Six days had passed at the 12-day Cannes Film Festival.
Zane Blackwood's short film, The Tuner, was the talk of the town! It was, without a doubt, the most popular film in the short film contest.
So far, more than 10,000 people had seen the 14-minute movie. That was 11% of everyone at the festival! The local newspapers were calling Zane a "genius director."
At the same time, Memento (which Zane had renamed Memories), directed by Christopher Nolan, was also a big hit. It was a very smart, "mind-bending" movie. It was so tricky that many people (over 68%!) were going back to watch it a second or third time. Some people had even watched it five times!
Zane was so proud. His plan to get noticed at Cannes was working perfectly. Now, he just had to wait for the movie-buyers from other countries to come to him.
On May 19th, Zane smiled. "The timing is about right," he whispered. "It's time to meet them."
"Sir," his assistant, Alexander, gently reminded him, "our movies are popular, but they aren't big, flashy action movies. They won't sell for a lot of money. The Tuner is just a short film."
Zane just nodded, a warm, patient smile on his face. "I know, Alexander. That's okay."
He knew the truth. He wasn't here for the money. He was here for the friendships. He wanted to meet the local movie bosses from other countries. He needed their help to build his own overseas movie network. Even if it was just a small start, it was worth it.
To show he was serious and respectful, Zane chose to meet with them himself. He had carefully picked three people:
Baron Tobit: A very rich and respected nobleman from the UK.
Williams Juan: A man from Spain who was related to the royal family and owned a big chain of movie theaters.
Miss Thompson: A woman from Hong Kong who worked for a famous movie company called Golden Harvest Pictures.
Zane stood up and greeted them all with a big, friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Please, have a seat."
"Mr. Blackwood, nice to meet you," they all said.
"I know why you're all here," Zane said, his voice friendly but serious. "You want to buy the rights to show Memento and The Tuner in your countries."
They all nodded. Mr. Williams even added, "Yes! And The Tuner... it could be adapted into a full-length movie!"
Zane held up a hand, his face full of apology. "First," he said, "I have to say I'm very sorry. I can't sell you the screening rights for Memento. My company already has a deal with Paramount for that."
The three guests looked so disappointed. Their faces fell.
"But," Zane added, his smile returning, "I can sell you the... adaptation rights."
This meant they could remake the movies in their own countries, with their own actors.
Their expressions changed right away! They loved this idea. Mr. Williams from Spain spoke up first. "Mr. Blackwood, I accept! These movies are excellent. I believe they will be just as exciting when we remake them in Spain!"
The other two quickly agreed.
They signed the first papers right there. A few days later, on May 24th, Alexander signed the final contracts. Zane sold the adaptation rights for the UK, Spain, and Hong Kong for a total of $1.9 million.
To be honest, this wasn't much money for a billionaire like Zane. It was like a "drop in the bucket." But Zane was still happy. As he liked to say, "even a mosquito is meat!"
The money wasn't the point. His real purpose was to make these powerful new friends. This was the first step in building his own global movie network.
That same afternoon, Zane and Christopher Nolan put on their fanciest suits. It was the last day of the festival. It was awards day! They walked the red carpet, full of excitement, ready to see if their movies would win.
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