novelinnhs Chapter 201 Thunderclap Outside the Wall, The Gaze of the Cannes Film Selector
Chapter 201 Thunderclap Outside the Wall, The Gaze of the Cannes Film Selector
The speed of information dissemination on the internet revealed its true fangs that night.
Yenching University, male dormitory.
A student who had just finished playing StarCraft slumped in his chair, refreshing the movie and TV show section of Tianya Forum, the mouse wheel spinning until it was stiff.
A bold, highlighted post popped up.
[Pinned Post - Breaking News! The Dawn of Chinese Sci-Fi! Sixty-Second Industrial Highlights from "The Wandering Earth" - Enter at Your Own Risk, You Might Be Overwhelmed!]
"Tch, another clickbait headline."
He pursed his lips and casually clicked on it.
The video buffering finished, and the screen popped up.
A dull metallic clang came from the cheap speaker, causing the glass on the table to sway slightly.
On the screen, an actress wearing a bulky exoskeleton struggles on a tilted steel plate, her heavy breathing seeping into the dormitory through the speakers.
"Interesting, is it real footage?"
He withdrew his hand from the edge of the table and leaned half an inch closer to the screen.
Screen switch.
A colossal engine, beyond description, spewed out a blue beam of light, tearing a rift in the sky.
Heavy transport vehicles drift and fishtail on the ice field, kicking up snow and ice debris that flies towards the camera.
His mouth slowly opened, and the chair legs made a soft creaking sound as they scraped against the floor tiles.
In just sixty seconds, his neck went numb, and he even forgot about the outcome of the game.
The video ended, and two cold, hard, metallic characters appeared on the black screen: Chen Yan.
With trembling hands, he typed a line on the keyboard and sent it to the dormitory chat group.
Wake up, all of you! Go watch the behind-the-scenes footage of "The Wandering Earth"! Our own sci-fi blockbuster!
The group chat instantly erupted in excitement.
At the same time, the servers of Tianya, Sohu, Xici Hutong, and other major BBS forums were under tremendous access pressure.
Holy crap! Even Optimus Prime would have to call this transport vehicle "big brother"!
This is real industry! This is real heavy machinery! Those martial arts movies with flying figures are just child's play!
Who is that actress? Lin Qingqiu? Isn't she just a pretty face? This performance is amazing!
[Exposing the truth! The previous online smear campaign against Chen Yan for squandering investments was actually written by that slut Zhou Man! How much money did she get from Li Jianguo?]
The defamatory articles that Zhou Man wrote for money were dug up one by one by angry netizens and publicly displayed on the homepage of each post.
Those who said Chen Yan was wasting money should shut up. Every penny of his money was spent on special effects and live-action sets. The 400 million investment was worth it.
The five major cinema chains are suppressing domestic science fiction films. Is Li Jianguo afraid that his period dramas won't sell? What nonsense.
The tide of public opinion has completely reversed.
Absolute strength crushed all schemes and tricks.
Shougang Third Factory, Director's Lounge.
Chen Yan closed the webpage. Backend data showed that the behind-the-scenes clicks exceeded five million within two hours.
The landline on the table emitted a piercing ring.
He answered the phone.
"Brother Chen! Well done!"
The receiver carried the signature hearty laughter of General Manager Han from China Film Group, with others echoing in the background.
"In those sixty seconds, you didn't just slap Li Jianguo in the face, you slapped the face of the entire old era!"
Mr. Han clinked his glasses lightly and spoke much faster than usual.
"I just came from the Film Bureau. The leaders watched the behind-the-scenes footage and gave it very high praise, saying that this is what our great nation's major projects should look like!"
"Mr. Han, you've gone to a lot of trouble. Without China Film's channels, this fire wouldn't have been able to start."
Chen Yan's voice calmed the noise in the entire lounge.
This victory is just an appetizer.
"You don't need to worry about Li Jianguo."
President Han's tone turned serious.
"His so-called cinema alliance has long been disliked by some people, and this is a good opportunity to use you to teach him a lesson."
The sound of turning over documents on the other end of the phone paused for a moment.
"China Film Group will take over all publicity and distribution matters."
"Also, I've already spoken to the Beijing Film Studio. Their film processing equipment will be repaired tomorrow, so you can take the film back."
President Han is both making a gesture of goodwill and stating his position.
"No need, Mr. Han."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone.
"What do you mean?"
There was a hint of surprise in President Han's voice.
"Brother Chen, I know you're upset, but there's no need to go against money. Domestic printing costs are low and the turnaround time is short."
"I signed a long-term contract with Lin Shufen, and all the negatives from now on will be handled by Tokyo IMAGICA."
Chen Yan walked to the window and looked at the silhouette of the blast furnace in the distance.
"Li Jianguo closed the door; he did me a favor."
"The domestic market is too small to contain this steel behemoth."
"My battlefield was never here in the first place."
Mr. Han remained silent for a long time on the other end of the phone, and finally left only one sentence.
"I see."
"If you need anything from China Film Group, just let us know."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Yan gazed at the night sky.
Paris, France, 8,000 kilometers away.
Inside an old building next to the Champs-Élysées, in the Cannes Film Festival selection committee office, caffeine and paper mingled, creating a suffocating smell.
Film selector Pierre Durand threw a disc into the wastebasket.
The disc had the words "Chinese underground cinema" written on it in marker.
It's another long take, handheld photography, with a somber tone, exploring poverty, confusion, and systemic oppression.
These elements might have amazed Europe a decade ago, but now they're just clichés.
"It's that same old 'scar literature' that sells suffering and pain."
Pierre picked up his now-cold coffee, the bitter liquid sliding down his throat, and his brow furrowed.
A new email notification popped up in the lower right corner of the computer screen.
The sender was Richard Taylor.
The visual effects supervisor for The Lord of the Rings and the founder of Weta Digital.
Pierre raised an eyebrow and opened the email.
Why would Richard send himself something?
The attachment is an encrypted video file, and the email body contains only a short line of English text.
Pierre, look at this, some interesting mutations are happening in Chinese cinema.
Pierre became interested, entered the password, and clicked on the video.
A dull metallic clang rang out, and his hand holding the cup froze in mid-air.
In the video, the powerful climbing motion of the Asian actress, along with the real sweat on her face, made Pierre sit up straight.
Immediately afterwards, the planetary engine emitted blue light.
A 120-ton transport vehicle drifted out of control on the ice field.
In a state of weightlessness, Lin Qingqiu experienced minor muscle spasms due to lack of oxygen.
Pierre's coffee cup hung in his hand; he forgot to drink it.
He saw no familiar poverty, backwardness, or reflection.
He saw a raw, massive, violent aesthetic full of primal industrial power.
This aesthetic, combined with the resilience emanating from the slender frame of an Eastern woman, creates an unprecedented chemical reaction.
He dragged the progress bar back to the beginning and watched it repeatedly.
At the end of the video, the director's name appears: Chen Yan.
Pierre opened the drawer and pulled out a thick black notebook.
This is a notebook he uses specifically to record his annual film selection list.
On a brand new page, he solemnly wrote down the names "The Wandering Earth" and Chen Yan, stroke by stroke, with a red pen.
Then, he drew a heavy five-pointed star next to the name.
He picked up the phone and dialed the internal line of the chairman of the film selection committee.
"Mr. Chairman, it's me, Pierre."
His voice was filled with barely concealed excitement.
"I've discovered a work that may completely change our preconceived notions about Chinese-language films."
He placed the coffee cup back on the table, the bottom of the cup hitting the wooden surface with a dull thud.
"It's not an art film, it's a heavy industry science fiction film."
"Yes, you heard right, Chinese science fiction."
"I suggest that we immediately send someone to Beijing to make contact with this director."
BJ, Shougang Plant Area.
The autumn wind carried the smell of rust and made people's cheeks feel tight.
Chen Yan, wearing a long black overcoat, stood on the maintenance platform at the highest point of the No. 1 blast furnace.
Below, hundreds of staff members shuttle through the steel forest, the entire crew like a giant machine running at its limit.
Su Wan climbed up the creaking iron ladder, the documents in her hands rustling in the wind.
"Domestic public opinion has completely turned around."
Su Wan walked over to Chen Yan and handed him a data report.
"There is a split within Li Jianguo's cinema alliance. Several local small cinemas contacted me privately today, wanting to bypass the alliance and pre-book screenings of 'The Wandering Earth'."
Chen Yan didn't look at the briefing; his gaze swept across the entire factory area, looking into the distance.
"Li Jianguo was just someone who pushed open the door; he didn't even know what he was opening."
Chen Yan leaned against the cold iron railing, his palm pressed against the metal that had been pierced by the wind.
"Lu Haiming, who stands behind him, is the one who truly wants to devour the market."
"As long as The Wandering Earth wins enough prestigious awards internationally, the capital alliance that Lu Haiming built in China will collapse instantly."
He turned his head and looked at Su Wan.
"Notify Zhang Yuan and the editing team to halt all current filming schedules."
Chen Yan issued new instructions.
"Using the existing footage, immediately cut out a 20-minute rough cut and add English subtitles."
Su Wan gripped the corner of the document tightly, the pages fluttering in the wind.
Where are you going?
Milan.
Chen Yan straightened his collar, which had been ruffled by the wind.
"European Independent Film Copyright Market"
"Li Jianguo wants to drown me in the pool of domestic water, then I will go to the ocean and stir up a storm."
"I want to let the most discerning overseas distributors and selectors see what this film really looks like in advance."
Beneath the blast furnace, the massive gear set rotated again under hydraulic drive, and the deafening mechanical roar echoed throughout the entire factory area.
Chen Yan's chessboard has transcended national borders.