Chapter 545 If you don’t let Brother Zhi sit at the table, don’t blame him for flipping the pot!
This time, Li Youzhi came to Shanghai to participate in the event. For convenience, he did not arrange his own schedule, but directly followed the arrangement of Johnson \u0026 Johnson Group's public relations department, and stayed in the hotel near the event location.
When he received Wang Xintian's call, Li Youzhi had just put on his coat and was about to go downstairs.
He was quite surprised to see Wang Xintian calling at around 6 o'clock in the evening.
"Hey, Director Wang, what instructions?"
"Xiaozhi, I got the receipt for the recommendation to the Oscar Organizing Committee before."
"Oh?"
Hearing Wang Xintian's slightly heavy tone on the other end of the phone, Li Youzhi stopped putting on his clothes.
Dealing with Wang Xintian is not the first or second time. Hearing Wang Xintian's heavy tone that is different from usual, Li Youzhi has a plan in his mind.
I'm afraid... the situation is not good.
"Director Wang, what did they say?"
"Well... I forwarded the email to you, you can read it yourself. Xiaozhi, don't be discouraged. No matter what, the box office results of "Buried" in the US market this time are real. To put it bluntly, the Oscar Awards are all about participation for us Chinese film and television practitioners. Don't care too much about the results."
Perhaps because he was in a bad mood, Wang Xintian on the other end of the phone didn't say much. He just comforted Li Youzhi a few words and then hung up the phone.
After hanging up the phone, Li Youzhi immediately opened his mobile email. Sure enough, he saw an unread email forwarded by Wang Xintian, which was quietly lying in his inbox.
The receipt was very simple. Looking at the whole text, except for the beginning and signature of to and from, there were only two short paragraphs-because the film had too many political factors, it was not approved after the initial review by the Oscar selection committee.
In fact, Li Youzhi didn't have much hope that "Buried" would be shortlisted for the Oscar Best Foreign Language Film.
After all, he knew what story he had filmed...
But when he saw the receipt from the Oscar Selection Committee, a nameless anger still rose from the bottom of his heart!
Why was he angry?
Because the other party's attitude was extremely arrogant and blunt!
What time is it now?
October!
There are still four or five months before the official opening of the Oscar International Film Festival. The Oscar Selection Committee has enough time to draft a decent receipt. Even if they reject the film "Buried", at least they should elaborate on the opinions of the selection committee in detail and explain the reasons for rejecting the selection.
This is one of them.
But what makes Li Youzhi angry the most is another point.
It is true that "Buried" satirizes the US government agencies and the harm of capital operations to civilians in the film, but in principle...the so-called "too strong political factors" given by the jury is not valid.
Why?
Because the things expressed in "Buried" only reflect a general consensus in American society, and there is no political proposition!
It's not that I said you were bad in the movie, or incited the people to replace you, but I pointed out what kind of harm your things brought to the civilians - this was generally acknowledged by even American audiences after the release of "Buried", and there was no complaint. How come it became a reason for rejection by your selection committee?
You have to know what kind of award is the Oscar? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award!
This kind of academy award itself encourages participating works to explore society, politics and human nature. This can be seen from the Oscar-winning films of previous years. There are so many films that explore politics and win awards... What's the matter, you Americans said it was okay, and Zhige gave you a few words and you broke your defense?
You are so hypocritical that you don't care about your face, right?
You want to get rid of Zhige with just two or three sentences?
Do you think Zhige can agree?
You don't have to be nominated for the Oscars, but what time is it now?
There are only a few months left before the Oscars are officially held, and related topics have become hot. Foreign countries have also begun to analyze and guess the winners of various awards at this year's Oscars.
This wave of popularity, Zhi Ge is really sure to take it all!
Thinking of this, Li Youzhi casually sent a message to Tu Zheng and Liu Yun that he could not go to the dinner, and then opened his TKTK and INS, and edited the screenshot of the Oscar receipt in the email.
[Hello, everyone, I am Li Youzhi. Recently, "Buried" which I directed and acted in was officially recommended by the domestic film bureau to the Oscar selection committee, preparing to compete for this year's Oscar award. Just now, I received such a receipt full of arrogance, arrogance, and prejudice. Here, I want to seriously question the Oscar selection committee: Is this what you call creative freedom? ]
Pa pa pa pa edited a dynamic, looking at the dynamic text that was concise enough and had already explained the problem, Li Youzhi directly pointed the camera of the mobile phone at himself, silently extended his middle finger, and took a selfie at a dead angle.
[Nuts! ]
With a standard American slang curse word, he decisively clicked send!
At the same time, downstairs in the hotel
"Hey? What's wrong with Xiaozhi? He suddenly sent a message and I can't catch up."
"I got it too. He said he would treat us to dinner tonight to celebrate the 400 million yuan earned by Buried Alive, but when we arrived, he broke the news!"
Tu Zheng and Liu Yun, who had been busy helping Li Youzhi organize the fan meeting in the past few days, were very happy when they saw the message "The situation has changed, the dinner party will be rescheduled" sent by Li Youzhi on WeChat.
On the side, looking at the two people dumbfounded, Zhao Yaru, who did not participate in the "Buried Alive" project, but also gave considerable support during the announcement process, pursed her lips and smiled.
"I said it's the first day you two met him? This guy must have had some trouble temporarily. Just watch. If he doesn't come here, I'll be sure to shake his hands and update in a while. Maybe now. What kind of crazy idea are you working on in a hotel room?
Okay, okay, if he doesn't come, I'll treat him to this meal, but we agreed, Mr. Tu, Mr. Liu, I'm going to treat him to this meal, but I can't treat him in vain. Next time there will be "Buried Alive" For this kind of project, you can't go behind my back and eat alone.
Good guy, one is in charge of production and the other is in charge of distribution. A project that earns hundreds of thousands and hundreds of millions is just divided up by your two families, Qiangsheng Film and Television and Heguang, without even leaving a mouthful of soup for us, Xinhai. What do you think? Are you being unethical? "
Zhao Yaru had seen through Li Youzhi.
Just as she was greeting Tu Zheng and Liu Yun to go to the restaurant, the foldable mobile phone hanging on her arm, which looked like a fashion item, made a crisp beep.
Seeing the special attention prompt on INS, Zhao Yaru raised her phone with a smile and said proudly;
"Look, what did I say? I knew this guy must be up to something. Let's see what he was doing in the room... Poof!"
In front of the busy lobby of the hotel, looking at the latest updates on Li Youzhi's Instagram, Zhao Yaru didn't even stop and choked on her own saliva.
"Cough, cough, cough... crazy, this guy is crazy! Hurry up, go upstairs and ask him to delete the posts! Otherwise, the line that Waguang Culture has so easily spread in the US market will be cut off!"
"ah?"
Seeing Zhao Yaru's nervous expression, Tu Zheng and Liu Yun, who didn't know what was going on, were confused.
However, when Zhao Yaru calmed down a little and handed the phone to the two of them, she saw Li Youzhi's still warm dynamic message and the unruly selfie with the middle finger raised in the dynamic picture... Tu Zheng and Liu Yun The mentality is exploded!
Only a few days,
It’s only been a few fucking days since this guy pissed off the BBC, right?
This is another public attack on Oscar... This kid is not at all reassuring!
(;Д`)(;Д`) Blanch!
…
It was definitely too late for Li Youzhi to delete his INS and TKTK updates.
Why do you say that?
Li Youzhi’s previous self-isolation challenge, together with his recent TKTK live broadcast of Li Youzhi shaking his hands and flirting with girls through Mai, not only allowed him to attract millions of attention on the two social platforms of INS and TKTK, but also domestic netizens , and a considerable number of people paid attention to his two foreign platforms.
The domestic box office of "Buried Alive" exceeded 1 billion in its first month, and the overseas box office exceeded 34 million US dollars. During this period, it also dominated the domestic entertainment rankings and was talked about by netizens.
In terms of box office alone, "Buried Alive" may not be Li Youzhi's best work. However, the acting skills shown in the film this time and the landmark box office performance overseas have also triggered heated discussions among domestic movie fans and critics about whether this film can succeed in the Olympics.
Almost as soon as Li Youzhi updated his updates on INS and TKTK, his hand shaking and Weibo exploded into pieces!
Obviously, as the most topical work in China in terms of plot performance in recent times, netizens cannot accept that "Buried Alive" received such an Oscar;
"Nima's goiter was so angry that night, Oscar is really not even pretending now. Are they really just talking about deer and not deer? They are so awesome in their works. Why didn’t you say anything when you were attacking other countries?”
"It turns out that people really sneer when they are extremely angry. Isn't it true that the U.S. government deceives civilians and capital institutions regard life as nothing? Even their own movies express these things bluntly. Why? If you change it to a younger brother, it will become a political award. Oh, if Americans say it, it is self-examination, but if the Chinese say it, it is black? What’s the point? Is the Oscar a film award or a political award?”
"Movies targeting politics and the social paralysis of the U.S. government appear every year. This phenomenon exists in a large number of Hollywood movies. Why can those movies be nominated for and win Oscars, but not Li Youzhi? No, we can't stand this grievance! Brother What do you say?"
"What should I say? This guy has been teaching me fucking English during this period. I usually go over the wall to see the P site. Now I have something wrong with you. What can I say? I'll go to the official Oscar website and curse in English. The street!”
"Everyone has fun, target the official Oscar website... I'll give it to him!"
coax!
Under the rhythm of the sand sculpture musicians, ladders were set up one by one... and headed straight to the official Oscar website.
()()()
In Li Youzhi's room.
Looking at the public opinion situation that had developed into a completely uncontrollable situation in just ten minutes, Tu Zheng, Liu Yun, and Zhao Yaru felt as if ten thousand dogs were running through their hearts.
Heartbroken!
This time "Buried Alive" was a box office success at home and abroad. As Li Youzhi's main partners, Tu Zheng and others were naturally happy.
But what makes them happy is not just the profits of "Buried".
It is also the broad prospects for domestic entertainment works to expand into foreign markets!
Hollywood has not been peaceful in the past two years. The strikes of screenwriters and actors unions, and the various strange regulations caused by the active LGBT community have made the production costs of the already high American film industry even higher.
The cost advantage of domestic film and television products is highlighted here.
Although the cost of "Buried" is extreme, it is indeed a very good promotional material. If Li Youzhi can hold on this wave, according to Tu Zheng's plan, he will go to Hollywood next month to contact several production companies to see if he can negotiate the project and set the filming location in China.
The potential for cooperation here is huge!
This is not just about a few projects or a few film companies. If it is handled well, it can completely promote a cooperation on the scale of a film and television city!
This is also why Li Youzhi invited Zhao Yaru to dinner today and Tu Zheng specially called Zhao Yaru.
The purpose is to have the three companies sit together and see if there is a chance to come up with a preliminary plan for this matter.
But now, with Li Youzhi's middle finger raised, this idea that has not been spoken out yet has already died in the womb.
Not only that.
What is the influence of the Oscars in the American film industry?
It can be said that it is equivalent to the influence of the Golden Rooster Awards on the domestic film and television industry!
It is such a film and television event that can affect the attitude of the entire industry!
This wave of Li Youzhi has offended the Oscars to death. I am afraid that the road that was paved with great difficulty before has also been sent...
"You! When can you stop being so impulsive? What does it matter if you are nominated for an Oscar or not? Is it that serious? I have told you so many times to control your temper, but you keep getting carried away. Now, how will this end?"
Seeing Tu Zheng pacing back and forth in front of the sofa with his hands behind his back, Liu Yun beside him also shook his head and sat next to Li Youzhi.
"Xiaozhi, I'm not saying anything to you, Brother Liu. You are indeed an actor and a director, but you are also the person in charge of Heguang Culture. Sometimes you have to consider things from a business perspective. Look, it was originally a good thing, but now it has developed into this. Do you still want to release movies in the American market in the future? How passive!"
Passive?
Faced with Liu Yun's evaluation, Li Youzhi was happy.
"Brother Liu, Uncle Tu, I don't like what you two are saying. They have already made their attitude towards Chinese filmmakers so clear. If we don't express anything, we will be in a passive position later! Today they can refuse you from participating in the Oscar selection, and tomorrow they can also refuse you market access. You can tolerate it now, but will you still tolerate it when they really want to take advantage of you in the future?"
"Didn't you have any trouble with "Buried" this time?"
"That's because "Buried" gave enough profit to major movie chains this time. In the face of enough profit, the cinema union protected "Buried". Otherwise, do you think no one would bother me?"
Faced with another complaint from Tu Zheng, Li Youzhi snorted and laughed.
"The cost of "Buried" is low enough, so we can do this, but we can't guarantee that every movie will cost this much, right? What if it can't satisfy the American theaters, or the movie can't bring them enough profit? Rights and interests have always been fought for by ourselves. I have never heard that everything will be worry-free if you entrust the initiative to others."
After clearly expressing his thoughts, Li Youzhi took a deep breath and stood up from the sofa.
"Uncle Tu, Brother Liu, don't worry about this. Since I can start it, I can naturally cover it up!"
"What will you do if you can't cover it up?"
Seeing Li Youzhi's carefree look, Zhao Yaru, who had been silent, asked.
Can't cover it up?
Li Youzhi raised his eyebrows and laughed.
It's simple.
Even if it can't be covered up, Brother Zhi has to pull it into his Oscar rice bowl!
Your uncle Tu wants to make money in the American market, but don't forget...Hollywood's current global box office, China's box office is also a big part!
Do you really think that Zhige, who has millions of fans, is SpongeBob? Then Zhige has nothing to say!
Thinking of this, Li Youzhi silently took out his mobile phone and opened his Douyin.
[Friends, I'm sorry... I failed your expectations. I'm afraid I can't complete the suggestions you made before, and I can't compete for this year's Oscar. ]
At 7:30, it was the peak time of Douyin traffic.
Seeing Li Youzhi's dynamic, the people who had already climbed over the wall and charged towards the Oscar official website... exploded!
" @Listen to the advice, brother Li Youzhi, I advise you to take back what you said! What do you mean by failing our expectations? Don't we know what we are?"
"Brother, don't be discouraged, we don't even take a small Oscar seriously. We can refuse the award, but this anger... we will never let you bear it!"
"Right, it was us who suggested that you participate in the Oscars. Now that you have been rejected, we will help you find this place! If Oscar doesn't give an explanation tonight, Jesus can't save him, I say!"
Beep!
Received a surprise value of 4012990 points!
Li Youzhi raised his eyebrows as he looked at the comment section that was instantly exploding with the latest developments.
Very good, I was not disappointed.
The fun people tonight are very energetic!
…………
At the same time.
Located on Hollywood's Vesper Street, the 88th Oscar Selection Committee Office of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
As the chairman of the presidium of this year's Oscar Selection Committee, Lindemann is leading several representatives of the jury to discuss the shortlist for this year's Best Foreign Language Film.
Just as he was looking at the information at hand and whispering with the Academy representative beside him, the assistant hurriedly knocked on the door and signaled to him.
"What's wrong, Ochi?"
"Mr. Lindemann, I think you should take a look at this."
Seeing Lindemann take off his reading glasses, the assistant immediately strode into the office and showed him the discussion area of the official Oscar website.
"Since half an hour ago, our official website has received a large influx of tourists. Most of these tourists are from mainland China... My mother, these people's words are quite fierce, and they have raised strong doubts and... abused and slandered our jury's selection criteria. I checked and found that the reason is that the director and leading actor of the film "Buried" was rejected and published our receipt, which caused strong dissatisfaction among Chinese audiences."
"Huh?"
After hearing the assistant's explanation, Lindeman and several other jury representatives looked at each other and picked up the tablet.
The Oscar selection work has actually just started for less than a week. After all, there are still nearly two months before the end of the year, so what is being carried out now is only the preliminary selection.
Correspondingly, there is not much audience feedback on the Oscar official website about this year's selection. Before today, the website traffic was only about 100,000 visits per day, and there were only a few hundred messages in the feedback area.
But now, seeing the thousands of questions and comments that suddenly soared in the comment area, Lindeman's brows froze.
"These damned cyber thugs!"
"Buried? Isn't it the film we just rejected? God, where did so many viewers come from for this film?"
"This guy named Li Youzhi is obviously inciting Chinese audiences and trying to use public opinion to make us submit! It's really a complete thug behavior! I think we should permanently ban him from participating in the Oscar selection!"
Listening to the indignant discussions of several selection committee members beside him, Lindeman curled his lips.
As a representative of the Academy, he has been the abbot of the Oscar selection for five consecutive sessions.
Seeing this scene, how could he not understand what happened?
"Gentlemen, ladies, there is no need to be angry about this. It seems that it was our resolution that made the guy who tried so hard to insert political ideas into the movie just now angry. As you said, in the current situation, it is likely that he incited Chinese fans to launch a challenge to the credibility of the Oscars."
At this point, Lindeman shrugged his shoulders and laughed.
"It's just that this young gentleman probably underestimated the influence of our Oscars around the world. He thought that relying on these considerable number of Chinese audiences, he could make us lose credibility and face. I think we should let him take a good look at the foundation of a global film award that has been held for more than 80 sessions."
"Mr. Lindeman, how should we... deal with it?"
Faced with the question of a selection committee member beside him, Lindeman pointed at his assistant with the red pencil in his hand.
"Doesn't he think we are slighting him? Then now, help me publish an announcement for global movie fans."
Seeing the assistant open the keyboard he carried with him and nod, Lindeman leaned back on the back of the classical chair.
"First of all, please allow us to express our deepest respect for Mr. Li Youzhi's passion for film art and his talent in creating "Buried". His hard work and unique insights into storytelling have undoubtedly brought new perspectives and thinking to the film industry."
As his assistant typed on the keyboard, Lindemann crossed his legs and closed his eyes slightly;
"But in the process of judging the Oscars, we always need to be committed to commending those films that are not only technically excellent, but also make outstanding contributions to promoting social dialogue, embodying profound humanistic care and conveying positive values. Each submitted work will be carefully reviewed by our jury members and comprehensively evaluated from multiple dimensions such as artistry, innovation, and influence.
Unfortunately, after After in-depth discussions and careful consideration by our jury, although Buried showed creativity and skills in some aspects, we believe that it did not fully meet our selection criteria in terms of conveying social significance and values that meet the expectations of the Oscars. This decision is by no means rash, but reflects the Oscars' consistent commitment to raising industry standards and encouraging film art with profound social impact.
The Oscars' award criteria value whether the work can inspire global audiences to be aware of important social issues, promote understanding and respect among people of different cultures and backgrounds, and lead positive social changes. Although Buried may not fully meet our expectations in these aspects, we firmly believe that every creator has his or her unique voice and vision, and every creation is a step towards deeper artistic exploration.
We encourage Mr. Li Youzhi to continue to explore and innovate on the road of film, to capture more touching stories with his lens, to constantly challenge himself, and to pursue a higher artistic realm. However, we firmly guard our independent judgment and thinking on the artistic quality of the works, and we also strictly prohibit any form of coercion and intimidation!
Only by adhering to principles and independence can we keep the door of the Oscars open to works that can inspire thinking, touch the soul and promote the development of global film art in the future.
We look forward to witnessing more works by Mr. Li Youzhi that are in line with the spirit and value of the Oscars in the near future. But now, we call on real fans around the world to jointly safeguard the fairness of the Oscars and the fairness and brightness of the road of film art creation around the world! "
After saying it in one breath, watching the assistant accurately record and format his words intact, Lindeman took over the tablet and personally signed a line.
[Chairman of the Oscar Jury, Lindeman Hayes, to fans around the world]!
"Okay, Ochi, help me send this announcement. Let this young gentleman from China and his angry fans wake up. Let them know that they are using their anger on the wrong person. "
"Ladies and gentlemen, forget about these little episodes. Now, I think we can continue the discussion."
Returning the tablet to the assistant, Lindeman waved to the other judges.
The wind was light and the clouds were calm.