it, which attracted some selectors’ attention. Your role in ’Life’ is quite famous among independent films, many film critics like it, and it got onto many critics’ recommendation lists at the end of last year, attracting a lot of attention."
Independent films are like that, though they may not attract the attention of audiences worldwide, but within the circle of independent films, they can cross national and regional barriers more than commercial films. In this circle, as long as it’s a decent independent film, basically everyone will know about it. Those who follow independent films often watch a terrifying number of films.
Zhou Yun said: "That’s really impressive, it’s great to have Sister Luo Qi."
"Yes," said Xue Qin, "Sister Luo Qi’s intention is to try and get the film into the main competition section, but that will depend on the decisions of the film festival selectors. Of course, I hope it can make it into the top three, but who knows if they will give such honors to a newcomer like me."
The top three refer to the world’s three major film festivals, all based in Europe.
Each festival tends to like cultivating their own direct lineage. In their view, this isn’t just cultivation, it’s an essential function of the festival itself to discover and support talented new directors.
Zhou Yun said: "May for Cannes, September for Venice, January for Berlin."
Xue Qin: "I hope to make it in time for Cannes."
"Cannes should be announcing the lineup soon, right?"
"Yes." Xue Qin nodded, "Very soon."
Zhou Yun didn’t expect to receive such a heavyweight piece of news upon meeting Xue Qin.
But May... Zhou Yun suddenly became a bit troubled, during May, she had to shoot "Four Killers", she thought, what if "Behind the Scenes" were really shortlisted for Cannes, could she attend then?
After returning, Zhou Yun communicated with Zhou Lan about this matter.
Zhou Lan said: "Don’t worry, if it’s really shortlisted for Cannes, I’ll ask for leave from the production crew, and that leave must be granted."
"I wonder if it can be arranged." Zhou Yun sighed, "I hope it can be."
Zhou Lan said: "Yao Yuanfeng will agree, and ’Four Killers’ is not a one-woman show for you, there are four protagonists, the schedule can definitely be coordinated. That’s Cannes! If ’Behind the Scenes’ really makes it into the main competition, don’t say anything else, you must go no matter the difficulties!"
Zhou Yun: "I can feel your determination."
"Of course!" Zhou Lan said, "I’ve been by your side for two years and have already experienced many surprises, but even so, if you could really go to Cannes, I’d still scream uncontrollably."
Zhou Yun laughed, "I hope I can go."
"There’s something I wanted to discuss with you," Zhou Lan said, "’Life’ will soon be released in other countries. Because of its great reception in Venice, many countries are preparing to distribute it in their cinemas, I originally thought they were planning on straight-to-video and VCD release."
Zhou Yun: "Do I need to do anything?"
Zhou Lan said: "Distributors in France and the United Kingdom hope you can cooperate with their publicity and accept interviews with several media outlets, as well as two TV stations for live online interviews."
Zhou Yun, upon hearing this, said: "That’s no problem."
"I’m positive your English will be fine, and this will be beneficial for your international career going forward."
"Then I’ll arrange that." Zhou Lan said, "Do you need me to find you an English tutor to practice with?"
"Sister Lan, do you think I need one?" Zhou Yun said helplessly, "You should find an English tutor for Wang Jing instead. If we really go to Cannes, Wang Jing will definitely go with us, and at that time there will be many occasions when she needs to speak."
Zhou Lan let out a surprised scream on the other end of the phone, probably because she hadn’t realized until now that Wang Jing was also in ’Behind the Scenes’.
She sounded as excited as if ’Behind the Scenes’ was confirmed for Cannes.