Bombarding Wu Baige and Lu Chuan

Chapter 88 Bombarding Wu Baige and Lu Chuan (First Update)

Han Sanping, who was on the other side, also heard what the reporters were saying. His expression changed, and he quickly stepped forward to pull He Yi'an away.

But the reporters weren't about to let him go; they swarmed around him, completely surrounding the three of them.

"Director He! Hollywood director Wu Baige has criticized you. What's your take on this?"

"Director He, Wu Baige said in an interview that Venice awarding you the prize was an insult to art, and that your film was 'nothing more than opportunistic political propaganda,' and that you 'don't understand film at all.'"

He Yi'an never expected that Wu Baige would jump out at this time.

This guy, who has been in Hollywood for many years and has always considered himself an "international director," actually went against the previous official stance and took the initiative to cause trouble.

"What else did he say?" He Yi'an asked.

The reporter looked through the records on his phone and read aloud: "Director Wu said that an 18-year-old kid made a film that praised the mainstream ideology and actually won the Best Director award at Venice? This shows that film festivals have become completely politicized."

"True cinematic art transcends politics. He Yi'an's films are not films at all; he hasn't even mastered the most basic cinematic language. He doesn't deserve this award at all."

He also said that a good movie is one like "Public Toilet".

He Yi'an listened and then burst into laughter in anger.

He also said, "In all my years in Hollywood, I've never seen anything so outrageous. Venice is ruining its own reputation."

"Is there anything else?" He Yi'an asked.

The reporter nodded: "And another thing. He said He Yi'an should go back and learn properly what filmmaking is, and not think he's something special just because he won an award. Filmmaking requires accumulation, not success through opportunism."

Upon hearing this, all the reporters noticed the suppressed anger on He Yi'an's face.

He used to be attacked by just a few people's mockery, but now that he's being specifically named and belittled, I don't even dare to think about how he'll retaliate.

All the reporters were flushed, holding up their recorders or microphones, trying to capture every word he said.

But no matter how excited they were, they never expected that He Yi'an's tone towards Wu Baige would be so sarcastic and disdainful.

"Wu Baige? What's that? Oh, right, the Wu Baige who recently directed 'Windtalkers,' which caused MGM to lose a lot of money?"

The reporters were stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and nodded frantically.

The recently concluded screening of "Windtalkers" was a big-budget production released by MGM this summer, costing over $100 million, but it was a box office flop, grossing less than $40 million in North America.

This directly led to a sharp drop in MGM's stock price.

These reporters were all shrewd; they knew perfectly well why He Yi'an had brought this up.

really.

"His 'Windtalkers' seems to have just cost MGM a lot of money, right?" He Yi'an's tone was light and casual, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

But the reporters were excited.

"That's right! Windtalkers cost $120 million to make, but only grossed $33 million in North America!"

"MGM suffered huge losses because of this film!"

He Yi'an nodded, then looked at the reporter with a slight smile on his lips.

"A director who made a box office flop actually has the nerve to critique me? He should be worried about whether he can even make it in Hollywood."

The reporters were in an uproar, and the flashes of cameras went off again.

"Director He, are you publicly mocking director Wu Baige?"

“This isn’t sarcasm,” He Yi’an said, “it’s the truth, I’m just telling the facts.”

"His film lost money, that's a fact. My film won awards, that's also a fact. It's ridiculous for a director who lost money to judge a director who won awards."

"Director He, aren't you afraid of offending Hollywood director Wu Baige by making such direct mockery?"

"What am I afraid of? What can he do to me?"

His lighthearted banter made the reporters laugh.

"Moreover," He Yi paused, "I estimate that he'll soon be unable to make it in Hollywood, and when he comes back in disgrace, I suggest he be more assertive and just retire."

"Don't come to the mainland market to make money and then feed our domestic audience shit."

The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even louder uproar.

"Director He, you're saying he can't make it in Hollywood?"

"Director He, are you predicting that Director Wu Baige will return?"

"I never make predictions," He Yi'an said. "This is just a reminder, a reminder to some production companies in mainland China, that he is just a washed-up director who can't make it in the industry. Of course, I still hope he has some backbone and it would be best if he didn't come back."

"If I'm wrong in the end and he comes back all excited, don't think I'm some kind of genius. It's just a normal judgment I made about his behavior and logic."

"Of course, I also hope that Wu Baige will prove me wrong in the end and make a name for herself in Hollywood~"

These reporters truly felt their trip was worthwhile today.

He Yi'an wanted to leave, but they still wouldn't let him go.

"Director He! Ask one more question! Just one!"

"Do you have anything to add to Director Lu Chuan's remarks?"

He Yi'an stopped and looked back at the reporter who had asked the question.

"Lu Chuan?" He raised an eyebrow. "I have nothing to add. I said everything I needed to say before the New Year."

"But when Director Lu Chuan returned from Venice not long ago, she said in an airport interview that you didn't deserve the award at all. Yesterday, she changed her tune and said that you won the award in Venice entirely because of Gong Li. You haven't given a direct response to this yet," the reporter pressed.

These reporters didn't care whether He Yi'an was angry or not; all they wanted was news and buzz.

Because they all prefer to do whatever is most stimulating.

Originally, He Yi'an thought he could give Beijing Film Academy some face, since they did contribute to the public opinion this time. But you took the money and couldn't even keep Lu Chuan in check, and made him jump out again and again.

Then you can't blame him.

"I also saw Lu Chuan's film 'The Missing Gun' which was screened in Venice."

He Yi'an's smile gradually turned cold: "To be honest, the people who helped him make the film artificially inflated its quality, and even though his own directing was mixed in, it doesn't look bad, you could even say it's alright. But is this all his achievement? You can think about it yourselves."

"Director He, what do you mean by that?"

"Am I not clear enough? What I mean is," He Yi'an paused, "what right does someone who can't even make their own film have to criticize others' films?"

"Everyone in the industry knows how much director Jiang Wen helped with his film 'The Missing Gun.' A film was finished, and in the end, it resembled Jiang Wen's work. What do you call that? What do you call a director?"

"Director He, are you openly questioning Director Lu Chuan's abilities?"

"I'm not questioning; I've been repeating this all along. I like to tell the truth; I'm just stating the facts."

"If Director Lu Chuan thinks I'm wrong, he can bring out the director's manuscript for 'The Missing Gun' and show it to you to see which shots he shot himself and which shots Jiang Wen shot."

"Director He, won't what you're saying affect Director Jiang Wen? He spoke up for you not long ago."

He Yi'an smiled: "I am very grateful to Director Jiang Wen for speaking up for me and clarifying some things. I don't think he will be angry about what I said. He helped Lu Chuan because he appreciates talent; it's a senior helping a junior. It's a pity—"

He shook his head and didn't continue.

But everyone understood what he meant.

Unfortunately, Lu Chuan herself was not up to the task.

"Director He, what do you think of Director Lu Chuan's statement that 'He Yi'an's films only won awards because of Gong Li'?"

"Lu Chuan's logic is quite interesting," He Yi'an said, looking at the reporter with a mocking tone. "According to him, all the films that win awards are due to the judges."

"Then why didn't his film 'The Missing Gun' win any awards? Was it because Gong Li was targeting him? Or was his film simply not even worthy of consideration by the judges?"

The reporters burst into laughter.

He Yi'an's words were too harsh.

"Director He, if you name names like that, Director Lu Chuan could sue you for defamation."

"Defamation?" He Yi'an raised an eyebrow. "Which part of what I said was false? He said my film won awards because of Gong Li, that's defamation. I said his film was directed by Jiang Wen, that's a fact."

"There is a big difference between facts and defamation."

Even after fully understanding He Yi'an's personality, the reporters still looked at each other in bewilderment.

This young man has a sharp tongue and is too outspoken.

Does he dare to speak so frankly? Would they dare to write so frankly?

Let's not let them end up taking the blame!

"Director He," a reporter squeezed to the front, "what's your opinion on Xie Tingfeng's cover-up case?"

He Yi'an was stunned for a moment, then regained his composure.

"Xie Tingfeng?" He thought for a moment. "You mean that Hong Kong singer?"

"Yes, he crashed his car on Cotton Tree Drive last month and then abandoned it. He later had the driver take the blame. I don't know him," Ho Iat-on interrupted the reporter. "I don't know anything about this case either, but one thing I can be sure of is that obeying the law is the duty of every citizen."

"No matter who you are or where you are, you should abide by the law. Everyone is equal before the law."

The reporter pressed further, "So what's your opinion on the atmosphere in Hong Kong's entertainment industry?"

He Yi'an waved his hand: "I don't know, and I won't comment."

"What about Liu Xiaoqin's tax evasion case?"

"I don't know."

"What about South Korea reaching the World Cup semi-finals?"

"I don't understand."

Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, the reporters changed their angle.

"Director He, what do you think of Jay Chou's new album?"

He Yi'an laughed this time: "Fantasy? It's pretty good. I like Love Before BC."

The reporters were taken aback by his answer, paused for a moment, and then pressed on, "So, who do you think is more popular, Jay Chou or Nicholas Tse?"

"I've already said I don't know Xie Tingfeng."

"Director He, what's your opinion on F4?"

"I know about Meteor Garden," He Yi'an said. "It's so-so, but I think mainland idol dramas should also be developed. We can't always watch Hong Kong and Taiwan dramas."

"My own company is currently filming a drama called 'Full House,' so everyone can see how our idol dramas are made when it airs!"

"Director He, do you mean to set a benchmark for mainland idol dramas?"

"Director He, you mentioned your own company. You're so young to have started a company; what exactly is your background?"

"He Yi'an, what is your true identity?"

Just as the reporters were about to press for more questions, He Yi'an finally seized an opening and squeezed out in an instant.

He quickened his pace. Han Sanping and Yu Feihong were already waiting for him ahead. The three of them soon disappeared into the airport terminal.

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