Chapter 598 Departure Closing Ceremony

"call."

After flying for more than ten hours, Gu Wei felt a little tired. The moment he got off the plane, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

The weather in Venice in early September is still a bit cold.

As soon as he walked out of the airport exit, Gu Wei felt a little chilly and couldn't help but tighten his long-sleeved shirt.

"The temperature in Venice is 7 or 8 degrees lower than the capital. It just rained yesterday and the forecast says it will only be around 10 degrees today," the accompanying assistant reminded.

There are many tourists and pedestrians coming and going at the airport. Even if it is not during the film festival, many people in China will choose this water city as one of their travel destinations.

Gu Wei wore sunglasses and was accompanied by two assistants. His yellow face did not attract much attention. After all, what Venice lacked the least during this period was "tourists" of different skin colors.

As one of the three major film festivals in Europe, there is no need to explain the status and popularity of the Venice Film Festival in the hearts of filmmakers around the world.

Just talking about this year's event, in addition to "Parasite" being successfully shortlisted for the main competition unit and attracting many mainland tourists, there were more than 300 executives from Chinese film companies who came to buy and sell films, exceeding the records set in Cannes and Berlin this year.

Mainland film and television companies have brought many new films to Venice to expand overseas markets, and this place has become a "supermarket" for Chinese-language filmmakers to sell their films.

Gu Wei's low-key itinerary completely avoided the situation of being surrounded by reporters for interviews at the airport gate.

"Boss, you must have had a hard time on the road. The car is parked outside." The person who came to pick me up at the airport was the manager of the company's purchasing department. He usually travels back and forth between various film festivals and has been to Venice several times. He is very familiar with the place.

"Okay, let's talk in the car."

The three of them got on the car arranged by the company and went straight to the hotel.

Gu Wei arrived a little late and missed the Venice Film Festival's "Focus on China Night" theme cocktail party on the 4th, which was held on the Lido Island in Venice.

At the event, Liu Yifei appeared neatly in a black off-shoulder jumpsuit and green sequined high heels. She delivered a speech at the reception as a representative of the Chinese film troupe at this year's Venice Film Festival. Her fluent speech in English won praise from everyone.

That night, Robert Stabile, director of the international business department of the Italian Imaging Industry Association, spoke first and presented Liu Yifei with a specially prepared bouquet of flowers.

...

As the car drove into the small city of Venice, the lively atmosphere of the film festival was already extremely strong. Huge posters of movie advertisements and photo posters of actors and stars could be seen everywhere.

After the group arrived at the hotel gate, Gu Wei just got off the car and saw Liu Yifei in the crowd.

"Did you miss me?" The young lady asked impatiently after hugging Gu Wei.

"Yeah, but if you don't come down, the reporters will come to take pictures." Gu Wei joked while holding Miss Liu's tight and perky buttocks.

"Ah, I forgot there are reporters." Liu Yifei shouted, and immediately got off Gu Wei. Then she turned around to look at everyone else, and her little face immediately turned red.

When the reporters who were waiting not far away saw Liu Yifei's actions, they knew who the person was and started taking pictures with their cameras.

Looking at the shy little sister, Gu Wei's heart warmed up. Then he shook off the yellow waste in his head and walked towards everyone holding Liu Yifei's little hand.

"Director Gu, we've finally seen you. Now that you're here, we feel more confident." Chen Minghao spoke in the same tone as always, and everyone laughed as soon as he finished speaking.

"Haha, I'm just here to join in the fun. The main character is still Director Zhang."

"Yifei should be included as well. She's nominated for Best Actress. I'm so envious. Haha." Yuan Quan walked up to Liu Yifei, holding her arm, and suddenly said.

"Haozi has finally made it, being nominated for the Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival. Wow, that's incredible." In front of everyone, Chen Minghao began to tease Qin Hao again.

"What do you mean by finally getting through it? I've been to Cannes and Berlin, and now Venice, so it's a grand slam."

"You didn't win any awards, right?" Chen Minghao continued to tease.

“Oh, do you understand the value of being nominated for three Cannes Film Festivals and one Berlin Film Festival?

Haven't you seen my popularity overseas these days? I'll win the Best Actor award this time." Qin Hao said stubbornly.

Speaking of Qin Hao's popularity, it is indeed the envy of his classmates Chen Minghao and Yuan Quan. During the Venice Film Festival, Qin Hao's frequency of attending events was second only to Liu Yifei.

Ultimately, it is because of Qin Hao's works such as "Qinghong", "Spring Breeze Intoxicated Night", and "Rizhao Chongqing" that he has gained wide recognition and achievements in the international film scene.

A group of people gathered at the entrance of the hotel, talking and laughing.

At this time, Zhang Yimou came to Gu Wei and asked, "You are a little late. The award ceremony is tomorrow."

"There's no way. I was supposed to come on the 4th, but Mr. Han called me over to have a meal with the new chairman, so I was delayed for two days." Gu Wei explained.

"Alas, so many years have passed, and even Mr. Han is going to retire." It can't be said that Zhang Yimou and Han Sanping have a very good relationship, but they feel a little sad when they see the other retiring.

"Let's not talk about that. Do you have the confidence to win the Golden Lion Award this time and become the director with the most Golden Lion Awards?" Gu Wei changed the subject and asked about a hot topic that has been widely reported at home and abroad recently.

The incident started when the Italian media did a statistics ranking of directors who won the most Golden Lion Awards.

Louis Malle won the Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the 37th and 44th Venice International Film Festival for "Atlantic City" and "Goodbye, Children", becoming the first director in the history of the Venice Film Festival to win two Golden Lions.

Zhang Yimou won the Golden Lion Award at the 49th and 57th Venice International Film Festival for "Qiu Ju Goes to Court" and "Not One Less", becoming the second director in the history of the Venice International Film Festival to win two Golden Lion Awards.

Ang Lee won the Golden Lion Award at the 62nd and 64th Venice International Film Festival with Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution, becoming the third director in the history of the Venice International Film Festival to win two Golden Lion Awards.

Currently, all three of them have won the Golden Lion Award twice. If Zhang Yimou wins the award this time, he will break the record jointly held by the three and create a new historical record.

As soon as the report came out, it was reprinted crazily by domestic media. For a time, the popularity of "Parasite" was no less than that of the upcoming "The Wandering Earth".

"I still have confidence, but the opponent this time should not be underestimated. It's hard to say for now." Zhang Yimou laughed when talking about this report. He only learned about this record after seeing the news.

"Yes, but I still have confidence in "Parasite". After all, film is one of the three most popular themes in Europe." While thinking about his opponents at this film festival, Gu Wei gave Zhang Yimou a serious analysis.

Afterwards, Song Ge chatted with Gu Wei about the screening of "Parasite". "Many film producers are optimistic about it, and the price is gradually increasing."

"We'll talk about it after the awards ceremony. For a film that wins the Golden Lion, the security fee must double."

"Haha, it's really possible." Song Ge thought about it and realized that it was true. His originally impatient mind calmed down.

After everyone chatted for a while, Gu Wei looked at the time and said, "I'll go back to my room and clean up first, and then we can have a good gathering in the evening."

"no problem."

...

The news of Gu Wei's arrival in Venice had just been released online by the Italian media, and domestic news soon reported it and spread quickly.

"The Venice Film Festival awards ceremony is imminent, and Director Gu Wei arrived at the venue on the afternoon of the 6th."

Almost everyone in the film and television industry and the entertainment industry has seen this news. As everyone knows, we only need to wait one more day to see the final result:
“Will the mainland produce the first major director to win the Golden Lion Award three times?”

“Can Qin Hao and Liu Yifei, who are nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, defeat their many rivals and win the Best Actor and Best Actress awards?”

“If Parasite wins the Golden Lion, will it be able to successfully win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar next year?”

Regardless of whether Zhang Yimou, Gu Wei, Qin Hao, Liu Yifei and others can see it, their Weibo posts are already filled with messages from actors and filmmakers in the industry:

"Director Zhang, it's time to create a miracle!"

“I wish Director Zhang Yimou great success!”

"Come on, Qin Hao, and strive to win the Best Actor award."

“I wish Yifei success in winning the Best Actress award and achieving the three major European awards soon.”

The blessings from netizens and celebrities in the circle were full of energy, and everyone's mood became a little nervous with the arrival of the award ceremony.

Liu Yifei's room was on the third floor. Gu Wei carried the suitcase and led her straight to the destination.

After taking a quick shower, getting ready, and checking the time, Gu Wei was just about to go out when his cell phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Gu Wei laughed.

"Director Jiang, you are so free? And you can even call me."

During the Venice Film Festival, Jiang Wen promoted "One Step Away" a lot, from the ideas behind the script creation to the techniques he planned to use for filming, he directly fooled the media reporters present.

If you don’t know, you might think he is making an epic blockbuster, although the investment in this movie is indeed not low.

"Haha, I saw you coming on the news, and was planning to treat you to a meal, but you know what I mean!"

"Forget it, Director Jiang. Having a meal with you is not cheap. I'm afraid that after the meal I'll be tricked by you into making a cameo appearance." Gu Wei complained directly on the phone.

During the Venice Film Festival, I don't know how Jiang Wen and his wife persuaded Liu Yifei to play a cameo role in "One Step Away".

The key point is that Miss Liu was quite happy when she talked about this. It has to be said that if we rank the big mainland directors in terms of their ability to fool people, Jiang Wen can definitely compete with Brother Chen Kai. It's just that their tracks are somewhat offset. One is too pretentious, while the other has no bottom line.

"Haha, it's something we both agreed on, but how come it becomes a lie when you say it? I see Yifei is very happy, why don't you come and make a cameo appearance, and I'll arrange the roles of husband and wife for you two."

When talking about this, Jiang Wen was in a good mood. It could be said to be the biggest gain of his trip to Venice.

"Screw you. Even if I want to act, I won't be in your movie for the first time." Gu Wei retorted.

"Huh? Are you thinking of appearing on the big screen?" Hearing this, Jiang Wen became excited.

There has always been a rumor in the mainland film circle, that is, whether Gu Wei will appear on the big screen, as one of the few great directors in the country.

Let’s not talk about Jiang Wen, who often plays the leading male role. Chen Kai, Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang and others have played many roles, but Gu Wei has never appeared from beginning to end.

It has to be said that whether Gu Wei can act has become a topic of frequent discussion among fans.

"I haven't thought about it yet, so don't go out and tell people nonsense." Gu Wei regretted it right after he said that he had the idea of ​​showing up. After all, Jiang Wen was notoriously talkative.

"If you really have an idea, let's talk about it when we have time. You and I, together with Director Zhang, the three of us will make a movie. The result will definitely be no worse than Let the Bullets Fly." Jiang Wen started to fool people again.

“Screw you, three big directors starring in a movie, if it flopped at the box office when it was released, they would probably be criticized by netizens for the rest of their lives.” Gu Wei felt horrified when he thought about this scene.

"Hey, I think you sound a little discouraged. You are responsible for the general outline of the script, I will be responsible for the specific lines, and Director Zhang will be responsible for the filming now. That's it."

"Get lost! If we let you be in charge of the lines, it will probably be difficult for you to even pass the review." Gu Wei scolded with a smile.

"Then you are responsible for the lines?"

"Go away, go away. I almost got tricked by you."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Wei looked at the smiling young lady next to him and felt inexplicably nervous.

"You really want to act? Then you have to make it clear in advance. There must be a role for me, and the first time can only be for me."

"Haha, I gave it to you the first time a long time ago."

"Oh, I'm going to kill you."

When Liu Yifei heard this, her fists rained down like raindrops.

...

The next day.

The closing ceremony of the Venice Film Festival officially begins.

In the hotel room, when Gu Wei opened his eyes, he found that Liu Yifei was gone.

Yesterday, Gu Wei discussed the premiere of "The Wandering Earth" with Reid on the other side of the ocean. They talked until late at night and went to bed a little late.

Gu Wei glanced at his phone. It was almost noon. The closing ceremony was scheduled to start in the afternoon, but the celebrities participating in the red carpet had already started preparing early.

After getting up and washing up, when Gu Wei came to the corridor on the second floor of the hotel, he looked around and saw all the celebrity artists and directors who were invited to attend the closing ceremony red carpet and award ceremony.

"Hello, Gu, I am..."

"Gu, long time no see, do you still remember me?"

After dealing with a series of filmmakers and directors, Gu Wei finally saw Liu Yifei putting on makeup.

In the small room, Liu Yifei and Yuan Quan sat in front of the dressing table, receiving dual services from the makeup artist and the stylist.

"How long will it take?" Gu Wei asked casually when he reached the door.

After it took a surprising amount of time to get the answer, Gu Wei decisively chose to leave.

Arriving at the lounge next door, Gu Wei took out his mobile phone and clicked on the domestic news.

In China, the popularity of the Venice Film Festival continues. Although the award ceremony is held in the early morning, since it is the weekend, netizens have enough time and energy to watch the entire live broadcast.

.........

(End of this chapter)