Chapter 199: Award Selection
Chapter 199: Award Selection
After changing planes in London and flying for another two-plus hours, Eric and the others finally arrived at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport.
The people there to receive them were not only Jonathan Demme and Virginia, but also a middle-aged man named Bill Gallot, along with two assistants. After introductions, Eric learned that Bill Gallot was the manager of Disney’s European branch. Since Disney had obtained the distribution rights for The Others, he had been sent to assist Jonathan Demme with the film’s promotion and award campaign.
After exchanging greetings, Eric and the group boarded a yacht. Rather than going to Venice’s main island, they headed directly to Lido Island and checked into the Excelsior Hotel. The history behind this hotel was rather interesting. It was said that the Venice Film Festival had originally been created to solve the problem of low autumn occupancy at the Excelsior Hotel. Now, during the Venice Film Festival, staying at the Excelsior had become a symbol of status. Only film crews selected for the main competition section and specially invited guests were qualified to stay there.
As one of the heavyweight guests of this year’s festival, Eric naturally had the right to stay there, and his room was even a luxurious suite overlooking the sea.
“Bed, ah, bed!” After Jonathan, Bill, and the others left, Eric let out a long sigh and threw himself directly onto the large bed in the bedroom, rolling around several times with force.
Virginia, who was carefully organizing Eric’s luggage, chuckled softly. “Flying is tiring, isn’t it?”
“It’s not exactly tiring. It just feels awful. We even ran into turbulence over the Atlantic,” Eric said as he kicked off his leather shoes and leaned comfortably against the bed, turning his head to look at the woman hanging his clothes inside the wardrobe.
Virginia was currently wearing a sleeveless white blouse trimmed with lace, along with a pair of tight white trousers. Viewed from the side, the outfit perfectly highlighted the woman’s curvy figure. Eric found his fingers itching.
Unable to resist, Eric jumped off the bed and walked up behind Virginia, pressing himself against her body. His arms wrapped around her slender waist as he caressed the strip of exposed skin between her blouse and trousers. At the same time, he leaned forward past the crystal-clear earlobe adorned with ruby earrings and kissed the fair cheek on the right side of her face.
Feeling Eric’s sudden intimate actions, the woman’s soft body trembled slightly. The jacket she had been holding dropped directly to the floor. One of her hands pressed against Eric’s arm around her waist, her voice carrying a husky hint of arousal as she said, “Eric, don’t do this. They… they’re waiting for us downstairs in the restaurant.”
Eric sucked gently on the woman’s red lips for a moment before whispering softly, “Come to my room tonight.”
“Th-that’s not possible,” the woman panted as she felt the hardness pressing against her backside. “It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us. Let’s wait until we get back to Los Angeles… okay?”
“Fine,” Eric replied. The impulse had come suddenly, but he quickly realized that the hotel was filled with film crews from all over the world, along with festival judges. If someone caught him secretly meeting with Virginia, the consequences would be unpredictable. Reluctantly, he squeezed the fullness of her chest a few times and said, “You really look good in this outfit.”
Turning around, the woman tilted her face up and kissed Eric on the cheek. Smiling, she said, “Then I’ll wear outfits like this for you more often.”
“Actually…” Eric leaned mysteriously close to the woman’s ear and lowered his voice. “You look even better without clothes.”
Virginia had thought Eric was about to say something important. Instead, he was teasing her again. Rolling her eyes, she lightly punched his shoulder. “Little rascal.”
Eric laughed loudly and smacked the woman on the backside before bending down to pick up the jacket she had dropped earlier. “Let me help you finish unpacking. We shouldn’t keep them waiting too long.”
…
“Eric, this is John Landis’s information. You’d better take a look before tonight’s meeting,” Bill Gallot from Disney said in the hotel restaurant, handing over a file as Eric sat around a dining table with Jonathan and the others.
Eric already had a rough understanding of John Landis’s background, but he knew the information Disney provided would definitely be more detailed. So he accepted it and flipped it open right there in front of everyone while casually asking, “How are things progressing with The Others?”
Jonathan Demme and Bill Gallot exchanged glances. In the end, Bill Gallot was the one who answered. “We’ve made thorough preparations. We’ve also contacted several members of this year’s jury. Although we didn’t receive any promises, several judges have a good impression of The Others. At the same time, we’ve coordinated with some local media outlets. Once the festival begins, they’ll cooperate in generating favorable publicity.”
“Mm.” Eric nodded in satisfaction. For a festival like Venice, public relations efforts reaching this level were already sufficient. After thinking for a moment, Eric asked, “What about the awards?”
Bill Gallot replied, “The Golden Lion is definitely out of reach. A City of Sadness is practically predetermined to win it. Our best chances are the Silver Lion and Best Screenplay.”
After Bill finished speaking, Jonathan Demme and the others all looked toward Eric almost simultaneously.
Tonight, Eric would be meeting with one of this year’s jurors, John Landis. Their conversation would inevitably involve this matter. After Disney’s prior contact, John Landis had already agreed to help advocate for The Others. After all, he was American, and he was not one of those stubborn old-school artists obsessed with artistic purity. From beginning to end, John Landis had always been a commercial film director.
As for who had first suggested this meeting, Eric himself did not know. Perhaps John Landis was personally interested in him, or perhaps Jonathan Demme and Bill Gallot had deliberately arranged things behind the scenes. But since the meeting benefited The Others, Eric did not bother digging deeper and simply agreed readily.
And Eric’s choice during that meeting would essentially determine which direction John Landis would support when awards were being decided for The Others. Furthermore, considering the subject matter of The Others, even with its anti-war angle added in, the jury would likely give it at most a single award. That meant they could only compete seriously for one of the two categories.
Deep down, Eric personally wanted to win a Best Screenplay award for himself. However, for the sake of the film’s box office interests, the more influential Silver Lion was clearly the better target.
“Don’t worry. I know what I should do,” Eric said as he looked at the hopeful expressions on everyone’s faces.