Hollywood Director 1992

"Hopefully, I won't get athlete's foot."

Lincoln went to the bathroom to wash his hands and calm down.

However, he wasn't worried about getting athlete's foot. He used to catch minor colds from wind-chill and heatstroke a couple of years ago. Since last year, his physique had been strengthened, and his body had become healthier and stronger. He hadn't had any major or minor illnesses since.

Ordinary athlete's foot or other germs found it difficult to break through his body's defenses. This was also one of the benefits of physical enhancement.

"I still need to focus on making movies. After I finish the company's affairs, I'll concentrate on making movies and not worry about anything else."

Lincoln turned off the faucet and walked out of the bathroom after his body calmed down. But as soon as he came out, a woman with loose blonde hair and a red dress bumped into him.

After gaining physical enhancements, his reaction speed was extremely fast. He slightly shifted his shoulder to avoid the woman who was about to bump into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Director Lincoln. I didn't notice you."

The woman stopped and apologized to him.

The woman was also an acquaintance, Cameron Diaz, the female lead of *The Mask*. After the movie became a huge hit, tabloids rumored that Cameron Diaz was his girlfriend, otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten such an important role.

In reality, Cameron Diaz got the role through a normal audition and had nothing to do with him. As a result, this kind of scandal spread. He didn't get any fish but still got a lot of the fishy smell.

"It's okay, you didn't bump into me."

Lincoln waved his hand, ready to leave.

"Director Lincoln, I'm a fan of yours. I really like your movies. Can I exchange phone numbers with you?"

Cameron Diaz blinked her blue eyes and asked with a flushed face.

Currently, Cameron Diaz was 22 years old, over 175 centimeters tall, and her figure and appearance were both top-notch. When she cautiously made such a request, generally, no one would refuse.

Lincoln took out a business card and handed it over.

He wasn't sure if Cameron Diaz was deliberately waiting here, waiting for him to appear, or if she had the spur-of-the-moment idea to ask for his phone number, but it didn't matter. There was no need to pay too much attention to the details of such things.

After Lincoln left, the red-dressed beauty, Cameron Diaz, looked at his back, her heart pounding.

Before coming over, she wasn't sure if doing so would backfire, but some risks were worth taking.

Lincoln was currently the most wealthy and powerful man in Hollywood, possessing countless resources, with a higher position than the presidents of the seven major film companies. If she could get to know him and gain his approval, developing in Hollywood would undoubtedly be smoother.

Cameron Diaz looked at the business card in her hand, the corners of her lips raised, revealing a moving smile. Suddenly remembering that her own affairs had not yet been resolved, she touched her flat belly and re-entered the bathroom with a calm pace.

Back in the hall, the Golden Globe Awards party had reached its second half, and the guests were leaving one after another. Lincoln and Monica, Jennifer, Sandra Bullock, Julianne Moore, and several others also got into a van and returned to the Beverly Hills mansion to rest.

The night in Beverly Hills was quiet, but Lincoln's villa was bustling with activity, like a paradise on earth.

After the Golden Globe Awards ceremony, the news that Guess Pictures' films received 10 nominations and won 0 awards was reported by many media outlets.

There were rumors in Hollywood that this was the result of the seven major film companies suppressing Guess Pictures' films.

In the coming months or even years, Guess Pictures would continue to face such suppression. It would be very difficult for Guess Pictures' films to win important awards in North America.

Filmmakers who wanted to win Golden Globe Awards and Academy Awards should not cooperate with Guess Pictures.

Some industry insiders also commented on this matter in newspapers.

Renowned film critic James Jones recently questioned the fairness of the Golden Globe Awards selection.

The reason was that *Seven*, produced by Guess Pictures, as last year's North American box office champion, not only achieved great commercial success but also received high praise for its artistic level.

The film demonstrated excellent achievements in narrative techniques, filming techniques, and visual and audio effects, and it was a masterpiece that combined commercial value and artistic quality.

However, such a film that had both critical and commercial success failed to gain any recognition in the Golden Globe Awards, which favored commercialism, which was puzzling.

In addition, Jones also mentioned several other classic works under Guess Pictures, such as *Good Will Hunting*, *Eat Drink Man Woman*, *Before Sunrise*, *Speed*, *The Mask*, etc. These films were all of extremely high quality and could occupy an important position in film history.

These films should have received more awards, but they also failed to win any awards at the Golden Globe Awards.

Jones emphasized that this phenomenon should not be taken for granted. The selection criteria of the Golden Globe Awards were clearly biased and worthy of reflection by the industry.

Jones's comments sparked widespread discussion in the industry after they were published.

Many movie fans and industry insiders expressed their support, believing that the selection mechanism of the Golden Globe Awards needed to be further transparent and fair to ensure that truly excellent works could receive the recognition they deserved.

In response to James Jones's comments, some people also expressed their opposition.

Last year could be described as a "big year" for the film industry, with many classic films emerging and competition being extremely fierce.

For example, *Forrest Gump*, *The Lion King*, *True Lies*, *Interview with the Vampire*, *Legends of the Fall*, and *Pulp Fiction* all performed well in terms of box office and word-of-mouth, and the competition for awards was naturally more intense.

Therefore, it was reasonable that the films produced by Guess Pictures failed to win awards and could not simply be attributed to unfair selection.

Faced with these controversies, Guess Pictures behaved very restrained and did not take this opportunity to gain sympathy or make any responses, demonstrating its professional attitude.

At the same time, the seven major studios remained silent about these rumors, neither denying nor admitting the so-called "suppression".

This attitude may be intended to send a signal, reminding all parties in the industry to carefully weigh the pros and cons when cooperating with Guess Pictures, to avoid getting involved in unnecessary disputes.

This series of events not only sparked discussions about the criteria for judging awards but also reflected the complex ecological environment within the film industry.

Whether it is the ownership of awards or the competition between film companies, there are deeper industry logics and interest games hidden behind them.

Experts see the details, ordinary people watch the excitement.

While the controversy had not yet ended, the nomination list for the 67th Academy Awards was announced.

The Golden Globe Awards ceremony is held a few days before the announcement of the Academy Award nominations each year, to show the fairness of the Golden Globes.

This year, Guess Pictures had 6 films nominated for the Academy Awards, receiving 22 nominations.

"Seven" received 8 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, etc.

"Good Will Hunting" received 8 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, etc.

"Speed" received 3 nominations: Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, and Best Film Editing.

"The Mask" received 1 nomination: Best Visual Effects.

"Eat Drink Man Woman" received 1 nomination: Best Foreign Language Film.

"Léon: The Professional" received 1 nomination: Best Supporting Actor.

"Pulp Fiction", co-produced by Guess Pictures, received 7 nominations.

Jennifer Connelly was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her wonderful performance in "Seven".

Jodie Foster and Winona Ryder were simultaneously nominated for Best Actress for their films "Nell" and "Little Women".

However, the film with the most nominations at this year's Academy Awards was "Forrest Gump", the fifth film in Oscar history to receive 13 nominations.

After the Academy Award nominations were announced, many people called to congratulate him, calling him the youngest Best Director nominee in Oscar history.

The youngest Best Director nominee was originally the black director John Singleton, who was nominated for the 64th Academy Award for Best Director in 1991 for the film "Boyz n the Hood", at the age of 24. He is also the director of "Poetic Justice".

Now it has become Link, at the age of 23.

Link didn't care much about this honor record.

Getting an Oscar nomination early is useless; getting the award is what matters.

And the Oscar Academy judges like to whet people's appetites. They will not easily give awards to young, handsome, and talented filmmakers. They will repeatedly nominate them multiple times. After the filmmakers get old, ugly, perverted, and have suffered enough, they will then award the prize, in order to highlight the hard-won nature of the Academy Awards.

For example, the famous Irish actor Peter O'Toole, who also played Puyi's teacher in the movie "The Last Emperor", was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor 8 times, starting in 1963, but he never won the award until his death.

Another example is director Martin Scorsese, who was nominated 6 times before winning the Best Director award.

Link was unsure when he would win this award, but he knew the chances were slim this year.

While receiving congratulations, Link also called to congratulate acquaintances who had received nominations, wishing them success in winning awards.

"Haha, Link, we both got nominated for Best Screenplay, want to bet on who can win the award?"

Quentin said excitedly on the phone.

"I'm nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, you're nominated for Best Original Screenplay, it's not the same category."

"It doesn't matter, winning the award is winning, how about the loser buying everyone a drink at the Kville Bar?"

"Okay! I can afford to lose this bet."

After hanging up the phone, Link called Liu Xiaoli, Michael Leeson, and Jon Gordon to a meeting, asking them to contact the Oscar Academy judges, increase public relations efforts for each award, and strive to win more awards, and not to be afraid to spend money on public relations.

According to data investigated by the media, in the dozen years from 1981 to 1993, a film's global box office revenue increased by an average of 18%, about $26 million, from the time it received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture to the time it finally won the award. Winning other Academy Awards increased box office revenue by an average of 13%, about $18 million.

For example, "Platoon", released in 1986, saw its box office revenue increase from $34.5 million to $104 million after winning the Oscar for Best Picture. "Dances with Wolves", released in 1990, saw its box office revenue increase from $47.1 million to $137 million after winning the Oscar for Best Picture.

In terms of actor salaries, actors who win performance awards see their salaries soar in the year after winning the award. New actors' salaries approach those of second-tier actors, second and third-tier actors are directly promoted to first-tier, and first-tier actors' salaries at least double, or they take a share of the box office revenue.

This is the value of the Academy Awards, and it is also one of the reasons why countless films and filmmakers aspire to win awards every year.

If Guess Pictures' public relations are successful, the costs incurred can also be recovered from the box office.

Also, if "Seven" can win an Oscar, according to the system's subsidy rules, the box office subsidy can also increase.

It is worth spending more money on award public relations.