"A great film always reflects the diversity of life..."
On the stage of the Venice Film Palace, jury president Alexandre Desplat delivered a lengthy speech about the importance of films returning to their essence. Then he glanced down at the card in his hand. "The winner of this year's Golden Lion award is..."
The closing ceremony of this year's Venice Film Festival had reached its final moment, with only the most prestigious Golden Lion award yet to be announced.
Many European directors in the audience eagerly watched Alexandre Desplat. For them, the Golden Lion, Golden Bear, and Palme d'Or were the highest honors they could achieve in their careers.
Compared to these directors, Murphy appeared very calm. The purpose of screening "Spotlight" at the Venice Film Festival had already been achieved for him. The film's promotion, reputation, and the impact on the Catholic Church had far exceeded expectations.
This boded well for "Spotlight's" chances at the upcoming Oscars.
Due to personal beliefs, the Oscar statuette held far more significance for him than the highest awards of the three major European film festivals.
For this reason, Murphy had left Venice after the opening ceremony to attend the more strategically important Toronto International Film Festival for the North American market, returning only on the day of the closing ceremony.
The promotional and public relations work in Venice had been handled entirely by 20th Century Fox.
Therefore, Murphy believed his chances of winning were slim.
While the media had universally praised "Spotlight," recent years' selections at the Venice Film Festival made it unlikely for "Spotlight" to win the Golden Lion.
Moreover, the film hadn't won any awards so far during the ceremony, seemingly following the pattern of past years where Hollywood films were often overlooked regardless of their quality, to highlight Venice's distinctiveness.
But the name that Alexandre Desplat announced left the audience in stunned silence.
"The winner of the Golden Lion is..." He paused briefly and then announced, "Spotlight!"
The film palace fell into an unusual silence, with only Alexandre Desplat's voice echoing around.
"Spotlight?" Many European filmmakers were dumbfounded. "How is that possible?"
Applause first erupted among the Hollywood contingent, followed by scattered clapping from the rest of the audience, though it was neither loud nor enthusiastic compared to when European filmmakers received awards.
"Well then."
Murphy stood up and walked to the stage without hesitation. Unlike the Oscars' Best Picture, the highest awards at the three major European film festivals are given to the directors.
He moved quickly, his mind racing to understand why he won. The subject matter of "Spotlight" was key!
Perhaps his Italian peers had also had enough of the Catholic Church's constraints and pressures...
He put these thoughts aside as he reached the stage, took the Golden Lion from Alexandre Desplat, and stood at the microphone.
"Thank you, thank you to the jury." Murphy kept his speech brief. "Thank you to Stanton Studio and 20th Century Fox, and to everyone in the 'Spotlight' crew! This Golden Lion means a lot to me!"
He paused before continuing, "I'll borrow two lines from the film: 'The church is an institution, made of men. It will fail, it will fall. Our faith is eternal.' Sometimes, we forget that most of the time, we are stumbling in the dark until the dawn breaks."
Regardless, this was one of the highest honors in world cinema, and having it was undoubtedly better than not having it.
Standing on the elevated podium, Murphy could see the directors in the front row, their faces showing skepticism and disdain. It seemed that his winning the award violated their notion of cinematic art.
Murphy knew that many European directors, who considered themselves purists, looked down on Hollywood directors like him, primarily known for commercial blockbusters.
After his brief speech, Murphy stepped down from the stage, ignoring the disapproving looks.
According to the recent criteria of the Venice Film Festival, "Spotlight" wasn't a frontrunner for the Golden Lion. Winning it was a surprise. But were those directors and their works more deserving or better representatives of cinematic art?
Before the ceremony, the widely regarded frontrunner for the Golden Lion was "The Act of Killing," a film depicting the 1965-66 Indonesian mass killings from the perspective of the executioners. These former killers, still in power, unabashedly reenacted their murders for the camera, bragging about their techniques and results without remorse.
Another contender was "Nymphomaniac" by Lars von Trier, known for its explicit content. One notable scene featured Charlotte Gainsbourg performing an abortion with detailed surgical precision, driving many viewers with weak stomachs away. Those who stayed admitted feeling deeply disturbed.
Even in Western society, Lars von Trier's work was provocative.
Did these films truly represent cinematic art? Were directors like Lars von Trier genuinely striving for artistic expression?
Anyone with a clear mind would likely say no.
Like mainstream Hollywood's visual effects, they were creating spectacles to attract audiences.
Without the investment and technical support behind Hollywood films, these directors relied on shock value—nudity, orgies, explicit scenes—to attract viewers and generate revenue.
Claiming such explicit European films represent cinematic art would be met with derision by many.
Regardless, Hollywood's dominance of the global film market is an undeniable fact.
Compared to Hollywood's global reach, European cinema's market share has significantly dwindled. Statistics show that Italian films only occupy about 30% of their domestic market—the highest in Europe. More European directors and actors are following Hollywood's lead, chasing box office success.
Hollywood's globalization breaks cultural barriers and earns higher revenues, making its films more accessible. This has profoundly influenced global audiences' tastes, diminishing the influence of once-powerful French and Italian cinema.
In this context, the decline of European film festivals is inevitable.
This year's Venice Film Festival concluded, but the Golden Lion going to "Spotlight" and Murphy sparked mixed reactions between North American and European media.
Mainstream North American media widely celebrated Murphy and "Spotlight's" win as well-deserved.
In contrast, many European media outlets described it as an upset or a shock.
Regardless, Murphy's win was an undeniable result.
The day after the Venice Film Festival closed, Murphy returned to North America. "Spotlight," leveraging its screenings at Venice and Toronto, generated significant buzz. Distributors from various countries sought to acquire the film.
Although "Spotlight" had a long way to go before its official release, 20th Century Fox began negotiating with many international distributors. Within just over a week, over 30 countries and regions had signed contracts with 20th Century Fox.
Including territories where 20th Century Fox could self-distribute, "Spotlight" would appear in theaters in over 80 countries and regions.
This guaranteed the film would have a global impact.
Of course, Murphy and 20th Century Fox first needed to ensure "Spotlight" gained significant attention in the North American market.
Hollywood films that perform well in North America typically generate global excitement, at least igniting interest in Western markets.
Frankly, Murphy didn't expect the film to impact a few Eastern countries significantly, given Catholicism's limited reach there.
Without the Catholic Church as a foundation, "Spotlight's" influence would be much smaller.
Subsequently, 20th Century Fox launched a pre-release marketing campaign for "Spotlight," using its media outlets to continually stir up related topics, with the Catholic Church remaining a central theme.
"The distortion isn't just in understanding faith but in people's inherent lack of faith, influenced only by prevalent religious beliefs..."
Perhaps witnessing the entire ordeal firsthand, Gal Gadot reflected, "Religious faith often boils down to brand recognition of a religious organization. Once management fails, problems arise. These issues are covered up because people blindly trust authority and tradition, like a religious organization selling faith where the salespeople harm consumers who have no one to complain to."
This likely represented many people's views. In early November, "Spotlight" officially entered the North American market in ten theaters, drawing large crowds.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]