Chapter Eighty-one: Unexpected Award

  As for those onlookers who were waiting to see the excitement and laugh at others, they originally thought that Yi Feiyang's "Ghost Shadow Record" was completely finished, but no one expected that the situation would suddenly reverse and become even more popular than before!

  In just one short week, the DVD sales of this film alone reached a staggering $23 million!

  Thanks to the US government, thanks to the ban issued by the US government, and even more thanks to the selfless spirit of cracking down on counterfeits by the US government, pirated discs are almost non-existent, and CD sales profits are skyrocketing...

  If it were in China, I estimate that pirated DVDs would have already been out before the movie was even released. So, when it comes to film copyright, America's system is still better.

  ……

  To make a long story short, it was December 18th, 1998.

  The three films of DreamWorks Pictures, the DVD sales of "Paranormal Activity" reached 46 million US dollars, and the total box office of "Cruise of Terror" and "Buried Alive" was 37 million US dollars. The total has reached an astonishing 83 million US dollars!

  However, for such astonishing data, Yi Feiyang did not have a bit of joy. For more than a month, he had been hiding from American paparazzi and rarely showed up; even many reporters couldn't collect his words. As a result, Yi Feiyang was voted "The Most Difficult Person to Interview This Year".

  The original "director of death", the "monster" that everyone feared, suddenly became a darling of the American media, which can't be said to be anything but a huge joke.

  But that's not all, originally thought to be the first Chinese director to be banned in North America, his horror film "The Ghost Shadow" unexpectedly won the Best Director award at the "1st British Horror Film Festival" at the end of December!

  A few days ago, the first "Horror Film Festival" was held in London, UK. This one-week horror film event was hosted by a film company called ICA, with the aim of re-evaluating those films considered as "visual trash" - to give horror movies a "good name".

  The films shown are all horror "blockbusters" from various countries, giving people a bloody and eerie taste, such as Cannibal Holocaust, A Nightmare in a Damaged Brain, Dream Demon, Dark Water, and Reincarnation.

  The holding of this "Horror Film Festival" in London has caused no small controversy. Some film enthusiasts think that such horror movie gatherings are too addictive, while the film censorship agency and conservative individuals believe that many of the exhibited films have not been censored, contain offending content, and especially may have a bad influence on young people.

  Tom Mathews, the British author of "Uncut", a book advocating for the abolition of film censorship, said: "Fear is one of the most basic human emotions. Horror movies are the best way to express this emotion. In modern society, people face all sorts of pressure. Horror movies can help you relieve that pressure. Because as the plot accumulates and people's tension reaches a peak and suddenly bursts, they will feel incredibly relaxed."

  Many movie fans also pointed out that with the advent of the information age, especially the emergence of the Internet, the film censorship system has become a mere formality, and people can download any movie from the internet at will.

  However, those who advocate for the retention of the censorship system counter that some films contain obvious child harassment or extreme violence that is highly offensive and that censorship is absolutely necessary. Perhaps the internet has made such censorship lose its practical significance to a certain extent. But it can still convey to the public what is morally acceptable and what is not.

  Even Tom McInnis himself admits that if he found out his 12-year-old daughter was downloading horror movies or pornography online, he would be uncomfortable. He believes that in the information age, parents have a duty to exercise some form of censorship over what their children watch.

  But anyway, this horror film festival went smoothly in the end, after several rounds of elimination. The North American newly banned horror movie, produced by Fantasy Film Productions and directed by Yi Feiyang, "Ghost Shadow Record" surprisingly appeared as a dark horse and finally won the competition, taking home the crown.

  As for the reason why this play won an award, it's not because "it was too scary and scared people to death", but because of its "ingenious and clever plot, thrilling and terrifying filming techniques".

  The news spread like a bombshell and reached North America in the first time, causing a shocking sensation.

  Yes, American films have won big awards in the UK, including the unprecedented "Horror Movie Award", which can't help but make people feel curious and amazed.

  Especially those who have seen the movie "Paranormal Activity" are collectively claiming that if this film doesn't win an award, then either the British people are blind or God is blind!

  Anyway. The American banned film "Paranormal Activity" once again appeared on the front page of an American magazine, and even frequently appeared in news reports on some TV stations.

  As the director and producer of this play, Yi Feiyang is rarely relaxed at home, teasing his little dog Bobo, with a self-satisfied expression.

  "Ayan, don't stay cooped up in the house all the time, go out and get some exercise. It just so happens that this British horror film festival is going to give you an award, why not go there to clear your mind... Britain has the Thames River, Shakespeare, and again, Camden Bridge..." Fatty Gao Jiabao tried his best to persuade him.

  Yi Feiyang teased and played with little dog Bobo, "You like it so much, why don't you go?"

  "I'm not a director, what am I going there for? To get looked down on by others?"

  "You can represent me, right? Hmm, I can draft a winning speech for you, and you can just read from the script, saying thanks to the government, thanks to your parents, thanks to the audience, and also thanks to some other miscellaneous things..."

  "Exams? No way!" Fatso said with a sullen face, "I have self-awareness, I know where to show my face and where to hide... Besides, such film festivals are hard to come by. If you miss this one, there won't be another chance, so think carefully!"

  Actually, what the fat man said is not wrong. The market for horror movies itself is not very big and is mainly concentrated among young people. Because of the violent or sensitive nature of the subject matter, it is also not recognized by mainstream filmmakers, who believe that this type of film harms the mental health of young people, so there are not many awards for this type of film.

  In Yifeiyang's memory, in the previous life, there was only one event called "Austin Fantastic Film Festival" that had a "Best Horror Movie Award".

  There is also a story about this very special film award.

  In his previous life, Yi Feiyang had watched a horror movie that was said to be "cool", called "Human Centipede".

  From a creative horror perspective, this "Human Centipede" is indeed a cult film, connecting three people's mouths to form a human centipede, perhaps only perverts occasionally have such ideas! However, from the plot details, like most low-budget films, there are too many bugs that can't withstand scrutiny. So, after watching this movie, Yiyang had nothing to say except expressing his astonishment at this perverted creativity...

  But while searching for information on the film, Yi Feiyang discovered an interesting place. This film, which made many people vomit, was actually the winner of the Best Horror Film Award at the "Austin Fantastic Film Festival", and the perverted doctor in the film also won the Best Actor award.

  This made Yi Feiyang curious, what kind of film festival would actually give this movie the Best Horror Movie award?!

  After careful and meticulous research, Yifei Yang finally knew the reason why this film won the award. "This Austin Fantastic Film Festival is notorious for its bold taste, focusing on horror, science fiction, and other extremely discordant films. Every year, the festival invites a large number of famous or unknown writers, filmmakers, and unrelated people to participate."

  As I continued to look, I was surprised to find some familiar names. The films that participated in this film festival included "Antichrist", "Thirst", "Zombieland", and what made Yi Feiyang most surprised was that there was even a mainland director's "Crazy Racing"!

  So it seems that putting aside the quality of the award-winning films at this film festival, just from a creative perspective, it should be enough to attract attention in the future!

  But now, "British Horror Film Festival" is actually about 20 years ahead of this so-called "Super Intense Film Festival" in the future!

  What does this mean?

  It has been twenty years since people began to pay attention to the survival status of world horror movies! Started paying attention to the creation route of horror movies!

  So, in a sense, this so-called British Horror Film Festival will inevitably cause a stir in the global film industry, and it's the best opportunity for those novice directors and actors to walk the red carpet and make their names known.

  Bao Gaohai hopes that Yi Feiyang can move his noble butt to the UK, take a stroll around and show up at the film festival to boost popularity.

  But Yi Feiyang is an exception, and in his opinion, even if he doesn't show up at the film festival, it won't have a big impact on himself. After all, he's already "famous", although this kind of "fame" makes people feel a bit head-aching and egg-paining.

  The film being shot scared an innocent old man to death!

  Yi Feiyang really didn't want to become famous because of this.

  Every time he sees poor little dog Bobo, he thinks of old John buried underground.

  Yi Feiyang didn't consider himself a compassionate person, but he wasn't someone who would cold-heartedly seek fame either.

  During this time, Yi Feiyang tried to avoid contact with the media, not wanting to gain fame through Old John's death. In his opinion, he didn't need to be so shameless, even if he really wanted to stand out, it should be because of his own films and his true abilities!

  Although Yi Feiyang did not want to hype himself with the "Old John's death event", Paramount, the cooperative company, did not give up this right. Yi Feiyang could not stop it either. As a result, "Buried" and "Cruise of Terror" were hyped up, and the DVD of "Ghost Record" was sold out, bringing in a lot of money...

  Facing all this, Yi Feiyang still looked calm and collected, without a hint of excitement.

  However, a life as closed and calm as his will soon be disrupted by an unexpected event!