Chapter 214: Academy Awards Restructuring

The Peninsula Hotel, tea restaurant.

Liu Zhou pushed open the door of a private room and bowed to the people inside to apologize:

"Mr. Yang, Mr. Xiang, Mr. Wu, and Mr. Wen, we are very sorry for being late."

"Mr. Liu, this won't do. You invited us here as the host, but you are late." Emperor Entertainment Group boss Yang said with a smile.

He wasn't really angry, he was just teasing Liu Zhou.

"It's my fault. I'll drink three cups of tea instead of wine as punishment."

They were none other than Emperor Entertainment Group's Mr. Yang, Yongsheng's Heung Hua-keung, Hong Kong Directors Association's Mr. Wu Si-yuan and Academy Awards Organizing Committee Chairman Wen Jun.

Liu Zhou invited them this time to discuss how to promote reforms to the Academy Awards.

Liu Zhou had woken up before eight o'clock this morning, but because Fat Fan might be leaving Hong Kong soon and kept teasing him early in the morning, he had to subdue her first.

Once you start driving this car, it's easy to forget the time.

By the time Liu Zhou had completely subdued Fan Xiaopang, it was almost ten o'clock, and the time he had agreed to meet with several others was also exactly ten o'clock.

Liu Zhou simply washed up, but was still a few minutes late despite his haste. Fortunately, he stayed at the Peninsula Hotel, otherwise he would have been even later.

It was indeed a bit inappropriate for the host to be late, and he was delayed because of that incident.

"Vincent, I heard that the funding for the Academy Awards this year is not very sufficient, and even the dinner after the awards ceremony has been cancelled." Liu Zhou asked with a smile after sitting down.

“There is nothing we can do. The broadcasting fees paid by the two TV stations in Hong Kong are very low, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to get sponsorship.

If things continue as they are now, you won’t be able to attend any future dinner parties.”

"The main reason is that the attention paid to the Academy Awards has been decreasing. Otherwise, TV stations would still be willing to pay more for the broadcasting fees."

"Many people know about this situation, but no one has thought about how to change it and increase the influence and attention of the Academy Awards."

Liu Zhou took a sip of tea and said:
"Mr. Wen, Mr. Wu, you probably know why I invited you here. The Academy Awards has been around for 25 years. With the decline of Hong Kong films, its glory is slowly fading.

I think it's a pity that such a well-known award with a certain history has fallen into obscurity.

So I think we should make some changes to the Academy Awards.”

"What do you think we should do, Mr. Liu?"

"Learn from the Golden Horse Awards. It doesn't matter if it's a mainland movie or a Taiwanese movie. As long as it's a Chinese-language movie, you can enter the award."

After hearing what Liu Zhou said, Wen Jun shook his head and said:
"It's difficult. There are too many conservative Hong Kong filmmakers who think the Hong Kong Film Awards belong to Hong Kong films. They won't agree."

"If they don't agree, then leave them out completely!" Liu Zhou said firmly.

Before, Liu Zhou was still thinking about taking it slow, but after participating in the Academy Awards this time, Liu Zhou felt that time was running out.

The Academy Awards are now somewhat on the decline. If we don’t reform it now while it still has some influence, there will be no point in reforming it once it becomes a sunset glow.

"How do you leave it alone?"

“This time, for the members of the Academy Awards organizing committee, Wensheng, you and Wu Sheng should choose more experienced filmmakers who are not so conservative.

At the same time, Golden Harvest, Emperor Entertainment Group and Yongsheng will increase the number of productions this year. On the one hand, it will attract some filmmakers, and on the other hand, it will increase the scale of Hong Kong films participating in the competition.

I will organize several excellent mainland films to participate in the selection. Mr. Yang and Mr. Xiang have some connections in Taiwan, so they can also organize some Taiwanese films.

Finally, we can mobilize our connections and invite well-known filmmakers around the world to serve as judges for the next Academy Awards.

Let's make this noise bigger. I don't believe what those people can do then.
If they deliberately sabotage it, it will bring shame to Hong Kong films in front of the whole world."

Liu Zhou, Boss Yang and Xiang Huaqiang had discussed this matter before, but the plan has been brought forward now.

In fact, for them, it can be said that the Academy Awards are completely insignificant.

The Hong Kong Film Awards do not carry huge profits like the Oscars, which can make them make more money.

That's why they don't care whether he lives or dies.

If the Academy Awards could increase the value of the winning films, they would definitely care more than anyone else.

This time when Liu Zhou asked them for help, they both agreed immediately.

In the Hong Kong film industry, these two people are people with huge influence. With their support, the resistance to change of the Academy Awards will be much smaller.

Because no matter what, the bosses of film companies are at the top of the Hong Kong film industry.

They don't need to do much to gain Liu Zhou's favor. They would be stupid not to do it.

Even if increasing the number of productions requires spending some real money, it is nothing compared to their wealth.

By then, Liu Zhou will help them earn back many times the money.

Seeing that the other two bosses did not deny it, Wen Jun and Wu Siyuan felt a little more confident.

"Mr. Liu, if we do this, the cost will be huge," Wu Siyuan continued.

“Don’t worry, I will help you get sponsorship for next year, and it will definitely be more lively than any previous one.

If anyone doubts the fairness of the award, I can exclude Golden Harvest’s films from the selection.”

"Mr. Liu, that's not the case. As long as you don't sponsor under the name of Jiahe, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

"So Wu Sheng and Wen Sheng agreed?"

The two of them looked at each other and said, "Let's do it!"

"I think I can try it."

They love Hong Kong films as much as anyone else, and attach as much importance to the Hong Kong Film Awards as anyone else.

Seeing these two things slowly falling to the bottom, they actually felt very uncomfortable.

Moreover, they are not narrow-minded and have relatively clear minds. Hong Kong films are probably hopeless, but the Academy Awards can save them.

If even the Hong Kong Film Awards are lost, it would mean that Hong Kong films are completely dead.

But if the Academy Awards undergoes reform and can become an important and even the most authoritative award in Chinese-language films, it can at least become a symbol of the former glory of Hong Kong films.

When Liu Zhou saw that the two agreed, a smile appeared on his face.

“Okay, I think we can start preparing now.

You are needed to take charge of the Academy Awards Organizing Committee. If you need any help, you can come to me, Mr. Yang and Mr. Xiang.

As for the selection of judges and sponsorship funds, I will help you to find them, and you can arrange someone to contact them when the time comes."

After saying that, Liu Zhou handed his personal business card to the two men. Boss Yang and Xiang Huaqiang also took out their business cards and handed them to them.

The two took the business cards and the corners of their mouths curled up slightly.

If you can get the personal contact information of the three big guys, then it’s worth doing this.

What's more, if they succeed, they can also gain huge prestige.

Of course, if it fails, well, with the full support of these three bigwigs in the Hong Kong film and television industry, how could it fail?

Liu Zhou discussed some details with the two men, and then they said goodbye and left.

"Mr. Liu, I don't quite understand why a mainlander like you would worry so much about a Hong Kong film award. Isn't it better to just focus on making money?"

Liu Zhou drank a cup of tea, and then said slowly:
"I don't really like money. Compared to making money, I think it's more meaningful to do more things that are helpful to the industry."

When Boss Yang and Xiang Huaqiang heard Liu Zhou's words, the corners of their mouths twitched.

Throwing the street!

Let him install it again!

"Boss Liu, do you like to act like this in the mainland as well?"

"Hahaha, sorry, I was a little too awkward when I loaded the pen for the first time."

Seeing that they were all frowning, Liu Zhou suppressed his smile and said:

“There’s no special reason, actually. My family lives in Guangzhou, and I grew up watching Hong Kong movies, so I have a certain sentiment towards them.

I can’t do anything to save Hong Kong films, but I think it’s a pity that such an influential award as the Hong Kong Film Awards has also fallen into decline.

Besides, I am not short of money now, so it doesn’t cost much to do this, and if it succeeds, it will be a good thing for the entire Chinese-language film industry.”

"Well, you are still at a higher level."

After finishing their business, the three of them started drinking tea and chatting.

But as they chatted, the topic turned to Liu Zhou, and they were particularly curious about how Liu Zhou had taken over Sina.

Liu Zhou's taking over of Sina also caused a huge sensation in Hong Kong.

They really couldn't understand how Liu Zhou, a person from the entertainment industry, could suddenly jump into the Internet circle and become a big shot in the circle.

Although the two of them have other industries, Liu Zhou's wealth has now surpassed theirs.

Unable to resist their constant questioning, Liu Zhou had to give them a brief explanation.

Now that he had said this, Liu Zhou recalled the entire process and felt that it was a bit thrilling and lucky.

If anyone had told Duan Yongji that Liu Zhou had intentions towards Sina, it might not have been so easy for him to succeed.

A head-on confrontation is inevitable at that time. After all, Liu Zhou's more than one-third of Sina's shares were not given for free.

But if that happened, it would definitely cause a bigger stir for Sina and would be more detrimental to its own image in public opinion.

Fortunately, Duan Yongji was unpopular among Sina's senior management and liked to engage in struggles, which allowed Liu Zhou to take advantage of the situation.

After the three of them chatted for a while, they went their separate ways.

Liu Zhou did not stay in Hong Kong for long. He left Hong Kong in the afternoon and returned to the capital.

At this time, the mainland was reporting on the Hong Kong Film Awards the most, and this time Liu Zhou was unable to escape the interception of media reporters.

As soon as he left the airport, he was surrounded by reporters.

However, Liu Zhou really didn't want to be interviewed at the moment, and it was in a public place like an airport, so he got into the car and left under the escort of his bodyguards.

Liu Zhou did not go to Jiahe, but went directly to Sina’s headquarters in Zhongguancun.

As soon as he came back, President Wang Yan handed him an invitation letter.

"Boss Liu, this is the invitation to this year's China Business Leaders Annual Conference. It was just delivered yesterday."

(End of this chapter)