Chapter 147: The New York Film Festival

In the morning, Arthur woke up in bed, holding Nicole Kidman. "Are you heading back to Los Angeles today?"

"Yes, today," Nicole Kidman yawned. "I'll also be helping Naomi celebrate her directorial debut. Scream has grossed over $70 million, right? That's incredible!"

Arthur smiled. "I'm glad I brought her to Hollywood. Scream grossed $70 million in less than two months. By the end of its run, it should hit $80 million."

Nicole Kidman sighed. "The North American box office for my movie Days of Thunder was only around $80 million, mostly thanks to Tom Cruise's popularity."

"There's a hint of jealousy," Arthur teased, kissing her chest. "Don't worry, Galaxy has an action movie, Speed, scheduled for next year. To save costs, I might star in it myself, and you can be the female lead. The buzz from Malice can boost our promotion!"

"Really?" Nicole Kidman's eyes lit up. "When does filming start?"

"In the summer. If you have time, you can learn to drive a bus. It'll come in handy," Arthur said, caressing her. "When you get back, go to the office to pick up the script."

"Okay," Nicole Kidman nodded, kissing his chest. "By the way, you haven't used your house in Northridge for a while, have you?"

"The house in Northridge?" Arthur nodded. "I haven't been there much. Why?"

"Rent it to Naomi. She's looking to move, and your place is nice," Nicole Kidman suggested.

"That's a small matter. You decide. I don't care about such things," Arthur said, having nearly forgotten about the old house in Northridge.

"Nicole, you're really good to her," Arthur suddenly laughed.

"What can I do? We come from the same place, so we should help each other," Nicole Kidman whispered in Arthur's ear. "Besides, I need an ally. Who knows, you might take a liking to her too."

Arthur chuckled. "You're something else..."

After sending Nicole Kidman off, Arthur prepared to try his luck at the New York Film Festival.

The New York Film Festival is an international A-list film festival. However, the films screened tend to be avant-garde, lacking the artistic and commercial appeal of Europe's three major film festivals.

Held from late September to early October, the ten-day New York Film Festival attracts filmmakers from around the world.

Though it was autumn, daytime temperatures in New York were still high. The main venue for the festival was Lincoln Center in the Upper West Side, at the intersection of 9th Avenue (Columbus Avenue) and Broadway, spanning West 62nd to 65th Streets.

In Lincoln Center's Juilliard Hall, Disney's animated feature Beauty and the Beast had its premiere.

Disney dominated the animation market. With hits like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Little Mermaid, Disney Animation was thriving!

The prolonged applause after the screening of Beauty and the Beast confirmed its high quality.

"Steve Jobs' Pixar Animation Studios has been operating at a loss. It's time to send someone to the Bay Area to check it out," Arthur thought. He had been focusing on live-action films and neglected animation.

Disney was the king of 2D animation, an undisputed fact. But Pixar's strength was in 3D computer animation!

Arthur couldn't wait any longer. He took out his cell phone and called Amy Pascal in Los Angeles.

"Amy, send someone to the Bay Area to investigate a computer animation studio, Pixar. It's owned by Steve Jobs, one of the co-founders of Apple and now the head of NeXT. We want to acquire Pixar."

"Pixar? The company that won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film last year?" Amy Pascal asked over the phone.

"Yes, that's the one. Although Pixar currently focuses on making commercials, their computer animation technology is excellent," Arthur said. He couldn't let Pixar slip through his fingers and let Disney transition from a 2D powerhouse to a 3D one.

"Okay, I'll send someone to check it out."

Pixar started as the computer animation division of Lucasfilm. Steve Jobs bought it in 1986 and renamed it Pixar.

Now, Pixar hadn't developed its own feature-length animations and was struggling to sustain operations through commercial work. Steve Jobs, focusing on his NeXT Computer Company, must be finding Pixar's losses hard to bear.

In the evening, Arthur attended a small party organized by PolyGram at the nearby Empire Hotel.

PolyGram executives Michael Kuhn and PolyGram Films USA heads Lisa Chasin and Paul Webster were present.

"PolyGram Films USA was just established this year," Michael Kuhn reminded Arthur, clinking their glasses. "It's specifically for developing American films!"

Currently, PolyGram was co-producing Emma with Galaxy. To be precise, it was a co-production between Galaxy and the UK-based Working Title Films.

Working Title is an independent film production company. In 1989, PolyGram acquired a 49% stake in Working Title. Now, PolyGram was negotiating for full ownership of Working Title.

Arthur smiled. "You have big ambitions!"

Michael Kuhn shook his head. "PolyGram's involvement in films is minor. Our main business is still the music market."

"PolyGram has just entered the film industry, so we need time to build up," Arthur said, spotting a group of Asians attendees at the party.

"Michael, who are they?" Arthur pointing to them.

"Oh, they are representatives from TVB Hong Kong, here for the film festival. They have a film selected for the New York Film Festival. And the female lead of the movie is a Hong Kong artist we signed this year," Michael Kuhn explained with a smile.

"I see," Arthur nodded, recognizing the actress as Jacqueline Law. She was stunningly beautiful.

*****

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