I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 317 - 317 316. Our duty is indisputable_1

Chapter 317: 316. Our duty is indisputable_1 Chapter 317: 316. Our duty is indisputable_1 “It seems that Director Lu, you have a lot of confidence in our domestic film market.”

Host Cao Song felt that when bringing up the topic of the industry, Lu Ban would surely have many views to share, which was also the purpose of this interview. Since the audience was composed of students from Yannan Media University, it was very important for these young people, who had not yet stepped into society, to gain a direct understanding of the industry.

As a newcomer who had graduated less than two years ago, Lu Ban’s understanding of the industry must be somewhat different from that of these university students, and he could provide very valuable advice.

“If ‘Magic Tide’ can reach our box office target, then it will be the box office champion of the year. Under such circumstances, this would mean that we are the number one film power.”

Lu Ban said this right off the bat.

“???”

Host Cao Song was taken aback.

Can you be so brash?

“Wait a minute, Director Lu, even if ‘Magic Tide’ can achieve 13 billion at the box office and win the box office championship for the year, that doesn’t mean that our country’s film strength is on par with Europe and America, does it?”

The university students present also agreed with Cao Song’s statement.

Having one or two films that catch fire and have high box office earnings is just an exception. Just like in the past, domestic films could achieve a box office of forty or fifty billion, but many people said these films were only pleasing to nationals and had no influence internationally; domestic films were still considered stuck in backward times.

“Then what would count as being on par with Europe and America?”

Lu Ban countered.

“Even though we’re now the largest film market in the world, even though we’ve developed film genres unique to our market, even though our film box office can reach several billions, even though our domestic movies are no longer inferior to foreign ones in a positive box office contest, we’re still not considered on par with Europe and America.”

His words made everyone present fall silent.

Indeed, this was the perception in everyone’s minds.

Speaking of movies, it is definitely the Oscars, the Palme d’Or, the Golden Bear, and so on. If you don’t get these awards, then the movie is just a self-congratulatory domestic product.

On some movie websites, foreign films generally have high ratings, while domestic films have low ratings. If a foreign filmmaker changes the original female lead to a black woman for political correctness, it’s deemed racial equality, but if domestic filmmakers make logical adaptations, it’s accused of being fabricated nonsense. The same storyline, when produced by foreign directors is fascinating and full of twists, but when it’s made domestically, it’s criticized as plagiarized and imitative.

In the end, many people, whether ordinary viewers or film and television industry practitioners, feel inferior in their hearts.

Even if other countries’ films portray black people negatively, some will justify it because to them, anything foreign is considered good and correct.

“When our film box office is booming, some say we need to win big awards at international film festivals to prove that a film is well made. High box office numbers just mean it’s a commercial film, that the viewers’ aesthetic standards are low, and when our films do win awards internationally, others say it’s purely artistic cinema, made for the judges with no commercial value,”

Lu Ban paused and looked at the others.

“So, can’t we make a movie that can not only win big awards at international film festivals but also be a box office hit, making money while standing tall?”

The crowd was silent.

Such words, normally nobody would dare to say.

Only a madman would believe that they could achieve this.

Technology, talent, funds, all kinds of conditions are behind others, and most crucially, the right to judge and speak about these things is still in the hands of others.

Only those films that show one’s country as backward, ignorant, and feudal, or those portraying pastoral landscapes and antiquated simplicity, are favored by the judges and the audience.

But Lu Ban didn’t share this view. Having seen countless movies in two worlds, he thought that domestic films in this world had developed quite impressively. Even without him, one day in the future, they were bound to produce works rivaling the cinema of any country.

“I will defend everything about our domestic films.”

Lu Ban declared in front of the audience, clenching his fist.

Of course, he wasn’t just recklessly brave.

If ‘Magic Tide’ could be a big hit both domestically and abroad, then the enthusiasm of the ordinary moviegoers would definitely greatly increase. His future films were bound to create even higher box office records. Who knew what conditions his future career development tasks would require? If it came to earning fifty billion US dollars at the box office, then Lu Ban might as well point a gun at the audience’s heads, forcing them to buy tickets one by one.

Moreover, if ‘Magic Tide’ didn’t earn fifty billion, then Lu Ban might have to ask Song Yunyan for help to barely scrape by.

For Song Yunyan, who doesn’t bat an eye at transactions worth tens of billions, supporting him with a few billion shouldn’t be a big issue, right?

He wasn’t just making films; he was saving the world!

Lu Ban was logical and well-founded in his assertions.

Seeing Lu Ban so full of confidence and with a determination to overturn the past, the students from Yannan Media University were each inspired and roused, clenching their fists, eager to try.

Young people are the easiest to excite, especially since many of them had not experienced the era when domestic films and TV dramas were completely outmatched. They didn’t have the deep-seated worship of foreign things ingrained in their bones, so upon hearing Lu Ban’s words, they were even more excited.

“So, this release of ‘Magic Tide’ is not just about a movie. It is a challenge issued by domestic films to foreign films. Perhaps in the past, domestic films were always inferior to foreign films, but now, we have the opportunity to fight on equal footing. Fellow students, to defend the glory of domestic cinema is our unshirkable duty.”

Lu Ban also stood up and issued a call to action.

Host Cao Song was a bit overwhelmed for a moment.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a light-hearted talk show? How did it suddenly escalate to a showdown between domestic and foreign films?

However, Cao Song also thought that Lu Ban was quite right. They needed works to boost the confidence of young people so that more would join the film industry.

Though the process took a bit of a detour, Lu Ban’s speech unexpectedly shortcutted the program to its intended destination.

Lu Ban’s interview was quickly recorded, and after various edits, it circulated online.

Some highlighted the key points, showing Lu Ban’s expectations for new films and his views on the development of domestic cinema; others cut the interview short, portraying Lu Ban as an arrogant and self-conceited director.

For instance, on many forums and chat groups, a long picture was created from screenshots of Lu Ban taken during the live broadcast, coupled with his quotes.

Phrases like “This represents that we are the number one film power,” “I will defend everything about our domestic films,” and “To defend the glory of domestic cinema is our unshirkable duty,” were all there, capped off with “Achieving 13 billion is considered a success,” which indeed made Lu Ban appear extremely arrogant.

Very quickly, Lu Ban acquired a new nickname on the internet.

Madman Lu!