novellhall Chapter 12: In Berlin
Chapter 12: In Berlin
Gu Qing was overjoyed to receive the call from a China Film staff member.
Being shortlisted means this short film isn't a complete loss; if it wins an award, it'll be a huge success.
"Hey, Hao-ge, where are you?"
"Yes, China Film Group said the film festival can reimburse the travel expenses for two people."
After hanging up the phone, Gu Qing couldn't help but let out a long howl.
It takes immense courage to gamble everything on a film and risk all your savings.
Fortunately, luck was on his side.
"What? You're not even going to celebrate the New Year anymore, you're going to go outside?"
"Honey, the child is grown up and has his own ideas. We should support him."
"Can he manage this? There are no restaurants outside right now."
The two elders reacted strongly to Gu Qing's decision to leave before the end of the year, even though the intelligence agency had put forward various speculations about Gu Qing's early return home this year.
However, Gu's mother still believed in her son and never mentioned his career, but she kept thinking about his marriage.
"Dad, Mom, I'm a grown adult. How could I not take care of myself? Don't worry about me."
"Besides, I was invited by a foreign country this time, which is a great honor for our country. You should be proud."
Gu Qing smiled and explained the reason to the two elders.
For the two elders, it didn't matter what kind of movie it was or how much they invested, but they were clearly happy to hear the words "bringing glory to the country".
Gu Cheng reacted strongly, clearly unaware that her older brother had this trick up his sleeve.
"Bro, are you really going abroad? Is it for a movie? Will you win any awards? You're practically a director now, aren't you?"
"Haha, my brother can do this too? Hehe, I'm going to tell Qiqi when school starts."
"Brother, when you go abroad, please don't bring me any local specialties, okay? Don't bring any!"
Gu Cheng reacted violently, her mouth stretched wide, and she gesticulated wildly as she spoke.
"What are you doing? Your brother's matter is still far from settled, don't talk nonsense to me."
Gu's mother tapped Gu Cheng's head and said seriously.
Over the years, their family has made some money running their own business, and they've learned the importance of keeping a low profile and not flaunting their wealth. They've decided to keep this matter low-key.
Gu Qingxiao watched his younger sister running around in a panic. Actually, there was no need to say anything. After entering the pass, there would be great scholars to debate the classics for him.
If he succeeds, there will naturally be free publicity from the media and the internet. All he has to do is mention it to his family so they can prepare themselves mentally.
When Gu Qing came, she was carrying a backpack, but when she left, she was carrying large and small bags.
In Gu's mother's words, it's almost Chinese New Year and other shops are closed. Even if there's no food, at least you won't starve. You can at least gnaw on some cured meat.
Gu Qing didn't know why, but in her daily life, her mother always saw her as a child, while on the other hand, she was being urged to get married as soon as possible.
Because it was close to the Spring Festival and passenger flow was tight, Gu Qing didn't take the train and instead splurged on a plane.
Upon returning to the capital, Gu Qing was in high spirits and presented Ning Hao with some cured meat specialties, which pleased the latter greatly.
Ning Hao has also made art films and dreams of winning awards at the three major European film festivals, but unfortunately his best results have not been accepted by any B-category film festivals.
"Rest well at home for a while, then we'll go to Berlin together."
"Is your sister-in-law going too?"
"Of course, we're planning to get married this year, so we're going on a honeymoon trip abroad first."
Congratulations in advance!
Gu Qing raised her hand and clasped her hands in congratulations, saying that now is the time for the other party to become famous, and to be able to abandon the outside world's disturbances and choose to get married is indeed the act of a person with great principles.
Ning Hao is turning thirty this year, and he has achieved success in both his career and family life. He is truly a winner in life.
Gu Qing hasn't considered this for the time being. Throughout his two lifetimes, his only obsession has been making movies, making good movies, and contributing to the film and television industry.
After chatting for a while, Ning Hao explained to Gu Qing some important points about the three major European countries.
Of the three major film festivals, Cannes is undoubtedly the most prestigious, and the Palme d'Or is an award that all filmmakers in mainland China aspire to win. To date, only Director Chen has received it.
Scarcity increases value, which is naturally the fundamental reason why the latter stands out from the crowd.
Then came Berlin and Venice.
The three major focuses are art, literature and art, and commerce, respectively.
The competition section is further divided into the main competition section, the encounter section, the short film competition section, and the panoramic section.
Similar to the main competition, the short film category features the Golden Bear for Best Short Film and the Silver Bear for the Jury Prize.
"The Dilemma" has a good subject matter, which is exactly what the Berlin Film Festival prefers. Coupled with its slightly avant-garde film style and excellent filming techniques, it has a high chance of winning an award.
Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't win an award; you can still make it to this year's Sitges Film Festival.
The short film was shortlisted, and the film festival provided food, clothing, and accommodation for the two of them. Gu Qing first called Fu Dalong, but the latter declined to accompany them due to scheduling conflicts.
Well, there are no awards for the male and female leads in the short film, so what's the point of going?
On February 1st, Gu Qing, Ning Hao, and Xing Aina also arrived in Berlin together, where they were picked up by the head of China Film Group.
"Is this Director Gu? I'm Chen Zhou, the person in charge at China Film Group. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Director Chen personally came to pick us up at the airport; that's far too kind of you."
Gu Qing was somewhat flattered and quickly shook hands with the other party.
"Before we arrived, President Han instructed us to make sure we treated you all well."
Chen Zhou laughed and saw the three of them into the car.
"We're not very familiar with this area yet, so we'll have to trouble Director Chen to take good care of us."
"You're too kind. I didn't expect Director Gu to be so young before I came. It surprised me."
"Besides you, we also have Wang Quan'an's 'Tuya's Marriage' and Li Yu's 'Apple' from China. However, they arrived last week and are currently promoting their films."
Chen Zhou sat in the passenger seat, explaining some important points about the film festival to Gu Qing.
Every year, film festivals are a feast for filmmakers from all over the world, and also the best reflection of the current situation where heroes from all over the world are as numerous as carp crossing a river.
Any director or producer can be considered a top-tier figure globally, having left behind classic film and television works.
"Short films can't compare to feature films, and we can't handle all the promotion. It would be enough if we could reserve a gallery for screenings."
Gu Qing chuckled self-deprecatingly. The short films were no longer than half an hour, and the shortest were only three to five minutes long. Not many people were interested in them, and they were often just used to pass the time.
"Don't underestimate yourself. You're still young. The short film is just to build your reputation. After this, you'll have connections, right?"
Upon seeing this, Chen Zhou said with considerable surprise.
Any director who gets into the Big Three (the three major film studios) is arrogant and doesn't respect anyone.
Gu Qing, on the other hand, had already come to terms with things before he even started to offer any advice, leaving him unable to say what he originally wanted to say.
Back at the hotel, Chen Zhou took Gu Qingning, Hao, and the others out for a meal and a quick tour of the area. He didn't have much time to personally guide them afterwards.
Gu Qing expressed his gratitude, saying that Han Sanping was a pragmatic person who would do his best to befriend someone if there was something of value in them. He must have made arrangements before coming.
Gu Qing didn't mind at all, just like Huang Bo said, "Once you become famous, everyone around you is a good person."
If you don't become famous, nobody cares about you.