Invitation

Three days after the completion of post-production, Lyman arrived at EuropaCorp. He needed to discuss the matter regarding Luc Besson's suggestion for him to participate in the Cannes Film Festival.

Upon entering the office, Luc was already waiting.

"Coffee?" he offered.

"No, thank you," Lyman declined with a wave of his hand.

"What are your plans regarding Cannes?" Having collaborated multiple times, they could skip the dull pleasantries.

Seated on the sofa, Lyman got straight to the point. "It's not exactly my idea; the Cannes Jury Committee extended a direct invitation."

After all, Lyman was a French director, having directed two or three films by now, yet he had never participated in the Cannes International Film Festival. Something seemed off about that.

So, when the committee learned that Lyman's latest film had finished post-production, they promptly reached out to EuropaCorp to urge them. Given Luc's cordial relations with them, he casually accepted the invitation.

In his view, some publicity would be beneficial, and winning an award was almost a certainty.

As for why, it wasn't much of a secret. Venice, Berlin, Cannes – these so-called "Big Three" international film festivals each had their own vested interests.

First and foremost, it's important to understand that these festivals are regional before they can expand to the international market. Without the support of the French government, they wouldn't have garnered the prestige they have today.

Furthermore, the majority of the jury committee members are French. How else are they supposed to choose?

Every crow thinks its own is the blackest, and while the Oscars might be infamous for their behind-the-scenes dealings, these festivals are no less competitive.

"Alright then." Lyman pondered for a moment. He didn't feel anything was amiss; he simply found it bothersome. Ever since he truly witnessed the selection process of the Oscars, he had always harbored doubts about how fair film awards selected by a group with personal interests would really be.

However, the fact remained that he had never participated in the Cannes Film Festival.

Considering their wholehearted support, it wouldn't be right to not give them face.

"I'll go with you when the time comes. Expanding your network can be quite beneficial," Luc candidly suggested.

"Alright, you can arrange that."

...

On May 10th, Lyman, Thomas, James Wan, René, George, and Eva Green, who they hadn't seen in a while, crossed paths again at the Paris airport.

The chairman of the 56th Cannes International Film Festival's jury committee was Patrice Chéreau.

Indeed, he was born in La Ciotat, France. In 1994, he won the Grand Jury Prize of the 47th Cannes International Film Festival with the drama film "La Reine Margot". He could be considered one of the Cannes Film Festival's veteran directors.

After waiting for a little while in the airport terminal, the group boarded the plane.

Eva was seated next to Lyman.

"How have you been lately?" he asked.

"Not much, just stayed at home for a while," Eva's words carried a touch of resentment.

Thinking back to the times they were together during filming, she realized that Lyman could truly go without contacting her when he was busy with work.

A full twenty days had passed without a single call from him.

Eva didn't know how to describe this situation anymore. In her impression, Lyman was always a workaholic and was devoted to his filmmaking.

"Um..." Lyman hesitated for a moment, suddenly unsure about what to say. The atmosphere grew a bit awkward.

Casual topics were directly obliterated by Eva's sense of resentment.

Unable to put it into words, should he express it through actions instead?

Observing the situation, Lyman scooted closer to her, his arm wrapping around her waist.

Eva turned her head, glanced at him, but didn't say anything.

Her body, quite honestly, inched a bit closer on its own.

"Tonight, come to my place," Lyman softly suggested.

"No, staying at a hotel is fine," Eva replied decisively, her face reddening as she did.

"Aren't you interested..." (Another 3000 words omitted).

...

In the end, Eva couldn't refuse Lyman's proposal.

Approximately two hours later, the plane landed at the airport.

With their luggage in hand, the group walked out of the corridor. Lyman gazed at the surroundings, a landscape he was extremely familiar with, feeling a bit sentimental.

This usually tranquil and exquisitely beautiful coastal town only revealed its bustling side during this time.

May of every year belonged to the cinema, its radiant glow enveloping everyone.

They had arrived just before the opening ceremony. The small plot of land was already bustling with tourists and film industry professionals who had come to admire the festival.

Since the 1990s, they had been emphasizing the introduction of Hollywood films to exhibit.

Today's Cannes bore traces of commercialism everywhere. It had become the world's largest film trading market.

Seated in the car, massive promotional posters were visible everywhere.

"X-Men 2", "The Matrix Reloaded", "Bruce Almighty"... Well, there was no shortage of promotional posters for "Miscreant" either. Due to being a local production, its popularity was even more fervent.

Although these films hadn't even been selected for the Cannes Film Festival's competition section, it didn't hinder Hollywood studios from utilizing the platform for promotion.

...

Guided by EuropaCorp's representatives who had arrived earlier, the group arrived at the grand Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

This hotel stood directly across from the Palais, less than 200 meters away. It was a long-term official partner of the Cannes Film Festival.

However, they weren't here to check in. They were back "home"; how could they stay at a hotel?

Exiting the car and proceeding toward the entrance, even before entering the hotel lobby, Lyman heard a familiar greeting.

They turned their heads and noticed that Luc, who had arrived in Cannes a few days earlier, was walking towards them with a smile. There was also a formally dressed man by his side.

"Lyman, this is Patrice Chéreau," Luc introduced first.

"Hello." They warmly shook hands.

"Director Lyman is truly promising and youthful," Patrice, being the chairman of the Cannes jury this year, had no airs about him. He complimented, "It's a pleasure to meet you." As he spoke, he opened his arms and gave Lyman an extremely enthusiastic hug...

The status of the two was inherently unequal. In this day and age, directors with commercial success were more highly regarded than so-called art-house directors.

Whether in the industry or outside of it, there always seemed to be people who thought that art-house directors were naturally superior to commercial directors.

This notion was wrong; industry insiders actually favored directors who achieved results.

Could you say that James Cameron's international status was inferior to Giuseppe Tornatore?

Oh, you don't know the person behind "Cinema Paradiso", "Malèna", "The Legend of 1900"? Well, that's okay.

Not to mention that Patrice Chéreau's accomplishments weren't particularly outstanding among a group of European art-house directors. He simply had experience, and it was his turn to be the chairman.

After all, the Cannes jury changes every year. Even if it's a line, it should be his turn.

As a side note, the jury for this year also included Jiang Wen. As mentioned before, the Cannes Film Festival was the one that didn't shy away from Chinese filmmakers.

And those so-called "Carpet Stars" from future times also originated from Cannes.

There was no choice; the organizing committee also had to generate income.

The importance of funding for a festival with such high costs to be successfully held goes without saying.

Although the French government and the Cannes municipal government shared a portion of the festival's expenses from their revenues, and sponsors like L'Oréal and Dior provided substantial support, the festival itself needed to be financially self-sufficient to continue each year.

Walking down the red carpet while spending money was just one of the many ways to generate income.

"We've already decided to have "Miscreant" as the opening film for tomorrow," Patrice said with a smile.

"Is that so? Hahaha." Lyman didn't know how to respond to the goodwill being extended by the other side, so he laughed casually.

Oh, let me explain. He was talking about the opening ceremony, which is a premiere in the non-competition section.

After all, the Cannes jury needed some face. They couldn't go too far, or else if the reputation suffered, it wouldn't be easy to convince everyone to come in the future.

However, giving "Miscreant" an opening premiere was indeed a result of Luc's active persuasion and the organizing committee's personal interest.

Moreover, Patrice also had his own agenda.

Don't be deceived by his Berlin Director's Award and the endless Caesar Awards he's won in France; it still wasn't easy to secure funding for filmmaking.

After all, art-house films were a niche genre and had a natural disadvantage. They had critical acclaim in the industry, but a cold market response was nothing new.

If this time he could establish a good relationship with EuropaCorp, it would be a very good thing for both the distribution and investment of his film.

As each person calculated in their own minds, they continued forward with false sincerity and pleasantries.

Tonight, Luc hosted a reception for his film "Miscreant", inviting most of the film industry personnel, including the jury.

Mutual exchanges, friendly conversations... what nonsense.

In fact, it was also a disguised form of promotion and film sales event.

There are so many film festivals around the world, but is the sole purpose of participating in them really just to win awards?

How many awards are there? It's impossible for each of these numerous films to get one.

Why do those who have no hope of winning awards come? Why do film distributors from around the world come? Why do investors come?

In reality, the most reasonable reason to participate in the Cannes Film Festival is to establish connections and engage in film investment and transactions.

According to statistics, the Cannes International Film Festival achieves film transaction amounts of at least €100M during its screening period, with an indirect economic value of up to €700M.

Here, apart from the general public genuinely coming to watch films, everyone else is looking for investment or transaction opportunities.

With so many filmmakers gathering together, it represents countless opportunities.

Similar receptions can be seen everywhere during the Cannes screening period, and EuropaCorp was just one of them.