69novels Chapter 32 Arrival in Berlin
Chapter 32 Arrival in Berlin
Berlin, Tegel Airport.
As the plane landed, the runway outside the window was covered with a thin layer of snow. Lin Ruiyang tightened his coat collar, picked up his luggage, and walked down the jet bridge.
Behind him were Fatty and Wang Hai, the three of them dragging four pieces of luggage through the long passageway.
The walls were covered with promotional posters for the Berlin Film Festival, and the Silver Bear logo gleamed in a cool light under the fluorescent lights.
As for the main cast, they are scheduled to arrive in two days, the night before the premiere.
"Old Lin, look over there." The fat man nudged him with his elbow.
At the end of the passageway, an LED screen displayed a welcome message for this year's film festival, flashing in German and English alternately.
Below the screen is a row of media reception desks, where several staff members dressed in film festival uniforms are organizing materials.
The visa officer was a middle-aged woman wearing round-framed glasses. She glanced at the passport and film festival invitation, said in accented English, "Welcome to Berlin," and stamped the passport with a snap.
After coming out, the fat man was scratching his head, muttering to himself, while holding an all-English official Berlin Film Festival handbook.
"Old Lin, this says our film is being screened at the Berlinale Palast. Won't it be embarrassing if my suit gets wrinkled there?"
"That's the main venue, it can hold 1,600 people. As for your suit, hang it up as soon as you get to the hotel, don't wait until you look like a dried-up pickle on the red carpet."
Lin Ruiyang chuckled softly.
Gu Changwei, who was waiting outside, turned around when he heard this.
"Junior, don't scare people like that. Although the locals in Berlin are meticulous, they are also tolerant."
"As long as your work is good, they'll still applaud you even if you go up in your shorts."
Everyone laughed.
Once everyone had arrived, they boarded the vehicles in batches, and the convoy drove along the Spree River towards the city center.
The fat man peered out the car window for a long time, then suddenly turned around and said, "This place is completely different from Venice."
"What's different?"
The fat man thought for a moment: "Venice is floating in water, while Berlin is like it's frozen in ice, but it looks quite beautiful frozen."
Following the fat man's words, Lin Ruiyang turned his gaze to the window, landing on the Brandenburg Gate, which was faintly visible in the distance.
He had been to Berlin in his previous life, but that was many years later.
Berlin was more vibrant and international back then. Although modern architecture covered up the scars of history in 05, places like Potsdamer Platz still retained their solemn atmosphere.
Lin Ruiyang and his team were arranged by the organizing committee to stay at the Grand Hyatt Berlin, which is the heart of the film festival. The Palace of Cinema is just a five-minute walk away.
"Director Lin," Wang Hai walked over and handed him the room key, "you and Li Ming share a room, I'll have a room to myself."
During the film festival, this hotel is full of film crews from the main competition section. Right next door to us is Yoji Yamada, the director of *The Hidden Blade*.
The hotel room was of average size, but it was fairly clean, with two single beds and a desk.
Pushing open the window of the room, the huge Berlin Bear ice sculpture below was shimmering under the lights, and in the distance, the huge umbrella-shaped canopy of the Sony Center could be seen.
The fat man threw his luggage to the door, took out his camera, and snapped several pictures of the ice sculpture bear outside the window.
"Old Lin, how about we go to the main venue of the film festival tomorrow? I've seen photos online, and the red carpet this year is said to be 150 meters long, twice as long as the one in Venice."
"Let's get down to business first." Lin Ruiyang opened the script and found the section for the media screening of "A Separation". The time was scheduled for the 15th, which was right in the middle of the film festival. The premiere was two days later.
"Wang Hai is going to meet with the film festival's technical team this afternoon to discuss screening details; you need to go with him. We need to go through the interview outline for the program booklet tonight, and the German translator needs to double-check it."
The fat man let out a wail, but still obediently sat down on the edge of the bed.
The afternoon passed extremely quickly. In a high-latitude city like Berlin, just after four o'clock, the last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by the night.
That night, Lin Ruiyang lay in bed but did not fall asleep immediately.
The moment he actually arrived in Berlin, his excitement and anticipation gradually diminished, and instead, anxiety and unease began to quietly take over his heart.
This film is not only the result of his own efforts; ultimately, he was afraid of letting down the efforts and expectations of others.
The next morning, Wang Hai brought back the complete confirmation letter for the media screenings.
The media screening is scheduled for 3 p.m. on February 15th in Hall 3 of the Berlin Film Palace, with all seats reserved for the media and the jury.
A press conference was held immediately after the screening in the grand conference hall of the Hyatt Hotel, lasting approximately 45 minutes.
Wang Hai placed the confirmation letter on the table and pointed to the press conference section:
"The press conferences in Berlin are more pointed than those at other film festivals; these critics won't hold back. If the reviews after the screening aren't good, this press conference will put you in a very difficult position."
Lin Ruiyang read the confirmation letter once: "Understood."
In the afternoon, he took a stroll around the vicinity of the Cinematheque. The red carpet area was still under construction, with a 150-meter-long red carpet stretching from the entrance of the Cinematheque all the way to the corner of Potsdamer Platz. The media areas on both sides were already separated by metal barriers.
As Lin Ruiyang and Fatty entered the hotel in the evening, a familiar voice came from the other end of the corridor.
"Director Lin!" Guo Xiaodong strode over carrying his suitcase, followed by Hao Lei and Yan Bingyan.
Hao Lei and Yan Bingyan waved to Lin Ruiyang from behind him.
"Why did you arrive early?" Lin Ruiyang was taken aback.
"I can't wait. Anyway, there's nothing much going on back home, so I'll come a couple of days early to adjust to the time difference and also see what the director of the Berlin Film Academy is like."
As Hao Lei spoke, she glanced at the filmmakers in suits in the lobby, a slight smile playing on her lips:
"If these Europeans can't understand our play, I'll just sit in the audience and see what they think."
Yan Bingyan whispered, "Teacher Baotian asked me to tell you that he won't be coming because of his leg problems, but he wants you to be assertive in Berlin."
Looking at the three people in front of him, Lin Ruiyang's thoughts returned to the filming scene last year.
At that time, they had no idea where this film would end up, but now it's standing on Berlin soil.
"Have you booked a room?" Lin Ruiyang asked.
"Producer Wang has made all the arrangements for us; it's upstairs."
That evening, Lin Ruiyang sat in his room and went over all the arrangements before the premiere.
Cai Mingliang's "A Cloud in the Sky" premiered on the 16th, "A Separation" premiered on the 17th, and Gu Changwei's "Peacock" concluded on the 18th.
Within three days, three Asian films took the stage in turn, and his film stood right in the middle of that group.
After thinking for a while, Lin Ruiyang decided to wait for the media screening's ratings in the program the following day, and adjust the premiere schedule accordingly.
After the lights were turned off, the neon lights of Potsdamer Platz outside the window also went out one by one, leaving only the dome of the Sony Center still glowing with a cold blue light in the night.