The Best Director

In the departure lounge of Los Angeles International Airport, Wang Yang, accompanied by two bodyguards whose contract had ended, was carrying a duffel bag and pulling along a suitcase full of gifts, walking towards the exit of the terminal. The lounge was filled with the atmosphere of Christmas, with a huge Christmas tree standing in the center of the lobby and the pleasant music of “Jingle Bells” playing, as people hurried home.

Wang Yang had spent less than a month in South Africa, but he knew he would never forget this experience for the rest of his life. He saw many things he had never seen before, only having read about or seen them in books and films — poverty, gloom, hardship; the hostile and suspicious yet humble looks of the locals; the laughter of the children… Now standing back on the land of the “City of Angels,” his heart was indescribable — sighs, relief, gratitude…

But overall, he was very happy. He was about to hug and kiss that girl, return to a sweet home, and there was a rich Christmas dinner waiting for him that evening. What a great thing that was! As he was thinking, Wang Yang suddenly felt a few flashes on his face and noticed three paparazzi in front of him, continuously snapping photos.

Unbelievable!” Wang Yang couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t know if they were the type of paparazzi who wait at the airport for prey or if they had come specifically for him. He remarked to his bodyguards, “Isn’t it Christmas Eve today? They must be the most industrious people in the world.”

At that moment, the three paparazzi approached, taking pictures and asking questions, attracting the attention of many people around. Wang Yang was in a good mood and the paparazzi were being quite polite, so he stopped the bodyguards who were about to shoo them away, “Hey, let them be! Don’t bother.”

Thank you, I’m Paul,” said one of the slightly overweight white male paparazzi with a smile. He walked alongside Wang Yang and asked, “Magic Yang, how did the shooting go in South Africa?” With a click, he took another photo of the handsome director in a gray multi-pocket jacket and jeans.

Wang Yang looked back at him and smiled saying, “Everything went smoothly.” Hearing his willingness to answer, Paul and the other two paparazzi were thrilled, their experience telling them that the director was in a good mood! Paul quickly followed up with, “We know you were filming on location in the Soweto slums. Why is that? And for a month? Is the main plot of ‘District 9’ happening in the slums? Some people speculate that ‘District 9′ refers to a slum, is that the case?”

About the movie’s content, sorry, it’s confidential for now!” Wang Yang smiled and shook his head saying, “When it’s released, you can go to the cinema and find out.”

If it were possible, he would have liked to keep the fact that the crew went to Soweto, South Africa for location shooting entirely secret; unfortunately, it couldn’t be kept that way, so the guess that “District 9” was a slum was already anticipated in the promotional plan. The themes like alien spaceships arriving in Los Angeles and the aliens’ settlement area becoming a slum would also be revealed in the promotional activities.

The number of participants in the “Alien Research Center” viral website campaign has now reached over 15 countries and 550,000 people; it is estimated that in two more months, it could hit the one-million mark; the puzzle game “The Secret of the Aliens” on the website was cracked one by one by movie fans, leading Christopher Foersten to update a few blog posts, detailing their planet’s civilization, how he got onto the spaceship, and the meaningful phrase “I want to go home.”

Out of the more than 60 English letters, over 30 have already been discovered by student fans, making “District 9” a hot topic in schools across North America, with lots of them almost turned upside down by the students’ thorough searches. Many students also ran to the Flame Film official website to protest — why not hide the letters in their schools?

Knowing that Wang Yang would not answer this question and not wanting to annoy him, Paul and the others didn’t press further but turned to gossip. Paul asked with a smile, “Our Johannesburg colleagues captured you taking kids from the slums on two buses to play and watch movies, and you were smiling very happily. Now everyone says ‘Angelina Jolie and Magic Yang, one mother, one father.’ What’s that all about?”

Wang Yang was momentarily taken aback, looking at Paul and the others perplexedly. He was about to ask what was going on. The reporters in Johannesburg got pictures? That was the day before they planned to head back, and after all, it wasn’t every day they came to South Africa, so the crew, accompanied by bodyguards, spent a day in Jo’burg, playing around and buying gifts. As for him, he spent the time with the children. Then after a day on the plane, here they were.

Angelina Jolie? Dad? He couldn’t help but smile helplessly, switching the hand that pulled his suitcase and said, “That’s exactly it. I took some children who had never seen a movie to watch one.” Curiously, Paul asked, “Why?” Wang Yang was puzzled, “Do I need a reason? Because they’ve never seen a movie.

Paul clicked away with his camera, laughing, “You’re really a good guy!” Wang Yang snorted softly and said lightly, “Maybe.”

Can you talk about what movie you watched?” A skinny white paparazzo on the right asked, smiling and introducing himself, “I’m David.” Wang Yang nodded and replied, “Why not? We saw ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.'” movie?”

Paul on the left chuckled and asked, “Could you give a review of the

Hearing this question, Wang Yang immediately became wary. Either don’t answer or don’t give them a chance to make news. He thought for a moment and answered with a smile, “No doubt, that movie was terrific! During the over two hours of the film, we were completely engrossed.” Thinking back on that day’s “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” his words were not mere pleasantries—if he had children of the appropriate age, he would take them to see it.

And the young actors, they all did great—Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Bonnie Kathleen Wright…” Wang Yang strolled along, naming the cast of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” as if off the top of his head. People like Paul and David around him gaped in astonishment, not sure if he got the names right, but had he memorized the cast list in advance?

After reciting a long list of names and looking at the paparazzi’s expressions, he couldn’t help but laugh heartily, saying, “Seeing those guys, I feel like I’ve grown old.” Coming back to his senses, Paul waved his hand and laughed, “Come on, you’re only 21!” Wang Yang nodded earnestly and said, “All I can say is, it’s a good thing I’m a director.”

There’s no movie of yours in the Christmas slots this year, not for the whole year. How do you feel about that?” Paul brought up another new question, which was also something that the media had frequently mentioned when summarizing the film history of 2001.

Since 1998, Best Director Yang had shone brightly for three consecutive years; in the 2000 North American box office, with $210 million for “Juno” and $203 million for “The Pursuit of Happyness,” he secured the third and fourth spots (preceded by $260 million for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and $230 million for “Cast Away”); but in 2001, a year typically bustling for him, he stepped out of the limelight, with only “High School Musical 3,” where he worked as a screenwriter.

Looking at the nonchalant Wang Yang, Paul continued with a smile, “Last Christmas, ‘Juno’ and ‘Cast Away’ had a rare fierce battle; this year, the cinemas have ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,’ with everyone going crazy for it, ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ Best Director Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Vanilla Sky,’ ‘A Beautiful Mind’… but no you. Your fans are disappointed.” He shrugged his shoulders, “A year is nearly over, but you seem as if you haven’t done much this year. Everyone is saying, ‘Where has the incredible Director Yang gone?”‘

A lot has happened.” Wang Yang shook his head with a smile. Too many things happened this year, not particularly pleasant ones—he had been imprisoned, and Mr. Wu passed away… and for the second half of the year, he was busy with ‘District 9’ and ‘Sweetheart.’ He didn’t even have time to work on ‘Prison Break,’ which had to be put on hold temporarily. He smiled and said to Paul and the others, “It won’t be like that in 2002, I’ll be back!”

Paul’s eyes lit up at once, pressing further, “You sound confident. Is the high-speed Director Yang coming back? Apart from ‘District 9,’ do you have any other movie plans?”

Other movie plans? Wang Yang pursed his lips and looked around. The post-production special effects for “District 9” would take several months to complete—work for the animators. Apart from providing design drawings, making demands, and performing quality checks, he couldn’t be of much help on a day-to-day basis and had plenty of spare time. He smiled and said coyly, “Maybe, maybe not, I don’t know.”

By then, the crowd had already walked out of the departure hall and arrived at the enormous parking lot. Wang Yang pulled out his buzzing phone to check it and said, “Fellas, I think you’ve got enough material, so goodbye and Merry Christmas!” Seeing him about to leave, David didn’t hesitate to ask a gossipy question, “Why didn’t Jessica come to pickyou up? Are there problems with your relationship?”

Wow, isn’t that her over there?” Wang Yang looked ahead with a laugh, only to see a silver sports car slowly approaching and coming to a stop, its door swinging open. A sizzling hot girl in a light blue denim jacket stepped out, her face beaming with a sweet, radiant smile as she waved over here. He turned his head to glance at David and the others, mildly puzzled, “Or am I seeing things? Why does that guy look so much like Jessica? I’ll go ask!”

Goodbye, Jimmy, Jansen!” Wang Yang bade farewell to the two bodyguards, then sprinted over with a smile, his suitcase clattering behind him. He grinned at the girl, “Hey girl, are you Jessica? Or her long-lost twin? I can’t kiss the wrong person…” The girl wrapped her hands around his neck and said, “Yang, kiss me!”

Paul, David, and the others hastily raised their telephoto cameras, got into position, and aimed at that direction, flashes firing nonstop. These photos were the real treasure!

After a deep but brief kiss, Wang Yang tossed his duffle into the car and crammed his suitcase into the trunk, then sat down in the passenger seat, buckling up as he said, “Nice car, sweetheart, GOGOGO!” Jessica started the car with a smile and stepped on the gas. The sports car slowly made a turn to adjust its direction before zooming away.

It’s really hot there; you know, South Africa is in summer in December. We just wore T-shirts while we were there.” Wang Yang said, drinking a sip of red wine. He looked across the dinner table at Jessica, Kathy, and Joshua sitting next to him, and at Mark in the host’s seat. He continued his impression of Johannesburg, “The city center is really pretty and bustling. The sky feels so blue and close, and the plants there seem so robust, with that unique African vitality and charm…”

The spacious dining room was also decorated with a Christmas vibe. Danny stood quietly in front of the Christmas tree, staring at the colorful lights hanging on it; a sumptuous Christmas feast lay on the table, with a glossy turkey still as the main course, along with steak, roast meat, mashed potatoes, and other delicacies. The Alba family listened intently as he described Johannesburg, “But once you step out of the city center and go just 10 miles to Soweto, you’d be like ‘Oh, my God!’ Dirt roads, tin huts, sewage… I don’t know how to describe it, but you’ll get some idea after watching ‘District 9’.”

He let out a light sigh and saw everyone seemed to frown slightly. He suddenly laughed out loud, saying, “Let’s not talk about that. I know one person can’t change all the poverty and misery, you can only do what’s within your means; then, as Mark always says, be thankful for all of it!”

Jessica and Joshua nodded and smiled at his words, Mark and Kathy exchanged a smile. Joshua cut a piece of beef and chewed on it before asking, “Buddy, got any interesting filming anecdotes?”

Hmm, let me think… Oh, got one.” Wang Yang thought for a moment and then chuckled with a frown, “It was an aerial shoot, sitting in the helicopter going ‘rumble rumble’ spinning around in the sky. Somebody had already warned us, with aerial filming like this, be careful not to get strafed by gunfire from people below; the slums have too many guns.” He took a sip of wine, laughing, “After that day’s shooting was done, we landed, and our cinematographer Harry- George suddenly shouted, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, there’s a bullet hole in the fuselage!”‘

God! Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” Jessica’s eyes widened in alarm, Mark and Kathy both had puzzled looks on their faces, but Joshua excitedly said, “A bullet hole? That’s crazy! Wait, the big guy discovered it? No way, it’s definitely not a real bullet hole!”

Wang Yang nodded with a smile, looking at Jessica, “Yes, it wasn’t really a bullet hole, Harry just loves to make a big fuss over nothing!” He forked a piece of roast and put it in his mouth, laughing, “Looking back, it’s quite funny, but at the time, we were really scared! For nearly the whole day, we were sitting by the cabin door filming; if there had been actual gunfire, I don’t want to imagine the consequences.”

Jessica rolled her eyes in resignation and said, “Of course! Yang, this isn’t a funny matter, it feels dangerous just thinking about it.” Joshua, however, burst into laughter, hastening to interject, “I think it’s hilarious, come on, Yang is sitting here just fine, right? What are you worried about! Yang, what was the deal with the bullet hole the big guy talked about?” Mark also seriously said, “If the helicopter had been hit by a bullet, the pilot should have felt the impact, unless he was drunk.”

Yeah, our pilot Brandon said the same thing, how could there be one?” Wang Yang laughed, counting on his fingers, “Firstly, the slum area we chose didn’t have any gangs, and we did a thorough safety check beforehand; secondly, Brandon felt nothing, all of us felt nothing; thirdly, we were flying so high, haha!”

Mark Alba said, “A pistol can shoot up to 200 meters, and an automatic rifle can probably shoot beyond 600 meters…” Joshua made a couple of impatient quacking sounds and said, “Dad, explain later. Yang, what’s up with that bullet hole?” Wang Yang shook his head, smiled, and said, “It’s just a small dent that went in a little bit. We think it might have been caused by the helicopter landing multiple times, maybe something bounced against it; or it could have been hit by the camera. I don’t know, but it’s definitely not from a bullet.”

OK, OK!” Jessica raised her hands to calm them down, surveyed the three of them, and praised, “You guys are cool! You’re all cool guys! Next topic, please

Joshua glanced at her and chuckled, “Yang, how about telling the story about you and those kids? That picture of you leading the children into the cinema really melts the heart.” He said in a gruff voice, “Someone’s been wanting to talk about this.” Wang Yang, Jessica, and Kathy all smiled at this, and Kathy asked with interest, “The kids must have been happy that day, right?”

Yeah, they were really happy.” Wang Yang nodded, reminiscing about that day, and smiled as he said, “One of the girls was named Aria. She asked me, ‘Is there really magic? Can you do it?’ I told her a lot of people call me ‘Magician Yang,’ so I can do this…” Everyone smiled and continued listening to the story he was telling.

During the Christmas and New Year holiday, Wang Yang and Jessica stayed happily in Los Angeles. As the New Year’s bells rang, ushering in the year 2002, “The Lord of the Rings” sparked a global frenzy, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” amassed over 900 million in box office worldwide; the awards season began, with “A Beautiful Mind,” starring Russell Crowe, becoming a strong contender, and Robert Altman received another Golden Globe nomination for Best Director for “Gosford Park”…

After the holidays, the crew of “District 9” reunited to shoot the last part of the scene on the streets of Los Angeles. After more than ten days of hard work, “District 9” finally reached the moment of completion.

On a street where there aren’t many passersby, Danny, looking ragged and panic-stricken, walked briskly with his left hand tightly guarding something in his chest, as if afraid of it being seen by others. Next to him, Christopher Foersten carrying the camera, the lighting and sound technicians, and the entire production crew followed in step. Danny crossed the street corner, glared at two passing extras, and said, “Nothing to see here!” Then, he hunched over and hurried forward.

“CUT———- !” Wang Yang shouted into the megaphone excitedly, waving his

fist, and said, “Guys, we’ve done it! It’s a wrap!”

Yeah! Wow, yeah

Danny ran back with open arms, enveloped Wang Yang in a bear hug, and exclaimed with excitement, “Incredible, I actually finished another movie! I’m resurrected, no no… I’m reborn, this is the new Robert! Love you! Love you!”

Everyone immediately cheered and laughed with joy;

Wang Yang laughed and pushed him away, saying, “Get off, old man!” Looking at everyone, he spoke into the megaphone again, “Everyone has worked so hard, over the past half year, we’ve been preparing, filming, constantly striving… Thank you all for your dedication!” He paused, his face full of confidence, and said, “Our efforts will definitely not be in vain, this movie will surely bring a surprise to the world! Thank you, thank you!”

Everyone clapped and cheered to their heart’s content, filling that part of the street with the joyous sound of applause and laughter. (To be continued, for