weddingnovel Chapter 42 Premiere
Chapter 42 Premiere
March 9th, the day of the premiere.
The area outside the New Century Cinema in Oriental Plaza was already packed with media cameras with telephoto lenses.
This is not only because "A Separation" won three Silver Bears in Berlin, but also because of the many mysteries surrounding the 19-year-old genius director, the domineering actor Li Baotian, and the taboo lead actress Hao Lei in the past half month.
The scale of this premiere was rare for an art film, with both China Film Group and Beijing Film Academy bringing in every star they could.
Guo Xiaodong was the first to step onto the red carpet, wearing a dark blue suit with the silver bear brooch from Berlin pinned to his collar.
Hao Lei followed behind him, wearing a burgundy dress and her hair up, revealing her slender neck. She paused briefly at the cinema entrance and gave a slight nod towards the media area.
Yan Bingyan, wearing a dark green suit, was the third to get off the bus.
A fan holding a poster that read "Yan Bingyan Berlin Best Actress" called her name from behind the railing. She paused for a moment, then smiled, walked over, took the pen, and signed her name on the edge of the poster.
Li Baotian was the fourth to appear, and the media area fell silent for a moment the moment he stepped onto the red carpet.
Ignoring the hesitant shutter clicks, Li Baotian strode onto the red carpet, flanked by Zu Feng and the young actress playing his daughter.
The young actor is a little taller than he was during filming, and he no longer looks around while walking, but he still holds onto Li Baotian's hand tightly.
"Teacher Li!" A reporter held the recording pen forward half an inch. "What do you think of those things online—"
"I acted in this movie, so isn't it only right that I come to the premiere?" Li Baotian glanced at him sideways.
"But some people say..."
"Acting isn't war; it's not a matter of the director and the actor dominating each other. Why don't you believe me?" Li Baotian withdrew his gaze and tapped his cane on the ground.
Halfway through the red carpet event, subsequent guests began to enter.
Liu Yifei and Huang Xiaoming walked in one after the other, and the camera flashes went off instantly.
Immediately afterwards, Pan Yueming and Yuan Li appeared arm in arm. The two had just finished playing husband and wife in "Moment in Peking", and their off-screen chemistry was evident on the red carpet.
Zhou Xun wore a plain-colored short jacket, her short hair just reaching her ears. When she stood in front of the poster for reporters to take pictures, she only paused for about ten seconds, nodded to both sides, and then turned around and walked briskly towards the screening room.
Just then, a black sedan stopped at the entrance to the red carpet.
Zhang Yimou, wearing a baseball cap, got out of the car. He didn't walk the red carpet; instead, he was led inside through a side door by staff. He didn't bring any entourage tonight and sat alone in the third row by the aisle.
Following closely behind Zhang Yimou was Chen Kaige, who stood still for a moment looking towards the red carpet before also choosing to enter through the side door.
Before taking their seats, Chen Kaige shook hands with Liu Yibing and the two whispered a few words to each other.
The media area outside was in an uproar when Gu Changwei arrived, because they had not received any related news beforehand, even though they knew that he was a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy.
Nobody remembers when they last appeared together at the premiere of a film not directed by a fifth-generation director.
Gu Changwei was led by a staff member to sit down next to Zhang Yimou, and the two chatted for a while.
He hadn't seen Lin Ruiyang since Berlin. He came tonight not only to support his junior, but also because China Film Group had integrated the publicity and distribution resources for the two films.
Han Sanping gave a brief group interview before the premiere began.
He stood in front of the poster wall, dressed in a sharp suit, speaking slowly and deliberately to a row of recording pens, but every word carried weight.
He said that China Film Group's confidence in this film has never wavered, and Lin Ruiyang has taken every step steadily, from Venice to Berlin, from short films to feature films.
Just as Han Sanping finished his interview and headed towards the screening room, the last black Audi came to a steady stop at the starting point of the red carpet.
As Lin Ruiyang got out of the car, the sound of camera shutters on site merged into a continuous roar.
"Director Lin, directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige have just entered. It's rumored that Director Chen had reservations about your narrative style. Are you feeling pressured tonight?"
A daring reporter shouted loudly amidst the shoving crowd.
Lin Ruiyang took the pen from the hostess and signed his name on the poster in a flamboyant manner.
He turned to the reporter and smiled faintly: "Movies are made for audiences, not for those under pressure. I'm honored that Director Chen could come."
After saying that, he didn't leave any room for follow-up questions and strode into the screening room.
After entering the venue, Lin Ruiyang first walked to the first row to greet Han Sanping, then turned around and walked to the third row.
Hello, seniors.
Zhang Yimou pulled down his hat brim, revealing a kind smile: "Sit down. I only brought my glasses today, so I can properly appreciate your work."
Lin Ruiyang then turned to Chen Kaige, displaying the same respectful attitude.
"I read your play 'The Monkey King Thrice Beats the White Bone Demon' in the Drama Association's publication. The structural foundation of the stage play was not wasted when applied to the film."
"Thank you, Director Chen."
Lin Ruiyang straightened up and exchanged a glance with Gu Changwei.
Just as he was about to return to the first row, someone called out to him from the other side of the aisle.
"Director Lin!" Huang Xiaoming stood up from his seat, with Liu Yifei sitting next to him. Huang Xiaoming extended his hand, his smile was hearty, and his voice carried the warmth of a close friend.
"I'm also from the Performance Department, class of '96. Guo Xiaodong was my classmate. The day he won the award in Berlin, our class group chat exploded. Everyone said they wanted to come back and chat more with their junior."
Lin Ruiyang grasped his hand: "You're too kind, senior. Thank you for your support."
"I don't need to introduce her, right? Yifei, she's also from our school." Huang Xiaoming turned to the side.
Liu Yifei was at the peak of her career, exuding a cool yet spirited aura. She looked at Lin Ruiyang with a scrutinizing and curious gaze toward a peer.
"Director Lin, the film is beautifully shot; the oppressive tone is particularly captivating. I hope we can collaborate on a suitable script in the future."
"You're too kind, just call me by my name." Lin Ruiyang stopped there and returned to his seat.
As he passed Liu Yibing's seat, he noticed that his future junior classmate was sitting next to him.
Liu Yibing brought her here, clearly wanting her to experience the magnetic field of this top-tier art film up close, and to introduce her to people in the industry.
The lights went out, and the entire venue fell into absolute silence.
On the big screen, there are no sentimental soundtracks that are rampant in this era, only extremely sophisticated compositions and a cold, austere tone.
Yang Mi didn't know when she had straightened her back. She sat next to Liu Yibing, her fingers gripping the armrest of the seat, and only let go when the subtitles finished scrolling and the lights came on.
As the last vestiges of cool color on the big screen faded into darkness, the theater fell into a deathly silence that lasted for ten seconds.
She stood up as soon as someone next to her stood up and applauded.
During the post-screening Q&A session, reporters swarmed the cast and crew area. Lin Ruiyang sat between Guo Xiaodong and Hao Lei, speaking little and letting the actors answer most of the questions.
Within half an hour of the premiere ending, online media comments exploded exponentially.