Chapter 441: Cannes Film Festival Results
[Chapter 441: Cannes Film Festival Results]
After the release of Fight Club, although the box office performance was average, the film received very positive reviews. Many critics hailed it as a classic thriller, with a style and narrative approach reminiscent of Link's earlier thriller films. The director, David Fincher, was even nicknamed 'The Second Link,' with some believing that if he continued to study Link's filmmaking techniques, he could achieve similar success in the future.
Guess Pictures, as the production company behind the film, also earned widespread praise. Total Film magazine noted that unlike the Hollywood Big Seven Studios, Guess Pictures wasn't solely driven by box office returns. When producing films, they emphasized artistic quality, delivering a number of high-quality art films including Fight Club, Girl, Interrupted, Boogie Nights, etc. Other studios were encouraged to learn from Guess Pictures.
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By early May, after more than two months of intensive shooting, Tomorrow Never Dies wrapped production.
Before Link started the editing work, the 50th Cannes International Film Festival opened. As the jury president, Link was required to attend the opening ceremony and participate in the subsequent award evaluation.
Since it was the festival's 50th anniversary, the number of films submitted far exceeded previous years, with 726 films from 78 countries and regions participating.
Guess Pictures had two films at the festival: Evita, and The Ice Storm. Additionally, films co-produced by Guess Pictures and Columbia Pictures, namely L.A. Confidential and The Fifth Element, also featured in the festival.
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After a week of screenings and judging, 21 films were selected for the main competition. These included Evita, The Ice Storm, L.A. Confidential, The Brave, Unagi (The Eel), The End of Violence, Kini and Adams, Nil by Mouth, Ta'm-e gīlās... (Taste of Cherry), She's So Lovely, along with The Sino-Dutch War 1661.
The first round of selection was managed mainly by media, film critics, live audiences, and the Cannes jury. After the main competition lineup was announced, Link and the jury members gathered to watch the 21 films collectively, score them on the spot, and ultimately decide on awards including the Palme d'Or, Jury Prize, Special Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress.
This year's jury consisted of 10 members, including French actress Isabelle Adjani, American director David Lynch, American writer Paul Auster, and British director Mike Leigh.
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After three rounds of voting, the Iranian film The Taste of Cherry and the Chinese film The Sino-Dutch War 1661 won the highest honor, the Palme d'Or.
Shohei Imamura's The Eel received the Special Jury Prize.
The Argentine film Evita earned the Jury Prize.
Wong Kar-wai's Happy Together won Best Director, Sean Penn won Best Actor for She's So Lovely, and British actress Kathy Burke won Best Actress for Nil by Mouth.
The Ice Storm earned Best Screenplay, The Fifth Element and She's So Lovely were honored with Special Technical Awards, and the Egyptian film al-Maṣīr (Destiny) received the 50th Anniversary Award.
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When the awards were announced, no issues arose. However, once the news reached the U.S., many American media outlets questioned the fairness of the results. They argued that the winning films were overly dominated by productions associated with Guess Pictures. Films such as The Sino-Dutch War 1661, Evita, The Ice Storm, and The Fifth Element were all partly invested or produced by Guess Pictures.
Since Link was the owner of Guess Pictures and served as the jury president, critics claimed it was unfair for his company's films to sweep the awards. Some media considered the festival organizers' decision to appoint Link as jury president a mistake and accused him of lacking impartiality, causing disappointment.
Newspapers and magazines such as the New York Post, Today Entertainment, and Star Weekly began stirring allegations of corruption behind the 50th Cannes Festival results. They accused Link of dereliction of duty and called it the "darkest moment" in Cannes history. These media outlets used every means to discredit Link.
In response to interviews, Link stated that all awards were decided through multiple rounds of voting and that the winning films deserved their prizes. He denied any personal influence over the outcomes or any corruption, advising some media to avoid spreading false narratives.
Link's remarks were truthful. During the judging, aside from lobbying for votes on The Sino-Dutch War 1661, all other awards followed standard procedures without interference. Thus, the Cannes judging process was largely fair and just this year.
The festival's organizers also endorsed the results, stating that the process and outcome were flawless. With record high entries, audience attention, and active film market transactions, they declared this festival a success and hoped American media would not stir unnecessary trouble.
After a few days of media uproar and low public interest, the U.S. press gradually dropped the controversy.
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Upon returning from Paris, Link headed to his studio to edit the film. During shooting, he typically edited concurrently and then refined the cut afterward, which was a demanding process. He spent two weeks in total finalizing the edit.
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While filming 007, actresses Rie Miyazawa, Norika Fujiwara and others called him multiple times asking when filming would be complete and when he would visit to see the six of them in Miami.
After finishing the edit, Link flew directly to his Miami Palm Beach villa to spend time with Rie Miyazawa, Izumi Sakai, Norika Fujiwara, Shizuka Kudo, Yasuko Sawaguchi, and Akina Nakamori, having fun and relaxing.
The six women were typical of petite Japanese women, slender and delicate with soft, fair skin. The tallest, Norika Fujiwara, was only 5'7", and Yasuko Sawaguchi was the shortest at 5'2". Together, the six of them couldn't even move Link's arm, and they had a more serious admiration for the strong.
Initially, when they were given to Link by Nobuyuki Idei as a gift, some were reluctant, often sulking like Izumi Sakai and Akina Nakamori, rarely smiling at him.
However, after living together a few times, their attitudes changed dramatically. Even the most headstrong Izumi Sakai became wholly obedient, often sitting on the beach with a guitar to sing for him. Akina Nakamori started to enjoy cuddling up to his strong, warm embrace, never resisting his teasing.
The others also cooked delicious Japanese cuisine, danced traditional fan dances wearing kimonos, knelt to help him take off his shoes, and said "Thank you for your hard work" in adorable Japanese, showing great gentleness and devotion.
Link had the rare experience of authentic Japanese culture.
He was very satisfied with the six women. Considering their upbringing and careers in Japan, he thought they might find a long-term stay in Miami uncomfortable. He arranged for three luxury homes in Tokyo's wealthy districts to house them, providing them with excellent living conditions.
Additionally, he called Nobuyuki Idei to say he would visit Tokyo for vacation and asked Idei to help look after them and offer them more resources. Guess Pictures would continue to cooperate with Columbia Pictures.
Nobuyuki Idei enthusiastically agreed, promising the women better opportunities in the Japanese entertainment industry and protection against harassment.
Upon learning about the arrangement, Norika Fujiwara and Shizuka Kudo grew even more affectionate towards Link. They said they would live in the U.S. during downtime from work but return to Tokyo when busy. They also hoped Link would visit Tokyo often, promising to serve him better.
Link did not refuse and promised that as long as the women wanted to stay, he would fulfill his responsibilities as a man, taking good care of their lives and meeting their needs.
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