Chapter 563 - Forming an Alliance

"Oscar is the most important award for filmmakers, but based on my understanding since coming to the United States, they prefer some artistic films. These films usually don't perform well at the box office but have deep educational significance. If we invest in more films of this kind, there will always be some that can win the favor of Oscar judges. In that case, the chance of Moran winning an Oscar will become very small."

Pausing for a moment, Faaris continued, "The advantage of doing this is that we can split the money we used to invest in one film into ten or even more. Artistic films usually don't require a large investment. With our funding, many films that can defeat Moran can be produced!"

After contemplating for a moment, Dawud approved of his proposal, "You're right. Let's do as you say. I want her to never get the awards she desires! Let her always be an unsuccessful director!"

"As you wish, sir!" Faaris respectfully lowered his head, his eyes flickering with the same determination.

Speaking of the Oscars, Faaris had heard early on that Laila's "Chicago" was aimed at winning awards. If they could obstruct her at this moment, wouldn't that be considered a success?

He immediately ordered people to investigate if there were any relevant films. He didn't care if they made money; the focus was on winning awards. Surprisingly, he found quite a few, and more surprisingly, some even came to him.

This wasn't strange. Oscar judges usually favored films that didn't perform well at the box office. Once a film gained too much commercial success, it would be labeled as a commercial film, lacking substance, artistry, and educational significance.

Low-budget films were acceptable since the losses wouldn't be significant, and if, by chance, they won an award, it would be a profit. The main thing was that the director could gain recognition from influential figures, opening up more opportunities in the future.

Faaris's task for his subordinates was to find films with the potential to win awards, and he would invest in them.

Investment! And he preferred to invest in artistic films. Usually, only large film production companies with substantial financial strength would do this to gain awards. But how much could those companies support? In the face of limited resources, Faaris was like a cute Santa Claus, generously distributing his wealth.

As soon as news spread that someone was willing to invest, not seeking much return as long as there was a chance of winning an award, people came knocking on his door to pitch their scripts. They exaggerated their movies as if they were already destined for the Oscars before being shot.

Faaris, who had never encountered such a situation, finally got fed up after being besieged in his office for a week. He instructed them to study the scripts that were offered on a silver platter, ultimately selecting a few. He might be rich, but he couldn't afford to be taken for a fool, right?

He was well aware that his understanding of Hollywood and the film industry was limited, which was why he had found someone to help him—Mr. Cooper Bennett.

Their connection began during Faiza's time. As a leading figure against Laila, he naturally caught the attention of both Faiza and Faaris.

As mentioned before, Cooper wasn't one to mindlessly criticize. Except for topics related to the Phoenix, Reynolds, and Laila, he was a film critic with insightful and fair reviews. His comments on some films were accurate and engaging, which garnered the trust of many readers.

His judgment was keen, and this time, Faaris sought him out to use his discerning eye to select films worth investing in and could help him successfully sabotage Laila at the Oscars.

Such a job was like a pie falling from the sky, almost making Mr. Cooper Bennett smile so much that his mouth couldn't close. He could earn money, play the role of a god guiding others, expand his influence in Hollywood, and, at the same time, crush Laila's spirit a bit. There couldn't be a more satisfying job for him. So, without much thought, he agreed to Faaris's invitation and arrived at his office the next day.

Faaris reiterated his request to him, "I have only one requirement: make sure Laila Moran doesn't get the awards she desires!"

Copper nodded approvingly, "Rest assured, I've got this! I'm very willing to help you accomplish this task."

After some thought, he continued, "It's obvious that Moran intends to showcase her skills at next year's Oscars with 'Chicago.' If we want to deal with her, the current time might be a bit late. But no worries, we still have a chance! To participate in next year's Oscars, it means the movies we invest in must be released before December 31st this year."

He flipped through the stack of scripts beside him, "Some of these can probably be ruled out."

"You're right," Faaris nodded in agreement. In his view, professionalism was professionalism, and Copper succinctly pointed out the most important aspect. Despite being just a sentence, it eliminated more than two-thirds of the stack of scripts.

"Of course, those we've ruled out don't need to be discarded; we can still consider them for the following year. After all, Moran can't possibly participate in the Oscars every year, right?" Copper seemed to have more considerations; he not only wanted Laila to leave empty-handed next year but also hoped she wouldn't receive any awards in the following years. If possible, he even wished to push her out of the nominations.

Unfortunately, that seemed a bit unrealistic. Given her talent, strength, and the number of fans she had, it would be questionable to the vast audience if she never received a single nomination. The Oscars judges wouldn't let that happen. Even if it was a consolation, they would occasionally nominate her to appease the fans. So, as long as he could cut off her path to winning, he would be satisfied, making her a pitiful nominee who never won an award!

Faaris was extremely pleased with this attitude, nodding immediately, "Very well, I leave it to you. I hope you won't disappoint me!"

"Don't worry, Mr. Faaris, we have a common goal. Even for my desires, I will certainly help you handle it well!"

"I think we will cooperate very happily."

The two smiled and shook hands, formally forming an alliance.

At this moment, Laila, who was still filming, had no idea that her two biggest enemies miles away had officially joined forces. However, even if she knew, she wouldn't be bothered. If movies could predict whether they would win awards before they were released, why would so many people and movie production companies continuously fall into the abyss of losses? Not everyone had a super golden finger called "rebirth" like her.