Chapter 133: An Unexpected Delight

Chapter 133: An Unexpected Surprise

With "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" securing the Golden Camera award, the trip to Cannes would not end empty-handed.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Le asked, noticing a subtle change in Yang Xin'er's expression.

"Since Bao has won an award, I’m afraid 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' won't have much of a chance for any others," Yang Xin'er said, smiling as she watched Bao Zhen on the podium looking rather excited.

"Just being selected for the main competition made this trip worthwhile. Now that we’ve won an award, whatever it may be, it’s an unexpected surprise," Zhang Le said with a chuckle after a moment of thought.

"It would be such a pity if we only walked away with a cinematography award," Yang Xin'er said with a somewhat forced smile, shaking her head.

"You know I’m not really one for awards. Bringing 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' to Cannes was largely about opening up international distribution channels for the company. In fact, I’m quite optimistic about the film's box office performance abroad, especially in North America," Zhang Le replied.

Bao Zhen was excited, yet he remained composed. His acceptance speech flowed easily, a testament to his seasoned experience in receiving accolades.

"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations!"

As Bao Zhen returned to the crew, everyone offered their warm congratulations.

"Thank you!" Bao Zhen replied with great courtesy.

After Bao Zhen’s win, the tension Zhang Le had been feeling vanished. Winning would have been ideal, but it didn't matter if they didn't. After all, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had inherent disadvantages; it was a wuxia film with a commercial touch, which put it at a natural disadvantage at the Cannes Film Festival.

However, no one could deny the artistic merit of the film.

Zhang Le truly had no great interest in "art" for art's sake. He had even regretted choosing to film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" at one point. He would rather shoot popcorn flicks than touch such films again. Of course, he didn't have many memories of art-house films in his mind, either.

If this film failed to win at Cannes, it would simply be destiny. Zhang Le had no intention of obsessively chasing awards by remaking films like "Happy Together" or "Farewell My Concubine," nor would he ever consider filming Jiang Wen's "Devils on the Doorstep."

He had no interest in thankless, grueling tasks.

"Wait, what is this!" Zhang Le exclaimed in surprise as the jury announced the Grand Prix.

"What's wrong?" Yang Xin'er asked, not quite catching it. Just as she spoke, she heard a poorly pronounced "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and turned her gaze toward the stage.

"Ha, ha!"

After the English translation, everyone realized that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" had won the Cannes Grand Prix. While perhaps not as prestigious as the Palme d'Or, it was a major award for the festival. In the history of the event, only one or two Chinese-language films had ever claimed it.

Winning this award was a massive victory for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and it would grant Zhang Le significant weight within the domestic director’s circle.

In the domestic industry, winning international awards is far more effective at elevating one's status than simply having a high-grossing film—at least within the circle. Investors, of course, still prioritize the box office.

For a large production company, failing to secure a decent award often invites criticism and can impact the company's image. This is why many companies invest in art-house films even when they know they will lose money.

The Grand Prix win was a tremendous benefit not only to Zhang Le but also to Xinle Media.

"Thank you! I thank the jury for this recognition, and I thank the cast and crew of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.' Most of all, I thank my girlfriend, the film's lead actress, Ms. Yang Xin'er. We faced many difficulties during the production, and it was her encouragement and support that made 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' possible today. I love you!"

Holding the trophy, Zhang Le spoke into the microphone in fluent French.

"What did Director Zhang say?" Yang Liu asked, leaning toward Yang Xin'er.

"I don't understand it either," Yang Xin'er said, shaking her head with a smile.

"Heh! Do you really need to understand? You can guess—he was definitely thanking the jury, then the crew, and especially you, Yang Xin'er. Maybe he even said something sweet to you in front of everyone, like 'I love you,'" Li Jie laughed.

"What were you talking about?" Zhang Le asked curiously as he returned to his seat and hugged Yang Xin'er.

"We were guessing what you said just now," Yang Xin'er said, recounting Li Jie's prediction.

Zhang Le was surprised, then laughed. Acceptance speeches were almost always formulaic; it was no wonder they were guessed correctly.

Having won the Grand Prix, the film was naturally out of the running for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, or the Palme d'Or. An artistic festival like Cannes would never let one film sweep all the prizes. For "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" to take two awards was already unprecedented; had the Golden Camera not been considered a minor, less-regarded award, it likely wouldn't have walked away with two.

The win caused quite a sensation internationally, and film distributors from various countries flocked to them, creating a scene even more overwhelming than when they first entered the competition.

Films that cause a stir at Cannes see a significant boost in their box office performance across Europe and America, especially in France. However, the true bulk of the box office remains in North America. The reason Hollywood is so developed is largely due to its reliance on the North American market.

Although the Chinese film market was gradually rising, North America remained the largest box office hub in the world.

While a Cannes success doesn't carry the same weight in North America as it does in Europe, it still provides name recognition and a certain level of box office pull. Furthermore, the film's lead, Li Jie, already had considerable influence in North America, giving the film decent commercial appeal.

For European distributors, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was sold via outright buyouts, meaning the box office performance didn't directly affect Zhang Le. But for North America, Zhang Le refused to budge, insisting on a revenue-sharing model, which had stalled negotiations.

However, as more distributors grew interested in the film, many agreed to his revenue-sharing terms, with the only remaining point of contention being the specific percentage.

Zhang Le had no interest in such commercial negotiations, nor was he particularly skilled at them, so he left everything to his company staff, providing them only with his bottom line.

In the end, the North American distribution for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was handed to the major Hollywood studio Paramount, using a tiered revenue-sharing model: the higher the box office, the higher the share.