Chapter 00133: The Old Revolutionary Stakes His Reputation
# The Old Revolutionary Stakes His Reputation
Chapter 133
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 133: The Old Revolutionary Stakes His Reputation
"That so-called chairman..."
"Mr. Hadel!"
"Oh, Chairman Hadel really invited us to participate?"
"Every word I said is true. Look, here's my authorization letter!"
Fang Yurong pulled out her authorization letter, all in German.
The film bureau leader couldn't read it, but it looked impressive.
She continued, "The main venue of the Berlin Film Festival is called the Animal Palace. In front of it, there's a row of national flags. If a country has a film selected for the competition, that country's flag gets to fly above the Animal Palace. Mr. Hadel said that since China has opened up, we should engage more with the world. He eagerly hopes to see our Chinese Five-Starred Red Flag flying over the Animal Palace!"
Fang Yurong wasn't telling the whole truth.
She couldn't say that the Berlin Film Festival had offended the Soviet Union and was desperate to win over China.
She just needed the leader to believe that this matter was of great significance.
Sure enough, the leader's face lit up with pride.
He smiled and said, "Good, good! It's rare for foreign friends to value our film industry so highly. We will definitely support this matter. First, tell us how the process works."
"They have two categories: competition and exhibition. Competition films get the most attention and can compete for various awards. Exhibition films are just shown without any awards, but they have a market where international buyers can pick films. As the sole selector, I will choose the films to send for competition, of course, after reporting to you and getting your approval."
"I don't agree!"
Wang Yang burst in, shouting loudly.
Fang Yurong looked as if she had seen a ghost.
"Old Director, why are you still here?"
The leader was even more annoyed.
Wang Yang had been banging on the table earlier, demanding distribution rights.
After much persuasion, they had finally managed to get him to leave.
Who knew he would come back and overhear their conversation?
"I don't agree!"
Wang Yang strode forward, pointing at Fang Yurong.
"She's an employee of China Film. How can she be a selector? This is against the rules!"
"This doesn't conflict at all. How is it against the rules?" Fang Yurong wasn't one to back down.
"Hmph! If you hold this position, there's a suspicion of using your power for personal gain!"
Wang Yang didn't care.
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
"You're in charge of China Film's imports and exports, right? If you want to export a film, you can just send it to the festival to gain some prestige. That's good for China Film, but it's unfair to other films because there might be better ones for the festival. Can you guarantee that won't happen?"
"I can guarantee that I will be objective and fair. Besides, it's not up to me. The leader has to approve it before it can be sent out! Right, leader?" Fang Yurong asked.
"Uh..."
The leader was in a tough spot.
Don't drag me into this.
Wang Yang continued to press, "I bet she'll choose a film from Shanghai Film Studio. She's from Shanghai! Isn't that using power for personal gain?"
"You... don't just accuse people because you're senior! I haven't even started my work yet!" Fang Yurong was furious.
The leader interjected, "Is there a deadline?"
"The deadline for competition entries is November!"
"See, with such a short time, where else can she go to select films? She'll definitely go to Shanghai Film Studio! If you want to prove me wrong, come to Beijing Film Studio. Then I'll believe you're fair and impartial."
"Old Wang, how many times have I told you!"
The leader rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
"Your film is a martial arts movie. Who sends martial arts movies overseas? It's embarrassing!"
"I don't care. Her position is definitely against the rules. If you want her to select films, you have to include ours!"
"She was personally authorized by the chairman. If we privately remove her, what kind of message does that send? China is trying to engage with the world. If this blows up, can you take responsibility?"
"Anyway, I'm putting it out there. If you want to go, you have to take us with you. Otherwise, no one goes!"
Wang Yang slammed the table and stormed out.
Once outside, he smiled.
He had been wondering how to get to Europe, and now Fang Yurong had handed him the opportunity.
He would come back every few days to make a fuss.
They would have to agree eventually.
Inside the office, the leader looked troubled.
"Xiao Yu, you go ahead and make your selections, then bring them to me for final approval. As for Old Wang's issue, we'll discuss it internally."
"Alright!"
Fang Yurong left as well.
She was actually quite nervous because she really did want to select a film from Shanghai Film Studio.
Historically, she had chosen a film called Yan Guilai (The Return of the Swallow), which was the first mainland Chinese film to compete in the main competition of one of Europe's top three film festivals.
"..."
In the office, the leader pondered the situation.
He understood Wang Yang's point, but how could a martial arts film go to a film festival? Films sent to festivals had to be politically correct, meaningful, and reflect Chinese values.
On this point, he and Fang Yurong were in agreement.
But if he didn't agree, Wang Yang, that old revolutionary, would keep causing trouble.
When an old revolutionary staked his reputation, no one could withstand it.
"Xiao Yu mentioned competition and exhibition. A martial arts film definitely can't compete, but what about exhibition?"
The leader thought it over and decided to hold a meeting to discuss the matter.
............
"Really?"
"There's a selector from the Berlin Film Festival?"
Wang Yang went back and told Chen Qi about it.
Chen Qi was also pleasantly surprised.
"She claims to be the only one from the mainland, and she's quite arrogant. I criticized her, and she got defensive. I told them they had to take us with them, or else no one goes. Her position is already against the rules. How can a China Film employee be a selector? It's like being both a player and a referee!"
"Do you think it will work out?"
"That Xiao Yu mentioned competition and exhibition. The film bureau will probably try to mediate and have us compromise. Maybe we can go for exhibition."
"Exhibition is fine. As long as we can go!"
Chen Qi also felt the strain.
How low had the standards fallen? Just being able to go was enough.
The mainland had too many restrictions these days.
He had to find ways to work around them or exploit loopholes.
Chen Qi never saw anyone as an enemy or a villain.
The obstacles and difficulties he faced were always the result of the times—mainland policies, those guys in Hong Kong and Taiwan, international biases...
The two of them schemed some more.
They had done all they could for now.
The next step was to wait for news.
............
Hong Kong.
Hong Kong cinema was making a huge leap this year.
Jackie Chan's The Young Master became the first film to break the ten million mark since the opening of the port, officially ushering in a golden age.
1982 was even more impressive, with Hong Kong films taking all top ten spots.
Raiders of the Lost Ark, a huge hit in North America, only made a little over eight million.
Hollywood couldn't compete.
This trend continued until 1993, when Jurassic Park shattered records with over sixty million in box office revenue, showing Hong Kong's small-scale productions what real film industry looked like.
From then on, Hong Kong cinema began to decline.
This year, Shaw Brothers was on its last legs, Golden Harvest was at its peak, and Cinema City had just been established.
Along with a host of other big and small companies, the industry was in a state of fierce competition.
Amidst this chaos, the leftists remained aloof, living in peace.
No one bothered them, and they didn't bother anyone else.
The scripts for Dead End and The Descent were brought back in July.
The decision to shoot the first film was made that same month.
Filming began in August, wrapped up in September, and post-production was completed in October.
Never had things moved so quickly.
First, because Chen Qi's content was so complete that it could be shot as is.
Second, Dead End didn't have much of a plot.
It was all about the gore, with the most effort going into the makeup for the mutant cannibals.
Although the leftists were weak, they had a complete industry chain—production, distribution, theaters, studios, actor training classes, dormitories, and more.
They were essentially a state-owned enterprise.
Their theater chain, called "Twin South Theaters," only had eight cinemas.
The number was small, but at least they were independent.
That day, Twin South Theaters put up posters for Dead End, the kind covered in blood and gore, with a special warning: "Not for the faint of heart!"
(End of Chapter)