1979 Golden Age

"I, I'm nervous!"

The next day, at the opening ceremony, Gong Xue wore a white dress bought in Hong Kong. She was so nervous that her forehead was sweating. She wanted to wipe it with a handkerchief, but she remembered that the dress had no pockets after touching it left and right.

"It's okay, it's okay. Isn't it equivalent to rehearsing in advance for 16 road shows in Hong Kong? If it doesn't work, you can treat them as big carrots!"

"Brother Qi, I'm a little nervous too!" Li Lianjie said.

"You're not nervous at all, Nixon has touched your head."

"It's different. This is a red carpet walk. Wow, such a long red carpet..."

Li Lianjie made exaggerated gestures, and Li Wenhua was so stiff beside him that he couldn't speak.

This was the waiting area for the red carpet. Chen Qi saw that it was his turn soon and said hurriedly, "Anyway, remember, smile, wave, hold your head high, just like in Hong Kong! Okay, let's go!"

The foursome took a few steps and stepped onto the red carpet of the Berlin Film Festival. The bright red carpet several meters wide was laid straight to the entrance of the main venue, the Animal Palace Cinema. There were guardrails on both sides, and reporters were ready to go.

"Director Li, you turned the corner!"

"Gong Xue, don't trip over your skirt!"

"Wave! Wave!"

Chen Qi escorted the three rookies on the road like an old mother. The reporters on both sides didn't recognize them at first glance, but those from mainland China also raised their cameras to take pictures. The mainland was too mysterious to them.

The three were dizzy, but fortunately they walked down safely.

Chen Qi often walked on the red carpet in his previous life. As an investor or producer, he often dragged a few 18th-tier celebrities to walk on the red carpet. Unfortunately, he never dragged a big name, not even a celebrity like Fan Xiaopang.

This thing is actually not that high-end. Like the Cannes red carpet that everyone in China knows, as long as you have a ticket to the opening ceremony, you can walk on it. All kinds of small stars and lousy internet celebrities have walked on it, causing ridicule at home and abroad, and ruining the world that Fan Xiaopang had conquered with his own efforts.

"Huh!"

"I was scared to death!"

Gong Xue stroked her chest, feeling scared and excited. She really gained a lot of knowledge from going abroad this time.

The four people walked into the main venue and came to see the opening ceremony as guests of the exhibition. After waiting for a while, Fu Qi and others also came in, Fang Yurong and Fu Jingong also came, but they were participating works and had special seats arranged.

The opening ceremony started soon. The chairman and the judges appeared, said a few words, and then played the opening film.

Li Wenhua, Gong Xue, and Li Lianjie were all very depressed because they didn't understand.

After finally getting through the ceremony, the group left the venue and headed straight for the trading market, which was their goal.

…………

The mainland had no experience in participating in film festivals, so they only sent Fang Yurong, an official staff member, to accompany them. The film festival provided accommodation and meals, but they had to pay for their own air tickets, so they saved as much as possible.

Fang Yurong had no experience either, and she had to take care of two films, so she was busy on the first day.

Especially after the opening ceremony, she found that Chen Qi and others were missing, and she was scared to look for them everywhere. Finally, she found them in the trading market and said angrily: "Don't run around, what if something happens?"

"We are not participating in the competition, and we are idle anyway, so we come to help Uncle Fu." Chen Qi smiled.

"Xiao Yu, it's okay, I will take them with me, and I have a translator here, you can go to work on "The Return of the Swallows." Fu Qi is simply the strongest assistant.

"That's too much trouble for you! I really can't do it... There are many activities in "The Return of the Swallows", so I can't take care of you. You follow President Fu and call me if there is anything!"

Fang Yurong left in a hurry.

As soon as she left, Chen Qi said, "Set up our booth!"

So, next to "Wrong Turn", another booth was set up, which was "Tai Chi"! The conditions were very simple, with only a large poster and some brochures.

Chen Qi signaled Li Lianjie, and Li Lianjie took off his coat without saying a word, revealing his training clothes.

Walked to the front of the booth and punched a round.

While punching, I felt a little depressed. Damn, I used to perform for leaders, Nixon, and Kissinger. How come everyone can watch me now?

"Oh! Kung fu!"

"Bre Lee?"   The trading market is just a hall with many booths set up in rows. There is no new media technology these days, only posters + brochures. Film producers and film distributors from all over the world gathered here, hoping to find a bargain.

Jet Li's performance was as eye-catching as a firefly in the dark, and immediately attracted many outsiders to watch. Chen Qi took the opportunity to hand out the brochures, speaking fluent American English:

"Action movies from China, better than Bruce Lee, tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock!"

Gong Xue's English was not very good, but she also helped to hand out the brochures to the best of her ability, and smiled and said: "Tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, thank you for your support!"

"Tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, thank you for your support!"

"Give me a copy!"

Suddenly, a tall, strong and fat white man stood in front of him, looking at Li Lianjie with interest, and said: "You fight so beautifully! I have been to Berlin twice, and this is the first time I have seen a Chinese exhibition."

"Everything has a breakthrough from zero. You can come and see this movie. It will never disappoint you." Chen Qi said with a smile.

"Of course! Let me meet you, Harvey Weinstein, an American!"

"You can call me Chen!"

Chen Qi smiled and shook hands with him, looking at the other's back and hummed. I didn't expect that Lao Deng was also here. He should have just made his debut, right?

Harvey Weinstein founded Miramax in 1979. He is best at finding films overseas, buying them out at a cheap price, and then distributing them in the United States.

He is very good at public relations. The films he has handled have been nominated for Oscars more than 300 times, and he has won more than 70 Oscars.

His red sofa has also been slept with the most female stars in Hollywood. The actresses in any movie he has handled basically cannot escape his clutches. If they agree, it's fine. If they don't agree, he will force them. The actresses are afraid of his power and often dare not speak out.

This can no longer be described as an old pervert. He is a rapist. During the rectification movement in Hollywood in later generations, he was sentenced to more than ten years.

Weinstein likes to buy Chinese films very much. "Hero", "Shaolin Soccer", "The Promise", etc., are all distributed by him in the United States.

However, he is still a newcomer and cannot get a number at the film festival.

After a day of setting up the exhibition, many bigwigs expressed their attention to "Tai Chi", and Chen Qi also received a bunch of business cards, including buyers of giants such as Warner and 20th Century Fox.

…………

When Tai Chi was preparing to overtake, The Return of the Swallows finally made its debut.

Chairman Hader really attached great importance to it and accompanied him almost throughout the whole process. He was there whenever there was an event. He specially arranged for The Return of the Swallows to be screened at the Animal Palace and invited a lot of media.

"Director Fu, how do you feel?"

"Oh, to be honest, I never thought that my film could be screened in such an occasion in my life."

On the second floor of the screening room, Fu Jingong was very excited. He was a very typical old director cultivated by the domestic system and the kind that the Film Bureau liked the most. He was stable and had correct ideas... There was nothing wrong with this, but it was a bit backward.

Fang Yurong translated it, and Hader smiled and said, "This is a good start. Whether your work wins an award or not, the Chinese flag has already flown over the Animal Palace. This is of great significance."

"Yes, yes!"

Fu Jingong nodded repeatedly, his face was bright. Yes, he came with the mentality of winning glory for the country, just like an athlete participating in the Olympics for the first time.

As the first Chinese film to compete for the Golden Bear Award, the Western media paid special attention to it. Reporters sat in the front and middle rows of the audience, and behind them were ordinary audiences who bought their own tickets to enter the venue.

Philip and Mateo are good friends and movie fans. They heard that a Chinese film was participating in the competition and bought tickets to come.

"Brother, did you understand the introduction of this film?"

"It seems to be about the story of the hero and heroine separating, reuniting, and separating again... It should be a love film, right?"

"Wow, what will a Chinese love film be like? Like the Soviet movies? I heard that they have already opened up."

"Will we see Mao in it?"

"No way, if there is Mao, the film festival will definitely ban it."

During the discussion, "The Return of the Swallow" began.