Chapter 151: The Interesting Judges

[Chapter 151: The Interesting Judges]

In this era, Maggie Cheung was still at her prime, just in her early thirties. Coupled with the naturally youthful appearance, she exuded a strong intellectual feminine charm.

Her English was quite good. Although she had never heard of Charlie, she remained polite and composed.

"Oh, thank you for the compliment. Usually, over in the U.S., people might not be familiar with this film. You're very young, but I believe you must be an outstanding filmmaker."

"Of course, as an independent film producer, you have to pay attention to films worldwide. I've also seen Farewell My Concubine."

---

Soon everyone said their goodbyes. Charlie and Harvey stood side by side, holding their trays, picking up two large Turkish meatballs.

Harvey took a glass of milk, glanced around, pointed to an empty seat with a sly smile and said, "How do you manage to have a good chat with everyone? I guess you're looking for a change of pace, but don't waste your efforts; Maggie won't be interested."

Charlie pulled out a sky-blue leather chair, set the tray down, and gave Harvey the middle finger. "Why is your head always filled with that stuff? As a filmmaker, even a film businessman, shouldn't you have genuine love for some films and appreciation for certain actors? Do you think admiring someone means you have to sleep with them?"

"Uh, sometimes," Harvey admitted shamelessly after giving it some thought.

The two then locked eyes and laughed heartily.

Harvey took a bite of a baked apple and said, "This year's films competing for the Golden Bear don't have high prestige. Not many industry folks showed up. But I think it's enough for you to meet some new friends.

From a business perspective, the hottest European film festival is Cannes, you know; Berlin tends to be more politically charged. However, Berlin attracts the largest public audience certified by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, roughly 300,000 to 500,000 people annually."

"I know. Spike told me before that if he hadn't joined my team, he planned to shoot a film to compete this year," Charlie said.

He took the introduction document Harvey handed over, glanced through it, which contained detailed festival schedules, screening times, and jury members.

"This year's Berlin Film Festival is really over the top. I noticed the jury president isn't even from the film industry?"

"Hahaha, yes, that's unusual but he's been in the cultural sector for years and is a Freemason!" Harvey chuckled oddly.

Charlie paused for a second, then made a mocking face, "Oh really? That's terrifying. Guess what organization I'm a member of? The Brotherhood, and the most famous one -- you should know what my distribution company is called: the Mafia!"

Harvey was stunned for a moment. "The Mafia? Don't joke, Charlie. Let's get back to talking about the festival."

Though he said that, the skeptical look on his face gave away some hidden thoughts.

For those who weren't familiar with Charlie's background, they might have been a bit intimidated by what he just said.

Not to mention, having a distribution company named Mafia was quite the coincidence.

The actual company with a similar name had existed for years and had just then been bought by a fledgling Charlie, sparking much speculation.

Of course, it was all just a coincidence; Charlie was just making things up.

They quickly finished breakfast, grabbed their dog tags and festival credentials, and headed to Potsdamer Platz.

Charlie ditched Rachel, and they split up.

Harvey brought along several people, while Charlie had only Uncle Lamont by his side.

...

Upon arriving at the festival site, the bustling crowd amazed Charlie.

Such large gatherings were rare in the U.S. or Europe.

The festival hadn't officially started; tourists, reporters, and film merchants filled the place.

"Hey, Mr. Weinstein!"

"Harvey, long time no see!"

---

As they walked, Harvey introduced the tactics for competing for awards while greeting many people.

This showed that the acclaimed Hollywood independent filmmaker also had notable fame globally.

Some even approached him to pitch their films, not realizing Harvey was quite the schemer.

He deceived many, but often brought gains to some people.

Harvey flaunted his big-boss style, casually tilting his head and grinning, hardly warmly responding to anyone.

Only when meeting an editor from Süddeutsche Zeitung did he brighten up.

---

They walked shoulder to shoulder into a multifunctional theater, watching The English Patient while discussing the race for the Best Actress Silver Bear.

Charlie began to feel a bit bored, not because he was ignored or jealous of Harvey's industry fame.

Every friend who greeted Harvey politely shook Charlie's hand after introduction.

Though most were indifferent and skeptical toward the exceptionally young film company boss.

This did not affect Charlie's mood too much.

His boredom stemmed from regretting not bringing Etto, Pierza, or the sales professionals from the company.

He hadn't expected Harvey to seriously introduce friends and personally guide him through the competition process.

This kind of detailed business should have been handled by other partners, not the boss himself.

Charlie sat in the theater chair, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he noticed a familiar face to his front left, his eyes lit up immediately.

He abandoned the chatting Harvey and bent down running straight over.

*****

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