Chapter 0749: The Master

With the arrival of summer, all kinds of activities increased. In Fan Baobao's words, this was the revival of all things.

Zhao Fusheng made no comment on this; in his view, it was simply that people were too bored, so they came up with all sorts of nonsense.

Recently, Zhao Fusheng had nothing much to do. Chen Tianqiao called from South Korea, saying he had successfully acquired that game company—yes, the one that developed "The Legend of Mir 2," an online game company.

Zhao Fusheng was not surprised by this news. Instead, he was even more looking forward to when "The Legend of Mir 2" would appear in internet cafes in China.

As for Ma Huateng, it must be said that Xiao Ma was indeed a tech guy by trade. Zhao Fusheng had previously suggested several ideas to him, including creating new chat rooms and groups, and he had instructed his subordinates to implement them.

Penguin's user growth had been very fast recently. Barring any accidents, they would secure more funding in two years.

"The College Student Film Festival opens the day after tomorrow. Do you want to go?"

Fan Baobao curled up on the sofa, asking Zhao Fusheng, who was reading a book on the other side.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback and blinked. "College Student Film Festival?"

He really didn't know much about it. Fan Baobao could tell at a glance and began to explain what the College Student Film Festival was.

Established in 1993, it was considered the first film festival of the spring season in China. Its characteristic was emphasizing college student participation in filming, watching, and reviewing films, all with a college student flavor. The festival awarded prizes such as Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Debut Film, Best Visual Effect Award, Special Award for Artistic Innovation, and Outstanding Contribution to Film, determined by college students and expert judges. Among the judges, student judges accounted for three-quarters of the total, selected from major universities at the main and branch venues.

The "College Student Film Festival" also hosted numerous academic activities such as themed film screenings, panel discussions, and lectures, gathering elites from academia and industry to discuss the hottest film topics. Veteran, middle-aged, and young directors and actors mingled with college students at events like new film premieres, meet-the-crew sessions for competition films, and seminars with renowned directors. The "College Student Film Festival" was not only a film feast for college students but also a youthful gathering for filmmakers.

"I see." Zhao Fusheng nodded, finally understanding what it was.

But he frowned and looked at Fan Baobao. "What does this have to do with you? Do you even qualify to walk the red carpet?"

The so-called red carpet was naturally for the celebrities attending the film festival, but Fan Baobao seemed to lack both the seniority and fame for it.

Fan Baobao glared at Zhao Fusheng and tapped his leg with her hand. "Who said I'm going to walk the red carpet? I just want to go watch. Is that not allowed?"

"Fine, fine, go if you want." Zhao Fusheng said helplessly. "Anyway, your legs are attached to you."

...

...

Time passed quickly. On the afternoon of May 4th, the College Student Film Festival officially opened in Beijing.

It was only when they arrived that Zhao Fusheng learned that this early College Student Film Festival, having just been founded a few years ago, was still quite modest in conditions, with no red carpet or similar events.

In other words, those celebrities who love to walk the red carpet simply have no place to display their talents.

Speaking of the bizarre existence of red-carpet stars, Zhao Fusheng had to admire them. This group of people had turned the three major film festivals—Cannes, Venice, and Berlin—into places resembling a neighborhood vegetable market. Originally, domestic audiences held these art film festivals in high regard, thinking they were particularly high-end, classy, and meaningful.

But by a decade or so later, a bunch of domestic red-carpet stars had thoroughly ruined that impression.

There was no helping it—every now and then, some actress would show up at the Cannes Film Festival, and then you'd find that this actress had neither a film in competition nor an invitation; she was just there to join the fun and take a look.

Even standing there was merely for staged photos.

That's right, staged photos.

Because aside from the people the actress herself had brought along, foreign media wouldn't waste a single frame of film on these celebrities they didn't know at all.

For those foreigners, among domestic celebrities, they only knew one or two, and those were already famous big-name actresses. As for those red-carpet stars, well, they really didn't know them.

Zhao Fusheng and Fan Baobao walked into the venue and saw from afar Zhou Yun and Jiang Wen standing together. Jiang Wen was saying something to an elderly man.

The elderly man was quite old, tall, with graying hair, and looked rather dignified. Jiang Wen stood beside him, docile as a good student.

"That person..." Zhao Fusheng frowned. He felt the man looked somewhat familiar.

"It's Director Xie Jin!" Fan Baobao exclaimed, her tone unable to conceal her shock.

So it was him!

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then broke into a smile. No wonder Jiang Wen was so docile—it was this master.

The title 'master' does not merely refer to artistic achievement. No matter how high the artistic achievement, such as later figures like Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark, and even Feng Xiaogang, their accomplishments in their respective film fields are, theoretically, quite impressive. But they still fall slightly short of the title 'master.'

It is not that they lack skill, but when their achievements are placed within the entire industry, they truly fall a bit short of the word 'master.'

But Xie Jin absolutely deserves the title of master.

As a flagship figure of the third generation of directors, Xie Jin directed over twenty films in his fifty-plus-year career, half of which had significant influence in film history and were beloved by audiences. Six of his films won the Hundred Flowers Award—a remarkable achievement unparalleled in domestic film history.

His artistic pursuit of keeping pace with the times and seeking innovation and change is admirable. Zhao Fusheng had watched many of his films as a child, growing up with them. His films represent the transformations of different eras, allowing us to see the very real living conditions of people at the time and the significance of the era.

Not only that, but Xie Jin also discovered a large number of new directors and actors, earning him students all over the world. Many directors, including Jiang Wen, achieved success under Xie Jin's influence.

A person like this is certainly qualified to be called a master.

Of course, this is also closely related to the fact that his students now occupy half the positions in the film and television industry. After all, having many disciples and good health are also important for an artist.

At the very least, a living old artist can say whatever he wants, while a dead person cannot refute anyone.