EFB Chapter 13: Venice Film Festival Nominations
Chapter 13: Venice Film Festival Nominations
Lin Ruiyang was woken up by his phone vibrating. He turned over, picked up the Nokia from beside his pillow, and glanced at it: 9:40 a.m.
He stayed up until 3 a.m. last night to finish the script.
He rubbed his temples with both hands, checked his phone, and stopped moving, preparing to take another nap.
My phone vibrated again.
"Ruiyang, where are you now, in your dorm?" Liu Yibing's voice came through the receiver, a few beats faster than usual.
Yes, I'm in my dorm.
"Come to 301 now, I just arrived too. The list has been released in Venice."
Lin Ruiyang's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped his phone.
"Has the short film section been released as well?"
"It's out." Liu Yibing paused slightly.
"Your piece 'Condolences' has been shortlisted."
There was a two-second silence on the phone, and Lin Ruiyang's drowsiness vanished instantly.
"Teacher, please wait a moment, I'll be right there!"
After hanging up the phone, Lin Ruiyang quickly splashed water on his face, brushed his teeth, put on a T-shirt, and went out.
The cicadas chirped one after another in the summer. The journey from the dormitory to the teaching building, which usually takes more than ten minutes, only took him half the time today.
The office door was ajar, and the sound of turning pages could be heard from inside.
"Come in." Liu Yibing was holding several printed English emails.
The old man didn't drink tea today, which is unusual; the teapot was empty, probably because he didn't have time to.
"This is the confirmation letter from the Venice Film Festival organizing committee," he said, handing over the top copy.
"The original won't arrive for a few days, so each of you four can have one of these printed copies made."
Lin Ruiyang took it and confirmed that the logo at the top was that of the 61st Venice International Film Festival.
A total of 18 works from 14 countries were shortlisted for this year's short film section. In addition to his film, the Asian entries included a Japanese short film and a South Korean short film.
"The main competition lineup was announced on July 29th. The other sections were confirmed in batches, and your film was in the last batch."
Liu Yibing paused, looking at Lin Ruiyang: "There's another point. Among the short films nominated this year, yours is the only one not shot on film. Although the three major film festivals announced their support for digital films a few years ago, very few have been nominated."
Do you know what this means?
"This shows that the judges appreciated your story and your presentation."
Lin Ruiyang nodded in agreement.
He understood that getting shortlisted was never a matter of technique, but rather a matter of expression. Whether it's DV or film, whether it gets seen in the end depends on whether your work is worthwhile.
Liu Yibing tidied up the materials on the table and changed his tone:
"In the main competition, Jia Zhangke's 'The World' has been nominated, and Hou Hsiao-hsien's 'Café Lumière' has been nominated as a Japanese film. In the non-competitive screenings, there are Wang Jiawei's 'Eros' and Du Qifeng's 'Throw Down'."
"With your film 'Condolences,' there are now four Chinese-language films screened at this year's Venice Film Festival, which is quite a diverse lineup."
Lin Ruiyang listened quietly without interrupting.
"Alright, let's leave the nomination for now. The film festival doesn't open until September 1st, so there's still a whole month to go. Submit all your materials to the Foreign Affairs Office, and they'll expedite your passport and visa application."
"Tell me about your new script. You asked about it once before, how's it going?"
"I just finished writing it last night. The script is called 'A Separation'."
"Tell me roughly what you're going to talk about."
"The main issue was that a couple separated because of their child's education. The wife wanted to bring their daughter to the capital, but the husband insisted on staying in the city. During the separation, the husband hired a caregiver to look after his father, who suffered from Alzheimer's. However, the caregiver had an accident, and the two families ended up in court."
"The ending is that someone asks the little girl who she wants to be with, and she doesn't answer. Then the movie ends."
Liu Yibing didn't speak immediately: "It sounds like the structure is good, and leaving the ending open-ended is a good idea."
"Your script was handwritten, wasn't it?"
Lin Ruiyang was a little confused: "Yes."
"Or are you going to film it yourself?"
"right."
"Then go and print out the revised script, make several copies. Also—"
Liu Yibing opened the drawer and took out a thin booklet with the title "Basic Storyboard Design" on the cover.
"Draw the storyboard as soon as possible. If you don't know how, learn how. A good script is only the first step. As a director, you need to think clearly about how the shots will land, how the camera will cut, and how the direction will be."
"With 'Condolences,' you used a fixed camera and a single take, which made the scheduling relatively simple. But feature films have more scenes and more complex relationships between characters. If you don't have good storyboarding, you'll be completely lost on set."
Lin Ruiyang took the booklet and flipped through it. It was filled with various camera position diagrams and lens labels.
"Thank you, Teacher Liu. I will definitely not let you down."
"Stop thanking me, get your drawing done. If the photography department can do it, why can't the literature department!"
With a hint of helplessness, Lin Ruiyang emerged from room 301. He hadn't expected the old man to have such thoughts. It seemed that even after being reborn, he couldn't compete with the older generation's way of thinking.
The campus was deserted during summer vacation, especially since the future wasn't as turbulent yet, and only his footsteps could be heard in the corridor.
He first went back to his dorm to get the script, then found an internet cafe off campus and sat in a corner to start typing.
At this point, portal websites had already taken the lead.
"The Venice Film Festival nominations have been announced, with only one Chinese nominee, Jia Zhangke."
"A work by a freshman from Beijing Film Academy was shortlisted for the Venice Short Film Festival, becoming the only Chinese-language short film."
"At just 18 years old, a freshman from Beijing Film Academy has been shortlisted for the Venice Short Film Festival, drawing attention from the industry."
The school forum exploded that very day.
Someone posted a screenshot of the report on the SMTH BBS movie forum with the simple title, "Someone from our school got into Venice?"
People in the building were initially skeptical about its authenticity until someone posted a screenshot from the official website.
"Short Film Section: 'Condolences', Huaxia, Ryan Lam"
The post quickly garnered several pages of replies and made it to the front page.
That evening, the entertainment section of the Beijing News devoted almost half a page to the headline: "The Venice Film Festival opens on September 1, with Chinese-language films launching a multi-pronged attack."
The article outlines the main competition, non-competitive screenings, short films, and the film critics section, which included Han Jie from Yenching Normal University, praising the Chinese-language films at this year's film festival as having a "well-rounded lineup and flourishing in multiple areas."
When the fat guy called from his hometown, his voice was eight octaves louder than usual: "Old Lin! Did you see that? The internet is full of reports about you! They're all saying you're the first freshman to do that!"
Lin Ruiyang held the phone between his ear and shoulder, using the tentacle-like power he had in his past life to rush deadlines: "Reporters are just writing about whatever is trending."
"That's different!" the fat man said. "This is Venice! Did you know the school posted it on its official website? Director Liu said it's a historic breakthrough for the literature department."
Lin Ruiyang was a little surprised. He didn't expect the old man to say that, and to give such a high evaluation.
"Alright, let's go out for a meal when you get back. We'll invite the two senior students too."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Ruiyang stared at the document on his computer screen. He had already typed two-thirds of the script, and the rest should be finished in two hours at most. He stretched his wrists and continued typing.