film Festival

January 14

Among the many places Billy attended, the most curious was the Berlin Film Festival, held on January 9, after any party that could disrupt the festival's performance.

A small interview room was set up due to Billy's absence; he met with the team five days later. For now, the international film festival has another connotation, and that is to present its films so that the festival can develop in the best way possible.

Although it may not seem like it, the recognition of cinema, the Golden Bear, contains tangible love. For some filmmakers, participating in such festivals is a dream come true above some other awards. Each one chooses among the three major European festivals: the Venice Film Festival, Cannes, and Berlin. Each of them holds sentimental value for their respective communities.

-We hope everything will be decided by the jury; there are a total of 25 films with their own advertising spaces. We all have to wait until February 2 for the verdicts at the awards ceremony, - Richard Linketer commented, after the gala of presentations and showing of multiple characters.

Among the selected participants in 1995 were countries such as the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Hong Kong, Germany, Russia, Israel, and Canada. Producers abound here and there, while some people take note of the schedules and which films can be purchased for distribution in the United States for now.

Richard bid farewell with a shake of his head.

-We can watch some movies; I'm eager to see 'When the Night Falls' by Patricia Rozema; it has a somewhat intriguing story, - Julie commented beside Billy.

-Let's go; although it's not my style of movies, we can watch some films. Do you buy tickets for the next three movies, and I'll get the food? - Billy commented.

-Deal, but ask for water for me; the corn always makes me thirsty, and sodas only make it worse, - Julie commented.

The place was crowded, with two small ticket booths to buy movie tickets, along with a small booth for popcorn and sodas. Curiously, they sold a wide variety of candies of all kinds, exhibited from local, national, and international traditions; it was a true candy shopping experience.

'I hate strict diets,' Billy thought before ordering - "Three bottles of water, please, and two large salted corns, along with sugar-free chocolates. The ones you're pointing at."

The shopkeeper took the bill without saying anything.

-Germans are somewhat uncooperative, - commented a woman with bronzed skin.

-No kidding, - Billy commented.

-You're in the movie; I saw your poster recently, - the girl commented. - I apologize for the rudeness; I'm Ana de Alvarez, I also have a small role in 'The King of the River,' a Spanish movie. -

-No problem, I'm Billy Carson, and I might see your movie later; honestly, there are so many that the day is short, - Billy commented.

-Good day, Billy, - said Ana de Alvarez, heading toward a black-haired man who shot her a glance; they both had a direction to the Chinese movie, "Red Rose White Rose."

-I've got the tickets; we'll see 'When the Night Falls' at 10:15 am, 'Nobody's Fool' at 11:55, 'Butterfly Kiss' at 3:00, and 'A Play for a Passenger' at 4:45," Julie commented with the tickets. --Although there are many I'd prefer to see, they're sold out, and well, we'll get up early tomorrow to buy some extra tickets. -

-I hope you have good taste, - Billy replied in jest to the blonde, dressed in a painter's suit, perhaps down to her shoulders, a matching pink shirt, not much different from Celine; it was perhaps a publicity stunt or just another way to imprint herself on the roles she always took.

-It leaves me perplexed. -

-Let's go before the paparazzi infest these rooms or some crazy person with a hidden camera, - Billy commented,

 as they entered the first movie, ten minutes early; the screen was still black. -They took the corner seats, four in total, and sat down as they prepared to take notes. – said Billy.

-Do you have any new roles? - Julie asked.

-Yes, in six days, I'll travel to Philadelphia to shoot; it's a classic thriller. You know, two cops, a tough case to crack, and well, a madman who complicates the whole thing. Do you have anything new? - Billy commented.

-Nothing particularly catches my eye; I just want to enjoy the Berlin Film Festival, maybe also Venice and Cannes if I get the chance, snag a role or two. Hopefully, something interesting comes up, - Julie commented.

-What do you usually prefer? - Billy inquired.

-Hmm... I like to develop my performance. If I can take on roles with challenging scripts, and characters that transcend my style, it's just a pleasure for me. Some roles only sexualize women who have much more to offer. Don't get me wrong; being the cute girl is fine, but sometimes, something more striking is more satisfying, - Julie remarked.

The small cinema room began to fill up.

***

-You'll be going to Japan to clear up doubts. I'd prefer someone else to handle this, but after all, you're the director of operations, - Anne commented to Rachel, who nodded, her first international business trip.

-Yes, I'll do my best to have dialogues with the companies, - Rachel commented.

-With Billy's new ideas, it's highly likely that you'll have to extend your visit for about two weeks. Raimon will handle Korea and China for our new toy orders. Now, with our line of credit, we can develop more toys without bothering with other relevant things, - Anne responded, taking note of the steps Rachel needed to take.

-Thank you, I think... - Rachel was interrupted by Anne.

-Before you go, I'll go over the manual again to avoid some inconveniences. You'll head to Tokyo Airport with arrival on January 17, 1995, at 7:00 p.m. Japanese time, where you'll meet your work team, a translator, and a representative who will arrange your schedule at a hotel on behalf of the company," Anne got up from her seat, taking some papers from the table. "There, you'll have some meetings the next day with Gainax representatives and deliver the Evangelion comic for their upcoming animated series. Their styles are perfect for what we're looking for; they've kindly scheduled meetings with us. Next, you'll have a quick stop with some mangakas to establish contracts for their animated works. In particular, we wish to establish a relationship with Kentaro Miura and the Young Animal editorial, - Anne commented.

-Yes, Director, I'll do my best to finalize the transactions, - Rachel repeated.

-Very well, the second part is to head to the Madhouse studio regarding the injection of capital. They are a joint-stock company; for the moment, one of the partners is willing to sell us 30% of their shares, along with another 15%. We'll be the main shareholders, along with Osamu Desaki and Yoshiaki Kawari. To wrap up, you'll cooperate with some companies; your last days will involve negotiating with OLM Inc. Again, we'll purchase percentages from four individuals to give us an 86% stake in the company's shares. The negotiations are new, but given the success in December, the royalties we acquired are enough to make such ambitious purchases. Remember to negotiate the management agreements with some who wish to stay in the company, - Anne commented.

January and December sales were unparalleled, from the statistical increase in viewers with series like Dexter's Laboratory, X-Men, Spider-Man, Samurai Jack, Gargoyles, Recess, and Rocko's Modern Life. New comic releases, toys, and sales are up in the air, and even the expansion of the Tactical Studies Role, with different tournaments, has caused accelerated growth that covered many payments in interest, loans, and new ventures. Treasury reports a profit of $43,678,999 million in the last two months.

However, it's Id Software that leads the growth; Tomb Raider was groundbreaking, selling three million copies in a month, along with stellar sales of Crash and the revival of Doom with tournaments, generating annual profits of $13 million.

-Yes, Director, I'll focus on expanding this new Asian animation branch, - Rachel commented, reviewing the statistical data and operation of the company, still somewhat surprised.

In her thoughts, she was impressed by the aggressive expansion; they would spend the sum of $35 million on this expansion. Gainax offered $7 million, Madhouse $6 million, OLM Inc $8 million, and AKOM Productions in Korea $11 million, along with the juicy commissions from intermediaries, the price almost reached $35 million. A true madness.

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