"Thank you. ”

Leaving the crowd, Robert, Lan Li and the others stood in the corner of the cinema hall, surrounded by bustling crowds of people coming and going, but at least they had a relatively quiet and relatively closed space for conversation, and Robert expressed his gratitude sincerely and bluntly at the first time.

Lan Li didn't make a modest excuse, and nodded with a smile, "Thank you for believing in me." To be honest, I wasn't sure if I could do it before I officially came to power, it wasn't an easy task. I admire your courage more than I do myself, and it was definitely a bold decision. ”

Although Lan Li didn't say much, the meaning couldn't be clearer.

Aside from what Lan Li has achieved so far, he is not yet twenty-five years old, and he has not yet been in the industry for five years, and he is undoubtedly a super small character in the star-studded Hollywood, and it takes courage to invite him to be a guest at the symposium, and it is an extraordinary courage.

Of course, now the entire Hollywood industry is constantly absorbing young and fresh blood, and the speed of replacement is getting faster and faster, and the law of "becoming famous as soon as possible" has gradually evolved into a reality under the birth of fast food culture, but there is still an essential difference between idol stars and powerful actors, not to mention senior and powerful people who are qualified to speak.

Regardless of whether the organizers dare to take risks, even if they send out invitations, the audience may not buy it. Especially in an independent film mecca like Sundance, the audience is not a movie fan, they will never cheer for traffic stars, strength and reputation, ability and talent, these real skills are the key to standing on the stage.

In the Sundance Film Festival's 30th Anniversary Symposium Series, Lan Li was the youngest and most junior guest, and the mere act of inviting required a lot of risk and pressure. Robert Redford's courage is indeed admired by Lan Li.

Robert didn't deny it, but shrugged his shoulders lightly and showed a big smile towards Lan Li, "But your performance has paid off my adventure." ”

Similarly, in turn, Robert also admired Lan Li's courage: without three, two, three, how dare you go to Liangshan.

Although it was said that the decision to invite Lan Li was made after careful consideration by the Sundance Steering Committee, in fact, they were also full of worries and doubts, in addition to worrying that Lan Li would not be able to do it, the biggest worry was that Lan Li refused to invite him. Stress and challenge go hand in hand, for Sundance and for Lanli.

Imagine that Lan Li really accepted the invitation, stood on the stage, and the audience erupted in boos, what would happen? Those veteran fritters kept provoking Lan Li, and even teased Lan Li, and Lan Li couldn't lose his temper and get angry, so what? More importantly, Lan Li's professionalism and authority were seriously challenged, and finally led to a big drop in his image, so what?

Sundance dared to invite Lan Li, and Lan Li dared to agree to the invitation, which was a big gamble for both parties.

"Whew, how long are you two going to compliment each other?" Joel stood next to him and started to complain directly, Robert and Lan Li were "attacked", but they didn't mind, and both chuckled.

Joel continued, "Honestly, I don't know what else could stump you!"

Lan Li burst into a big smile, "Do you know where the most wonderful thing about language is? In fact, the meaning of words itself is objective and simple, and every word is a neutral attribute, but in the process of transforming into language, the tone, intonation, expression, eyes, and context give them more meaning. The most important thing is that it depends on the audience, who always interprets according to their own ideas and opinions, and the same sentence can derive infinite possibilities. ”

Meaningful.

Robert and Ethan exchanged glances, but Joel, who was the most realistic, said directly, "You mean, those images and meanings are all our own nonsense?"

"Look, that's what I mean. Lan Li chuckled, "Actually, I mean, the poem itself is nothing, it's just that everyone has given it more meaning." But obviously, your interpretation becomes complicated. ”

Joel was dumbfounded.

Robert and Ethan both laughed merrily.

Joel raised his right hand and nodded at Lan Li in the air, "I think you're cursing." ”

Lan Li didn't defend either, just spread his hands, as if to say: You have the freedom to interpret.

Joel was momentarily speechless. Robert and Ethan, who were standing nearby, laughed more and more heartily.

After a simple joke, Robert got back to business, "I heard before that you set up a film production company, and what are the next moves?

Recently, there has been a lot of news in the Hollywood industry, and Robert and the Coen brothers have naturally heard of such a good show. After today's symposium, if Lan Li needs help in the future, Robert definitely doesn't mind reaching out, and human relations are like this.

What's more, there is a change closely related to independent films hidden in the news, and there is no reason for them to miss it.

Lan Li bowed her head in agreement, "There is indeed such a thing. I co-founded a company with a friend, and he was in charge of running and I was in charge of producing. All the rumors of Sisyphus Pictures were confirmed in a simple sentence, but Lan Li did not further explain the division of labor, as this is not the focus of today's conversation, "'Burst Drummer' was the first work we worked together, and not long ago, our second production started filming in Los Angeles, 'Nightcrawler'. ”

There is no need to explain further, all the people present are understanding, and the news about "Nightcrawler" is definitely not unfamiliar, Lan Li personally invited Jack Gyllenhaal to be the leading actor, and Jack not only readily agreed, but also praised the script. It can be seen that Jack did not star because of favors, which once again confirms the industry's conjecture about Lan Li's unique vision.

From "Burst Drummer" to "Nightcrawler", both works are typical independent styles, coupled with Lan Li's consistent style, things are clear, and the style and positioning of Sisyphus Pictures are self-evident.

In today's market predicament, it takes a lot of courage to create a film company, and the entire film industry is in a state of turmoil, let alone a film company that specializes in independent works of art? Behind the glamour of Hollywood, the current situation of the industry is far more complex than imagined, and every year we can see new capital entering the market, but every year the survival of the fittest is accelerating exponentially.

The most valuable thing about Sisyphus Pictures is that it was created by industry professionals, not just a simple injection of Wall Street capital. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio and others all have their own studios, and even Steven Spielberg has his own independent label, Amperin Entertainment, outside of DreamWorks.

The involvement of professionals means that they are relatively pure, whether they are dedicated to producing awards season-oriented productions or commercial productions aimed at the box office, they can always join a little closer to Hollywood.

And Lan Li's professionalism and dedication need not be said. With the Blue Rite gate, the quality of Sisyphus Films' works is guaranteed, and more importantly, there will be more opportunities for works with independent artistic tendencies, as well as more opportunities for directors like the Coen brothers and David Fincher.

Of course, starting a company is not charity, even if Lan Li is willing to spend all his family wealth to support the independent film industry, it is inevitable that he will not be able to sustain it alone.

This means that the flame is high when everyone gathers firewood.

Robert's eyes flickered slightly, "That's a good thing. So, have you decided on your next film, and will you also invest in it?"

Knowing that Robert was testing himself, Lan Li didn't mind, "No, the next work, if nothing else, is still a cooperation with the Big Six, and it should be a commercial work." But our company is ready, we can invest in multiple works at the same time, we don't want to be too greedy, or take it step by step, just right, I can ask you, do you have any plans for the next work? If it's a book like 'Drunken Country Folk',Welcome to come to me at any time.。 ”

There was no politeness or greetings, Lan Li sent out an invitation directly and frankly.

In contrast, Robert felt that he was overly cautious in his foresight. Although he and Lan Li are not close to each other, Lan Li's behavior over the years is obvious to all, and today's symposium has once again confirmed those impressions, and there is no need for him to test Lan Li with the same style as Wall Street.

"Sundance has quite a few projects here, how about it, are you interested?" Robert didn't go around in circles anymore, and directly threw out the main point.

A bright and pure smile appeared in Lan Li's eyes, "Of course!" Sundance has set up independent film scholarships, and regularly sponsors the filming of some works every year, and there have been many excellent works in the past few years, but they have not appeared in the awards season, so their reputation is not obvious.

If Sundance and Sisyphus Pictures can build a bridge, it's definitely a win-win partnership.

"However, Sundance's biggest resource here is undoubtedly the main competition unit. In the future, when we establish a distribution channel, we may be able to cooperate more. Lan Li then threw out another bombshell news.

Robert's eyes sparkled with interest, "Oh?

"Not intended, but affirmed. Lan Li continued, "We are in talks with Sony Classics to co-produce and distribute works in the future. However, in terms of distribution, Sony Classics is still dominated by the awards season, and there are still too few arrangements for other schedules, and I hope to get rid of the impact of the awards season and let those excellent works get more opportunities to be screened. ”

"It's like 'detachment'. Ethan stepped in appropriately. At the beginning, the "detached" art theater screening was really too low-key, and after the awards season failed to achieve results, it was not long before it went offline.

Lan Li nodded, "It's also like 'Drunken Country Ballads'." ”