551: Chapter 551 Returning the Original Words

Emily White had no choice; she had to come.

Lionsgate had indeed invested in quite a few films, but after a careful internal review and assessment, they discovered that during the awards season, the only film that truly had a chance to stand out... was indeed just la la land.

Even more unexpectedly, among these few films, the production budget for la la land actually ranked in the top three!

Compared to the other films, this was surprisingly a blockbuster; would you believe it?

With these two factors combined, the importance of this film in the eyes of Lionsgate became increasingly prominent.

"Long time no see, Mr. Lin." Emily White shifted her gaze away from Lin Chuyan and looked at the person beside him. "Don't you intend to introduce her?"

"Of course. This is the female lead of la la land, the famous Singer from China, and also my wife, Ruan Xingyu. This is the Head of International Distribution at Lionsgate, Emily White."

Lin Chuyan had arranged to meet Emily at a small street-side cafe on Lido Island.

At this moment, the three of them were sitting by the window with coffee in hand, chatting while sipping their drinks.

"A Singer? I thought she was a professional actress! Her acting is truly impeccable."

Emily White was not deliberately flattering her; she had watched the film later and really liked Ruan Xingyu's acting in it.

"Hahaha, thank you." Ruan Xingyu laughed happily.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, both sides got down to business.

Emily did not hesitate at all and directly stated Lionsgate's stance: "We are very interested in the promotional strategy you mentioned earlier."

She was, of course, referring to the "awards campaign" + "hunger marketing" strategy for la la land that Lin Chuyan had proactively proposed when he went to Lionsgate, though last time she had just assumed Lin Chuyan was bluffing.

Lin Chuyan did not mock the other party for her change in attitude—Lionsgate was one of the production companies, not an outsider, so it was a good thing that they were willing to help.

He simply stated his itinerary: "From now on, and throughout the entire month of January, I will basically be staying here in Europe and America."

The implication was: You keep talking, I'm listening, and if it's appropriate, I will definitely cooperate.

Emily nodded: "Next, of course, is the 41st Toronto International Film Festival. The 'People's Choice Award' is a good start. Compared to other films, la la land seems much more interesting."

Lin Chuyan deeply agreed with this: "Our team also believes this should be the most promising one."

Emily spoke eloquently: "Lionsgate's intention is not to miss a single award; we should sign up for everything we can. Next, there are several Oscar precursors—the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the Boston Film Critics Association Awards, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards—none of which should be missed."

"Understood."

"The MTV Movie & TV Awards, as well as guild awards for cinematography, art direction, and so on, can also be submitted. Never underestimate them; their gold content is quite high. Winning any one of them would be a victory for la la land."

Lin Chuyan followed her advice readily: "I'll listen to you."

Emily got to the main point: "You are a Chinese director, and what Lionsgate is more worried about is that you might be unfamiliar with many situations, leading to ultimately missing out on these awards."

Lin Chuyan took a light sip of his coffee: "You mean, Lionsgate wants to help me lobby?"

"Exactly! Lionsgate is willing to provide you with comprehensive support. For all subsequent promotional activities for the film in North America, Lionsgate will fully assist and stand with you."

This sounded nice, but Lin Chuyan knew clearly in his heart that Lionsgate also wanted to use la la land to boost its own influence during the awards season.

However, cooperation between the two sides could indeed achieve mutual benefit, and what Emily said was also a fact.

But Lin Chuyan still had one key issue that needed to be clarified.

He did not agree immediately, but instead put forward a request: "I hope la la land can obtain a two-week IMAX exclusive screening period in North America."

This request was also mutually beneficial and not excessive at all.

Emily was speechless: "...Two weeks is not a short time."

"I don't want any more than that."

"..."

Lin Chuyan was not in a hurry and continued to drink his coffee.

Emily pondered for a moment, and finally gritted her teeth and made a concession: "I can only guarantee one week; for the other week, it depends on whether you can win a few awards."

Lin Chuyan was not greedy either, and smiling, he reached out his hand: "Happy to cooperate!"

"Happy to cooperate!"

"By the way, I have a little idea here that I'd like to promote along with it."

Lin Chuyan told the other party about the matter regarding Director Deng Yu. This matter was known to everyone in the Chinese entertainment industry, and it was time to tell a good "North American story."

"I always feel like I've heard a similar story somewhere..."

"A novel? A movie?"

"I can't remember... Forget it, it's not important. In any case, it's a good story; just wait for a suitable opportunity to push it out." Emily wore a smile, "Lin, I really didn't misjudge you! Not only are you outstandingly talented, but you are also better at marketing yourself than other directors!"

Lin Chuyan smiled: "The cream always rises to the top."

"The cream always rises to the top"—this was what Emily had said to him when they last met, and now he was returning it to her word for word.

Next, everyone was busy with their own things. Emily was busy arranging the confirmed work piece by piece, while Lin Chuyan... was busy avoiding people.

There was no other way; ever since la la land was officially announced as the opening film of the Venice International Film Festival, I don't know about other places, but right now, there wasn't a single person on this Lido Island who didn't want to get to know this mysterious Chinese director; people wanting to see him were practically lining up in long queues.

In the eyes of others, Director Lin was currently enjoying unparalleled popularity.

But his own feelings were not very good: most of these people were just idlers joining in the fun out of curiosity; what was the point of meeting them? Time could not be wasted on them.

As for the people on the jury? Sorry, such major film festivals have clear rules that restrict private contact between the production team and the jury members to ensure the purity, fairness, and authority of the selection process.

Consequently, Lin Chuyan simply declined all social engagements and decided that everything would wait until after the premiere!

Under these circumstances, another two days passed, and the highly anticipated Venice International Film Festival finally welcomed its opening film.

Inside the Sala Grande on Lido Island, film industry professionals, members of the film festival jury, media reporters, sponsors, and a few lucky audience members who managed to grab tickets, entered and took their seats one after another.

1,100 seats, packed to capacity.

On this day, the eyes of the global film world were focused here, and everyone was hotly discussing two topics: Who exactly is Lin Chuyan? How truly spectacular is la la land? The answer was about to be revealed!