Chapter 0750: Eyes Without Pupils

Since Jiang Wen had something to attend to, Zhao Fusheng naturally wouldn't crowd in. He never liked such fuss anyway, so he took Fan Baobao's hand and began strolling around the venue on his own.

Admittedly, although there was no red carpet or the like, the festival organizers had still put some thought into it.

The films participating in the festival were all works by current college students. Though somewhat immature, Zhao Fusheng watched them with great interest, occasionally exchanging comments with Fan Baobao.

"I get the feeling you really like this film festival?" Fan Baobao asked him curiously.

Zhao Fusheng laughed. "Yeah, don't you think the films here are relatively purer?"

Purer?

Fan Baobao fell into thought. As they say, one takes on the color of one's company. Lately, following Zhao Fusheng, she had read quite a few books and gained considerable insight into the goings-on in the film circle.

She had to admit that Zhao Fusheng made a good point. The works at this college student film festival, though immature—some not even complete—represented the future of Chinese cinema.

"I'm going to find Zhou Yun. You wander on your own."

Though she understood Zhao Fusheng's point, Fan Baobao still found it boring. Just then, Zhou Yun called her, so she simply abandoned Zhao Fusheng and went off to hang out with her classmates.

Not upset at being ditched, Zhao Fusheng watched Fan Baobao leave, then wandered around the venue on his own. Whenever he came across an interesting film, he would look into it carefully. If there was a screening room, he'd slip in and watch for a while.

Coming out of one screening room, Zhao Fusheng walked over to a booth where a film by a Beijing Film Academy student was being promoted—reportedly the work of a prodigy from the directing department's junior year.

A young man stood there, narrating his filming process, surrounded by a group of fangirls whose eyes seemed full of stars.

Frowning slightly, Zhao Fusheng stopped to listen.

"I think the current film circle is filled with a restless atmosphere. Those established directors only know how to pander to the audience. What they shoot is meant to cater to capital and to the audience. We young directors must have our own pursuits and sing the praises of this era's development. For example, my film took a full three months to shoot in northwestern Shanxi, where the coal industry is thriving. I believe it won't be long before that region becomes a major highlight of the domestic economy."

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng frowned deeper. He no longer held any hope for what this guy had produced.

Some people, by their words, you know their deeds. With such a mindset, Zhao Fusheng dared not imagine what kind of bizarre film this director would make.

Shrugging, Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to listen further. To him, listening any longer would only pollute his ears and mind.

"Ah, BFA..." Shaking his head, Zhao Fusheng sighed and turned to leave.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?"

Just then, a voice came from beside him. He turned and saw a vaguely familiar face—a girl, not tall, with fair skin, big eyes, and fairly pretty features.

"What are you looking at?" The girl, seeing Zhao Fusheng sizing her up, glared at him, looking fierce.

"Heh, nothing."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. The reason he had taken a second look was that this girl named Dong Xuan seemed to have become somewhat famous later on, starring in a few urban dramas and marrying a handsome husband.

Of course, her husband was quite interesting—reportedly involved in a cross-border case, accused of attempting to assault a woman in a hotel while filming in Australia.

Heh, quite interesting, wasn't it?

"What's wrong, Xiaoxuan?" At that moment, someone walked over and asked Dong Xuan.

The speaker was also a woman, but Zhao Fusheng recognized her at a glance.

Wasn't this classmate Huang Yi?

He chuckled inwardly. This future 'national daughter-in-law' apparently hadn't graduated from university yet—or more precisely, she was about to graduate and had just landed her first TV drama role, "Star Maker."

He hadn't expected her to show up at this film festival.

"Sister Huang Yi, this guy was watching Senior Zhou's film and kept shaking his head!" Dong Xuan, having just entered the school less than a year ago, took school honor very seriously. If Zhao Fusheng had only criticized that senior, it might have been tolerable, but he had also sighed about BFA, which instantly made Dong Xuan indignant.

Huang Yi furrowed her brows slightly, her gaze shifting to Zhao Fusheng. Clearly, Dong Xuan's words made her curious too. If this person had indeed spoken disparagingly of her alma mater, BFA, then she would have to argue with him.

"Excuse me, which school are you from?" Huang Yi asked first.

Judging by Zhao Fusheng's age, he should still be a college student, so she asked that.

Zhao Fusheng laughed. "I'm not a film school student. Don't misunderstand."

Though Huang Yi hadn't said it, he understood her implication—she probably thought he was from the Central Academy of Drama.

After all, the covert rivalry between BFA and the Central Academy of Drama had been going on for ages. Each side believed itself to be the best in the industry. But in comparison, they were like Shaolin and Wudang—completely different schools, so how could they be compared?

It's just that the Central Academy of Drama focuses more on acting, while BFA emphasizes the actor's overall comprehensive ability.

To put it bluntly, most actors trained by BFA are more like stars. As for acting skills—well, Yang Mi and Nazha are both from BFA, so enough said.

As for those from the Central Academy of Drama, aside from occasional rookies like Tang Yan, most of the rest have passable acting skills.

Of course, this refers to the batch around the 1990s. After 2010, the gap between the two sides had narrowed.

But for now, the open and covert struggles between the Central Academy of Drama and BFA still existed.

Especially among students, like Huang Yi now. When she heard from Dong Xuan that someone was criticizing BFA, her first reaction was that this person was probably from the Central Academy of Drama.

In fact, Zhao Fusheng did have countless ties to the Central Academy of Drama, but he had never considered himself one of them.

"Then what do you do?" Not easily convinced by Zhao Fusheng's denial, Huang Yi pressed on.

In her view, since he hadn't denied Dong Xuan's words, it meant he had indeed said something about BFA. Afraid she'd find out, he was showing guilt.

"What I do isn't important." Seeing that this girl was still fixated on the issue, Zhao Fusheng sighed helplessly. "Setting aside what your classmate has filmed, just his theory alone—do you think it's something a director with normal thinking should have?"

"They say BFA produces stars. I won't comment on acting skills, but if BFA directors are all of this caliber, then I think it's better not to offer directing courses at all." Zhao Fusheng said flatly.

Huang Yi and Dong Xuan were both stunned. They never expected this guy to be so blunt—it was like a direct slap in the face.

That director surnamed Zhou was quite famous on BFA's campus, yet this mysterious young man had dismissed him as worthless. Was this guy crazy?

"You, you're talking nonsense! You don't understand film at all!" Dong Xuan, still young, though she didn't grasp what Zhao Fusheng was saying, retorted stubbornly.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly. "My name is Fusheng. Though I'm a scriptwriter, I know that what your senior said is complete bullshit."

With that, he couldn't be bothered to say more to the two girls and turned to leave.

"Fusheng?"

Dong Xuan had no reaction, but Huang Yi froze, muttering the name to herself. She felt she had heard it somewhere before.

"Senior, this guy is too arrogant. Who does he think he is?" Dong Xuan, watching Zhao Fusheng's back, continued to fume.

"Fusheng... Could it be him?" Huang Yi didn't speak for a long while, then suddenly looked up in surprise.

"Who?"

Dong Xuan was taken aback. "Senior, do you know him?"

Smiling bitterly, Huang Yi nodded helplessly. "If he really is that person, then we might have misunderstood him. He is indeed qualified to comment on Xiao Zhou's work."

Dong Xuan was completely bewildered, having no idea what Huang Yi was talking about.

But Huang Yi's mood was complicated, because she finally remembered who this young man calling himself Fusheng was.

Both BFA and the Central Academy of Drama offer an elective course called Film Appreciation, where they screen domestic and foreign films—not necessarily classics, but ones the teacher finds worth watching—and then have students discuss or write reviews.

Both BFA and the Central Academy of Drama are quite impressive; they even screen films banned by the广电总局. Since it's for internal teaching use and not circulated, and given the schools' status, the authorities turn a blind eye.

Not long ago, BFA screened a film titled "Devils on the Doorstep."

Huang Yi clearly remembered that after the film ended, the teacher said that because the story was too real, too reflective of the director and screenwriter's intended message, and too revealing, it was banned by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television. Even though the film won an international award, the director and screenwriter were still barred from working in the industry for five years.

"Remember, people like these are the true backbone of our country's cinema, because they are willing and happy to bear the responsibility of a filmmaker. I hope you can all become such filmmakers in the future." The mentor's words were still vivid, but Huang Yi suddenly felt a sense of despondency.

Indeed, sometimes people are so blinded by a leaf that they fail to see Mount Tai.