socalfunplaces Chapter 491 Premiere of "The Woman Who Left"
Chapter 491 Premiere of "The Woman Who Left"
At 7:00 AM sharp, staff began guiding guests into Hall 1.
The 280 seats were quickly filled.
The front row consisted of the main creative team and special guests, the middle row of media and film critics, and the back row of fans and some industry professionals.
The lights in the theater hadn't completely dimmed yet, and the guests were still talking in hushed tones, creating an atmosphere of anticipation throughout the hall.
At 7:10, the lights went out.
The LED screen on the stage lit up, playing a three-minute behind-the-scenes featurette of the movie.
The scene begins on the red carpet in Venice and flashes back to the filming location, showing scenes of Fan Binbin rehearsing his lines in front of the monitor, Fu Yibai discussing camera positions with the cinematographer on set, and the crew shooting outdoor scenes in the rain, all frame by frame.
After the behind-the-scenes featurette finished playing, the LED screen froze on the giant poster for "The Woman Who Left".
The host who stepped onto the stage was Jingwei from CCTV's movie channel.
She wore a silver evening gown and stood in front of the microphone, her voice clear and bright.
"Distinguished guests, friends from the media, and movie fans, welcome to the global premiere of 'The Woman Who Left'."
This film won the Golden Lion for Best Film and the Best Actress Award at the recently concluded Venice Film Festival, marking another milestone for Chinese cinema on the international stage.
Tonight, we will gather at Galaxy Cinema to witness the domestic premiere of this film.
She turned to the side and gestured towards the first row.
"First of all, let's welcome the director of this film, Fu Yibai."
applause.
Fu Yibai stood up from his seat, straightened his suit collar, and walked onto the stage.
He took the microphone from Jingwei and stood in the center of the stage.
Everyone in the audience was looking at him at the same time.
Thank you everyone for coming today.
He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces in the audience.
"It took almost a year for this movie to go from preparation to filming to post-production."
To prepare for this role, Fan Binbin started writing a character biography three months before filming began, resulting in a thick book.
Every member of the crew put in tremendous effort.
So here, I really want to thank Binbin, Wang Peng, and everyone in the crew for their hard work.
Thank you to every colleague and friend who came today. The road ahead for Chinese-language films is long, and we will continue to walk it together.
He bowed, and a long round of applause erupted from the audience.
Jingwei took the microphone back.
"Next, let's welcome the film's leading lady, the newly crowned Venice Film Festival Best Actress, Fan Binbin."
Fan Binbin stood up from his seat, walked onto the stage, and stood side by side with Fu Yibai.
"Thanks.
On the night of the Venice awards ceremony, I said that the person I wanted to thank the most was Director Fu.
I want to say this again.
Thank you, Director Fu; thank you, General Manager Wang; thank you to every member of the crew.
Without you all, this trophy wouldn't belong to me.
She picked up the microphone, thought for a moment, and added another sentence.
"I hope everyone enjoys the movie tonight."
Applause erupted again from the audience.
Jingwei took over the conversation, said a few words to transition between the segments, and then invited Wang Peng to the stage to briefly share some behind-the-scenes stories of the film's production.
At 7:30, Jingwei announced the start of the film screening.
"The world premiere of 'The Woman Who Left' is now beginning."
The lights went completely off.
The logo of Morning Light Media appeared on the screen, followed by the names of the main creative team.
Once the audience was drawn into the story, no one whispered to each other, and no one left the theater midway through. The images on the screen firmly controlled the attention of the entire hall.
As the final shot ended, Li Xuemei's figure disappeared around a street corner in the city, the screen went dark, and the end credits slowly rose.
A silence that lasted thirty seconds.
Then everyone burst into applause at the same time.
The guests in the front row stood up one after another, and the fans in the back row followed suit, with applause surging towards the stage like waves.
Fu Yibai stood up and bowed to the back row. Fan Binbin followed suit and bowed as well. The two then turned and bowed to the guests in the first row.
The applause continued, and someone shouted "Director Fu is awesome!" but it was mostly drowned out by the applause, though those in the front row heard it.
After the premiere, the guests left one by one.
Accompanied by his assistant, Fan Binbin changed into clothes that were easier to move in and walked towards the parking lot with Fu Yibai.
"I'm really tired today." Fan Binbin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
"Go back and take a hot bath, then get some rest."
Fan Binbin opened one eye and looked at him.
"You should get some rest too, and stop staying up late looking at your phone."
"understood."
On September 30, "The Woman Who Left" was released nationwide.
The competition during the National Day holiday was unprecedentedly fierce, with more than a dozen films being released at the same time, but major cinemas still gave "The Woman Who Left" a 31% screening rate.
The following day, the box office figures for "The Woman Who Left" were released – 26 million.
This number can't compare to Fu Yibai's previous sci-fi commercial films, but for a more artistic drama, it's already a remarkable achievement.
Meanwhile, it received a high rating of 8.8 on Douban upon its release.
The following day, "The Woman Who Left" saw a reversal in box office performance, successfully surpassing 30 million.