Chapter 108 "La La Land" wins one Venice Film Festival Best Actress!
Chapter 108 "La La Land" wins a Venice Film Festival Best Actress!
"Qingzi, I'm leaving now. See you in Venice!"
Huang Bo greeted Zhou Qing enthusiastically and left the studio with great enthusiasm.
Go and meet up with the "World" crew led by Chief Jia, and then go to Venice together.
Although Huang Bo had been complaining about it for a long time and was secretly annoyed that "The World" was going to compete with "La La Land".
But no matter what, Huang Bo was still very excited to go to Venice for some surfing.
Even if Huang Bo is not as obsessed with the European top three as Qin Hao, these are still the European top three anyway.
“See you in Venice!”
Zhou Qing also waved at Huang Bo, and then did the same thing.
He summoned Qin Hao and Zhou Xun and boarded a plane to Venice.
Having already been to Berlin twice and won two awards in a row, Zhou Qing remained relatively calm.
But Zhou Xun and Qin Hao obviously looked much more excited.
"Director Zhou, based on your experience, can our La La Land win another big award this time?"
Zhou Xun even stretched his head and asked Zhou Qing such a question.
That’s right. Zhou Qing is indeed very experienced in winning the three major awards in Europe.
"Brother Xun, you are upset. This is not like you."
Zhou Qing just laughed.
Who can say for sure about winning awards?
Although Zhou Qing was confident that "La La Land" would win an award, he did not dare to give Zhou Xun any guarantees right now.
“This is the Venice Film Festival.”
Zhou Xun did not deny this either.
Among the four leading actresses, no one has achieved this achievement except Zhang Ziyi.
Moreover, in the movie "Hero" which won an award in Berlin, Zhang Ziyi only played a supporting role.
"Brother Xun, this is where you are wrong."
"With Director Zhou's ability, La La Land will definitely win a big award."
Qin Hao smiled and corrected Zhou Xun.
"Yes, look at my mouth. I can't speak."
Zhou Xun pretended to pat his lips and said, "La La Land will definitely win a big award. When has Director Zhou ever failed?"
"Anyway, just keep a normal mind."
Zhou Qing just smiled calmly.
Zhou Xun was secretly complaining on the side. Keep a calm mind?
I'm afraid only a big director like you who frequently wins the three major European awards can truly treat it with a normal mind, right?
Click, click, click!
As soon as they got off the plane, flashes of spotlights started to light up around them, dazzling the eyes of several people.
"Director Zhou Qing!"
"It's Director Zhou Qing from China!"
"He's here to attend the film festival, too. His new film has been shortlisted."
A group of reporters immediately gathered around, and their cameras were pointed at Zhou Qing.
Yes, I was recognized.
Having won two awards in Berlin, Zhou Qing's name has now gained a certain degree of fame in the global film industry.
Especially for those who frequently hang out in the three major European international media, this is a big name that cannot be missed.
"Is Director Zhou so famous abroad as well?"
Zhou Xun exclaimed in amazement, this is the display of a great director.
There is no comparison, really no comparison.
However, Zhou Qing did not accept the interview at the airport, and left directly with Zhou Xun and Qin Hao.
Went directly to the booked hotel to stay.
"It's getting late. We won't go to the film festival today."
"You guys should take a rest and have fun. We'll get down to business tomorrow."
Zhou Qing simply communicated with the two of them and returned to his room to rest.
There is no way. It takes more than ten hours to fly from Beijing to Venice.
Although I was sitting in first class, I was still a little tired.
"Aoko."
After taking a short nap in bed, Zhou Qing was interrupted by Huang Bo's call.
"Old Huang, you guys should be here too, right?"
"You're early. I woke up from a nap."
The two chatted briefly for a while, and Huang Bo suggested that they go out for a get-together in the evening.
It's not just Huang Bo and Zhou Qing, but the two crews of "The World" and "La La Land".
"No problem. I'll talk to Qin Hao and Zhou Xun later. If they're willing, we can go together."
Zhou Qing would naturally not refuse Huang Bo's request.
In any case, we are all fellow countrymen who fought in Venice, so it is natural for us to get together.
Not to mention, the leading actors of the "World" crew are artists from his own studio.
The director of "The World", Jia Kechang, is also a senior from Beijing Film Academy.
With this kind of relationship, it would be a bit unreasonable not to get together.
"No problem. Director Jia, I have admired him for a long time."
When Zhou Xun and Qin Hao were told about this, Zhou Xun readily agreed immediately.
For an actress like her, being able to meet with a famous domestic director is an opportunity she has never missed.
However, under normal circumstances, Chief Jia probably cannot afford to hire Zhou Xun.
Moreover, the female lead roles in Director Jia’s movies are basically all played by his wife, oh no, it should be said that his future wife.
It's not the turn of other women.
As for Qin Hao?
There should be more light in your eyes.
Chief Jia is exactly the type Qin Hao likes!
"Director Zhou!"
"Director Jia!"
In the evening, the two crews met in a similar hotel.
Zhou Qing and Chief Jia, two famous directors from Beijing Film Academy, met for the first time on such an occasion.
Chief Jia looked at the young man standing in front of him, feeling a mixture of emotions.
That was a lot of emotion.
We both graduated from Beijing Film Academy, and this guy is many years younger than me.
Even still a student.
The achievements he has made have far surpassed himself.
From the very beginning, I was aiming for the three major European films, and have been nominated many times.
But he has never won any big award.
On the contrary, his younger generation has already won both the Silver Bear and the Golden Bear, and has swept the Berlin Film Festival.
This record is really too impressive!
Thinking about the other party's age and achievements, even Chief Jia couldn't help but think about it.
Maybe there really are people in this world who are born to be directors.
Director Zhou Qing is undoubtedly such a person.
"Director Zhou's 127 Hours and Funeral Director were really well shot, with solid scripts, great rhythm and shots. Beijing Film Academy has produced another great director."
"Director Jia, you are too kind. Director Jia's "Xiao Wu" and "Platform" are really good. I have studied them repeatedly."
The two sides shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, and the atmosphere on the scene was very harmonious.
"I say you two are almost the same. You are both alumni of Beijing Film Academy. Is it fun to brag about each other here?"
That guy Huang Bo was laughing on the side.
"Old Huang is right. Let's stop talking about whether we are the director or not. It's too formal. Just call me by my name, brother."
"Haha, okay, then I'll call you Qingzi like Huang Bo."
The two exchanged a few simple greetings and quickly became familiar with each other, after all, they were from the same school.
"Let me introduce you, this is Zhao Tao, a very good actor."
Section Chief Jia also specifically introduced Zhao Tao who was standing behind him.
"Hello, Director Zhou. I've heard your name before, and today I'm lucky enough to meet you."
Zhao Tao immediately greeted Zhou Qing politely.
"Hello, hello." Zhou Qing also greeted Zhao Tao politely.
Although Zhao Tao is not well-known, his acting skills are actually very good.
It can be said that she was Chief Jia's favorite heroine, and later became Chief Jia's wife.
"This is Zhou Xun."
"This is Qin Hao."
Zhou Qing also briefly introduced Zhou Xun and Qin Hao who were beside him.
In fact, even if he didn't introduce them, Chief Jia and his colleagues knew these two people.
Needless to say, Zhou Xun is already a big star, and Qin Hao also gained fame with "Departures".
After the introductions and greetings were finished, everyone started chatting and laughing at the dinner table.
Since we are all people in the same industry, the topic we discuss the most is movies.
The most important topic is naturally this year's Venice Film Festival.
In fact, this is Director Jia’s second time to visit the Venice Film Festival.
He had already come here once four years ago with "Platform".
It also won the "Asian Film Promotion Alliance Award".
Although it is not the grand prize of the main competition unit, to be honest, it is actually very impressive.
It's not just the Venice Film Festival. In 98, Chief Jia also went to Berlin with "Xiao Wu", and in 02, he went to Cannes with "Ren Xiaoyao".
It really is a complete sweep of the three major European countries!
"Berlin has always focused on war and politics, while Cannes focuses on realistic themes and artistic value."
“As for Venice, the focus is on artistry and personal expression.”
Chief Jia has become an expert and he shared his experiences with everyone.
But there is one thing that Chief Jia didn’t say: although these rules and regulations exist, they are not applicable to some movies.
What movie?
A truly great movie!
In a word, no matter what the rules are, they can be broken.
What kind of movie is a good movie?
Of course, there is no fixed standard, but director Zhou's "127 Hours" and "Departures" are undoubtedly good films.
Chief Jia hasn’t had the chance to watch “La La Land” yet, but he has already decided to go and watch it.
There is no other reason. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat!
In the eyes of Chief Jia, "La La Land" is definitely a strong rival.
A strong enemy that he cannot afford to be careless about.
"Three tickets to see La La Land."
Chief Jia not only thought so, but also did so.
In addition to promoting "The World" at the film festival, he also went to see the premiere of "La La Land" with Huang Bo and Zhao Tao.
"As expected of Director Zhou, there is nothing wrong with the camera, rhythm, and composition."
Section Chief Jia was amazed by what he saw.
Even though he didn't say it out loud, he knew deep down that he couldn't make this movie.
It's impossible to take a picture of it.
There is indeed a gap between myself and that junior from Beijing Film Academy, and it is a quite big gap.
Because all the films that Chief Jia makes are the same kind of films.
But Zhou Qing has a variety of styles and can shoot any kind of movie.
"127 Hours", "Departures", and then "La La Land", three movies with three themes and three styles.
Each of them is extremely mature, fluent and sophisticated, which is something Chief Jia could never achieve.
"Director Zhou, La La Land is your first film to participate in the Venice Film Festival. What are your expectations for this film?"
"Haha, of course I hope La La Land can win the award, and I also hope everyone will like La La Land."
"Your Chinese Master Zhang once won the Golden Lion Award in Venice. Now some people in your country have put you on the same level as Master Zhang. Do you think you can win the Golden Lion Award?"
"I came here with the expectation of winning the Golden Lion. I would be very happy if I could win this award, but whether I can win the award depends on whether La La Land can impress the organizing committee."
"You, Section Chief Jia, and Director Hou Xiaoxian are all very capable directors. Who among the three of you do you think has a greater chance of winning the award?"
"No matter who wins the award, it will bring glory to Chinese-language films, and I will wish him the best from the bottom of my heart."
I accepted some interviews, promoted "La La Land", and contacted international film distributors.
In the days after the opening, Zhou Qing's days were busy and fulfilling, and of course he gained a lot.
With Zhou Qing's current popularity outside, "La La Land" is also a well-deserved favorite to win the award.
Although being a hot favorite does not have any added effect on winning awards, it does mean attention and exposure.
Those film producers all offered Zhou Qing very attractive prices.
But Zhou Qing is still the same.
These are just talks first, and the specific transaction will not be truly advanced until after the awards ceremony.
"The next crew to appear is the highly anticipated La La Land. Director Zhou Qing is a very capable director. He has won the Silver Bear and Golden Bear awards at the Berlin Film Festival..."
On the red carpet of the closing ceremony, Zhou Qing, dressed in a suit and tie, walked forward calmly and confidently with Zhou Xun and Qin Hao, all with warm smiles on their faces.
Zhou Xun was so excited that he couldn't express it in words.
She has walked on many red carpets, but this is her first time walking on the red carpet of one of the three major European events.
In fact, Zhou Xun also starred in the great poet Chen's "The Emperor and the Assassin" in 98.
That film was also shortlisted for Cannes and nominated for the Palme d'Or.
But Zhou Xun is just a supporting role in it.
It was never her turn to walk the red carpet.
For Zhou Xun, this time's "La La Land" is her real work to impact the top three European magazines.
Like any other film festival, there is a lot of useless chaos at the beginning.
After the red carpet, everyone sat in the venue and waited for a long time before finally waiting for the much-anticipated awards ceremony.
Zhou Xun and Qin Hao, who were both feeling a little tired from sitting, became excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
The truly critical moment has finally arrived!
"The next award for the Cartier-Bresson Prize is..."
The first prizes awarded are always some small, insignificant ones.
Only after everyone’s appetite has been whetted will the awards for the main competition unit be presented.
Of course, the same principle applies in the main competition unit.
The awards given out first are still unimportant.
The first was the Marcello Mastroianni Best Newcomer Award, which was won by an Italian director.
Then came the Best Debut Award, which was won by a French director.
"The winner of the Best Technical Contribution Award is Gong Qijun, "Howl's Moving Castle"!"
Gong Qijun, who is already in his sixties, went on stage with a smile on his face and gave a speech to express his gratitude for the award.
Naturally, there was warm applause from the audience, and Zhou Qing also sent out congratulations.
He has seen "Howl's Moving Castle", which is indeed very good.
"Next up is the Best Actress award."
Zhou Qing subconsciously glanced at Zhou Xun beside him and found that Zhou Xun suddenly became nervous.
Even my breathing became a little rapid.
These are the top three film queens in Europe!
Who can be calm?
Even Zhou Qing's nerves became a little tense.
Frankly speaking, he felt that Zhou Xun's performance in "La La Land" was indeed worthy of a Venice Film Festival Best Actress award.
Zhou Xun herself is very talented, and with her own training, she can be said to have contributed the best acting skills in her career.
It is no exaggeration to say that Zhou Qing would be an award-winning actress even if she won the Venice Film Festival.
But Zhou Qing was not sure whether he could win over others.
After all, Zhou Xun performed well, and others performed well too.
"The winner of the Best Actress Award is... Zhou Xun, "La La Land"!"
boom!
Zhou Xun, who was originally holding on to the corner of his clothes with both hands, felt as if his brain had exploded.
The surroundings suddenly lost their sound and the whole world seemed to be frozen.
I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it!
"It's me, Director Zhou, it's me! I won the Best Actress award!"
After several seconds, Zhou Xun shouted to Zhou Qing in extreme excitement.
(End of this chapter)