Sophie Marceau

Luc Besson was quite generous.

Hosting the "Miscreant" reception, he directly invested €700,000 to reserve the grand backyard banquet hall of the Barrière Le Majestic Hotel.

The number of invitees wasn't small either, the list approaching over three hundred people.

The party was set up in the simplest buffet style. Exquisite pastries and food were laid out on several long tables on the left, and on the right were a few lounges, separated by beaded curtains.

Soft background music played, people mingled and chatted; in this organized scene, waitstaff moved through the crowd with trays of drinks, providing service.

"Hi, Director Lyman, M. Besson."

Not long after the party began, Luc took him to greet a group of jury members, and then more people approached them on their own.

Especially those from various parts of the world, film distributors were particularly enthusiastic.

Within the lounge area, a group of people surrounded them.

"Lyman, this is Park Soo-hyun, from South Korea, this is Terry German, from Chile, this is Said Ali Mohamed, from Kuwait..." Luc introduced first.

Upon hearing this, Lyman put on a smile and shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with each person.

Earlier, Luc had mentioned to him that besides introducing him to some connections, their task tonight was to sell the film.

Hm, why does it feel a bit off? Selling the film?

No need to delve into it too much; perhaps you've also noticed that none of the people introduced just now came from countries with well-developed and prosperous film markets. Naturally, EuropaCorp's distribution channels wouldn't be able to establish a presence there.

Actually, even if they could, it would be a thankless task.

After all, the film markets in these countries and regions are limited, and there wouldn't be much effect in setting up offices and expending resources.

Therefore, most film companies use similar networking parties to sell distribution rights all at once.

That's also why festivals like Cannes, Berlin, and those in the future flourish.

They need a place like this for them to trade.

"Director Lyman, your previous film left a deep impression, and the response in our region was especially good. I hope we can continue to collaborate this time," Saeed Ali Mohammed from Kuwait said in English with a distinct regional accent.

"Thank you," Lyman replied courteously.

But this matter wasn't his responsibility anyway; he was just here for appearances.

The EuropaCorp marketing team members who were present led them away to discuss more specific details of selling the film.

"Excuse us for a moment, there are guests over there who need our attention." Luc, seeing that people were interested and related matters needed to be discussed, led Lyman back outside, where arrangements had been made.

...

Halfway through the party, Lyman held a wine glass and followed closely behind Luc, letting him introduce him to one industry insider after another.

After finally managing another round, Lyman took his leave.

Luc didn't say much either, just inquired about him briefly before going back to establishing connections on his own.

Looking around, René and Thomas were standing together, their conversation a mystery; James Wan was engaged in lively conversation with a group of Australian film distributors; Eva Green was seated on a lounge chair, enjoying the sea view. Not far from the banquet hall's rear was a beach, illuminated by night lights, an exquisite sight.

Lyman walked towards René's direction and suddenly spotted Lou Ye with Zhang Ziyi by his side.

Oh, right, he was also in the competition's main unit this year with a film called "Purple Butterfly", and Zhang Ziyi, his film's star, was also present.

Lyman found the two of them quite interesting.

Seeing this, a passing waiter brought over a glass of champagne and came over with a smile to greet them.

"Director Lou, hello."

Lou Ye was walking inside when a fair-haired blue-eyed foreigner suddenly popped up with a smile. He instinctively stopped in his tracks.

Zhang Ziyi, by his side, reminded him that the person across from him was greeting him.

"Hello, hello..."

Simple everyday conversation, even Director Lou could manage.

"Congratulations on your film being nominated in the competition."

"Thank you..."

The two exchanged a few brief sentences before Lyman took his leave.

He wasn't particularly interested in Lou Ye, but rather in Zhang Ziyi by his side.

After all, this type of director, always shooting sensitive subjects, claiming to reveal the true appearance of China, wasn't held in high regard by him.

However, a young empress like Zhang Ziyi was rare. Leaving aside other matters, just from a distance, her demeanor was quite gentle.

Or maybe it was just a misconception.

...

"Hey, what are you two chatting about?"

After parting with Zhang Ziyi, seeing René and Thomas engrossed in conversation, he spoke up.

"Did you see that person?" René hugged Lyman and pointed to a corner of the banquet hall.

Following his gaze, Lyman noticed a woman standing alone, leaning against the railing.

Her slightly wavy deep brown hair cascaded down, and a light blue dress couldn't hide her well-defined curves.

"Who's that?" Lyman asked in confusion.

"Sophie Marceau." This time it was Thomas who answered.

Oh, it's her, no wonder these two were discussing her.

When it comes to who the goddess in the hearts of the French people is, Sophie Marceau is an undeniable choice.

"Is it really her?"

"Of course, I saw her face directly, and that appearance, I can't be mistaken," René said confidently.

"Do you want to go talk to her?" Lyman raised an eyebrow, inquiring.

"I just tried a moment ago." René sighed and said.

Hm, that appearance clearly was a failure.

Lyman was about to say something when René asked, "Are you interested in her?"

"Yeah, I've always had a favorable impression of her."

...

Lyman's statement wasn't untrue. Unlike the French people who formed their impression of her through her portrayal of one screen character after another, Lyman's initial interest in her was driven by the impulsive hormones of his youth after watching a few of her distinctive films.

For this reason, he even went out of his way to find DVDs to buy and collect.

People are always shallow, especially since there weren't many channels to follow and understand foreign actors during his previous life.

The only way was those secretly hidden discs from those beautiful days of youth.

Eva Green, Monica Bellucci, Sophie Marceau... names like these, he could recall many.

They were also the objects of his fantasies during the hormonally charged days of his youth.

Male compatriots, they're quite easily influenced by lower-half thinking.

They, with their portrayals of classic characters during their adolescence, filled our lives during those hormone-filled years.

Adolescence passes quickly, but the memories of youth become more profound as one grows older.

In those bewildered yet ardently desirous years, the impression of the goddess remains in the heart, naturally leading to a favorable sentiment.

And besides, she truly is beautiful.

She also proves to us that in the face of true beauty, aesthetic differences crumble.

In this regard, French and Chinese men united for the first time.

For admirers of beauty, cheers.

...

The three men chatted, discussing topics that were characteristic of men.

But their conversation was interrupted.

"Hey, Lyman, I need to talk to you about something."

The speaker was George.

He was also one of those responsible for selling film rights.

"What's the matter?"

"Follow me."

George led Lyman towards the salon area, and as they walked, he reported on their recent achievements in selling film rights.

"You can't imagine what I just experienced."

"What?" Lyman asked, playing along.

"We sold the rights for €250,000 in Kuwait, €270,000 in Liechtenstein, and South Korea..." George looked quite pleased. "In total, we've already sold more than €4.3M in distribution fees."

"So much?"

"Of course." George looked at Lyman and explained, "There are many small countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East with underdeveloped local film industries. They don't usually spend money making films, so for them, spending a little money to buy regional distribution rights for a film is a very cost-effective business."

Indeed, the situation was like that. When the domestic film industry wasn't thriving, it was more profitable to scour films from various international places. After all, buying the screening rights for a specific region wasn't very expensive, and it was easy to reap good profits.

Of course, those popular film markets were probably off-limits. Just like the exclusivity of the United States, different distribution strategies needed to be tailored to different places.

"Impressive." Lyman sighed.

It seemed that the saying "Practice makes perfect" was true. Compared to professionals like them who specialized in selling films, he truly was more suited to being a director.

Looking at it this way, it seemed that EuropaCorp relied on selling international rights to recover their costs.

It could only be said that there was still much for him to learn about film distribution.

"Why did you find me?"

"Some film distributors want to meet you, and also, Luc helped promote your film's reputation. Those people also want to meet you."

There was no way around it. After all, they were all participating in Cannes, so they naturally needed to achieve some results.

EuropaCorp was quite invested in this matter, not only arriving a few days in advance but also continually networking with numerous jurors.

It was estimated that they would directly start massive operations and publicity after the premiere of the film tomorrow.

After all, the real question was whether they could achieve good results after the screening. Taking these measures would be beneficial in any case.

"Hello..."

"Thank you..."

"Okay, cheers..."

Inescapable socializing and networking, Lyman could only pretend to be enthusiastically insincere.

Glasses clinked, wine went around three times, and the group had a joyful time.

As the sky gradually darkened, the end of the reception drew near.

Lyman used an excuse to go to the restroom, leaving the circle of "businessmen's" revelry.

Looking around, the number of people in the backyard banquet hall had become sparse.

But that familiar figure was still there.

She remained quietly leaning against the railing, appreciating a certain kind of scenery.

Perhaps it was the wine bolstering his courage, even though they'd never met before, Lyman found himself walking over in that direction...