The next day, Luca flew to Berlin.
It was winter in Berlin.
As soon as he got off the plane, the cold wind hit him, and Luca shivered for a full five seconds.
"Damn, it's cold!"
Back in Brazil, it was the height of summer, hot enough to fry an egg, but Berlin was still in the dead of winter, dry and freezing cold.
Right now, the thing he wanted most was to sneak into a mixed-gender sauna and enjoy a nice steam. Such saunas were common in Germany.
But considering how much attention he'd draw, he figured it wasn't worth the risk.
He adjusted his wool coat and followed the crew out of the airport.
There were five of them from the crew this time—him, the cameraman, a translator, and two people in charge of distribution.
According to the news from Babank in Berlin, Buried Alive had gotten a pretty good response after its release, earning praise from various media outlets and attracting attention from international film distributors.
Three distributors had already approached Babank, all wanting the rights to distribute Buried Alive.
Luca's trip to Berlin wasn't just about attending the awards ceremony. He was also hoping to sell the film for a good price. If they could get an extra million or two for it, the trip would be well worth it.
"I was planning to take the film to Sundance; there are more distributors there, but we ran out of time," said Babank, the bald man reclining on the sofa at the H4 Hotel at Alexanderplatz in Berlin, with a cigar between his fingers. He glanced at Luca.
Luca smiled slightly. Was Babank blaming him for not doing enough?
Sundance Film Festival was held at the end of January every year, but by the time they wrapped up, Sundance had already ended.
He took a sip of hot coffee. "What's the highest offer so far?"
"Mr. Kelly, Lionsgate is offering $2 million for the North American distribution rights," Babank's assistant said.
Luca thought for a moment.
Lionsgate was a solid independent American film distributor. They had a massive hit with Saw this year, which boosted their interest in horror films.
They had also recently distributed House of 1000 Corpses, Open Water, and Undead, all of which performed decently at the box office.
Now they had their eye on Buried Alive, which was no surprise.
But $2 million was too low.
The main character in Buried Alive was American, the film was in English, and the plot would definitely appeal to American audiences.
Plus, Luca was somewhat of a celebrity in the U.S. entertainment world, which came with its own draw.
And Babank was the most famous director in Brazil, even having been nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.
This offer didn't do them justice.
"Can we negotiate for more?" Luca asked Babank.
Babank took a puff of his cigar and slowly said, "If we win an award, they'll naturally raise the offer. If we don't, they might even lower it. It's a gamble."
"Do we have a chance?"
Luca frowned.
"We do, but not a big one. Brazilian films haven't made much of an impact internationally in recent years, not even compared to our neighbors like Argentina and Peru."
This year, an Argentine film called Lost Embrace was also in the main competition.
It had even been nominated for the Golden Bear.
The film was about a Jewish man searching for his family, and it had received a good response upon release.
The media speculated that it could be the biggest winner of the festival, and its lead actor, Uruguayan Daniel Hendler, had a good shot at Best Actor.
By comparison, Buried Alive, a thriller, had slim chances.
"So should we sell it now?"
Since their chances of winning an award weren't great, selling early seemed safer.
"Let's wait a bit. Buried Alive is solid, and you should have more confidence in the film," Babank said with a chuckle.
"Alright!"
Luca looked at the old man. Could it be that Babank was confident about winning an award?
But thinking about it, it made sense.
The man was old and had come all the way here in the freezing cold despite his illness. Wouldn't it be a bit heartless if the organizers didn't give him at least a small award?
After chatting for a while, Luca returned to his room. He had planned to go out for a walk, but the cold wind made him retreat inside.
Having just arrived in Berlin, he wasn't used to the cold yet.
Ring ring~
Ed was calling.
Luca lay in the bathtub and started chatting.
"How come you've only been back a few days and already managed to make a movie and enter a film festival without saying a word?" Ed said, sounding exasperated over the phone.
Luca smirked. "Would you believe me if I said I didn't know? I was still on set when the assistant director suddenly told me the movie had been selected for the Berlin Film Festival's main competition. Can you imagine how I felt?"
"Hahaha, attending a film festival before the movie is even finished?"
"Exactly! The director and the entire crew kept it a secret from me. Do you know how tough that is?"
Luca said, covering his forehead.
Ed laughed again. "What's the vibe at the festival? Do you have a shot at winning?"
"Maybe."
Luca thought it over. Buried Alive was about a man trapped in a coffin during the Iraq War, saying goodbye to his friends, lover, and family before his death.
In some ways, it was an anti-war movie.
Opposing war, advocating for world peace—those themes weren't inferior to other films.
Plus, Brazilian cinema hadn't been represented at the festival in years. Wouldn't the organizers want to give the crew, who had traveled all the way here, something?
He just couldn't guess which award they might win.
Besides Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, and Best Music, the main competition also had two commemorative prizes—the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution and the Alfred Bauer Silver Bear Award.
Considering everything, Best Director or one of the commemorative awards seemed most likely.
"Do you have a shot at Best Actor?" Ed asked.
"Not really."
For one, he was too young. The youngest person to win Best Actor at Berlin was Leonardo DiCaprio, who won at 23 for Romeo + Juliet.
And then there was the fact that he was Brazilian.
Since the Berlin Film Festival began, no Brazilian actor had ever won Best Actor. It was hard for Brazilian actors to get recognition at other international festivals too.
Breaking that history would be tough.
Luca shook his head. Being a Brazilian actor was even harder than being an actor from China, probably because soccer was so dominant. With everyone focused on playing football, who had time to perfect their acting skills?
Ding dong~
He got a text. It was from the gorgeous Charlize Theron.
Luca quickly hung up on Ed and started texting the beauty.
Theron had arrived today too, but two hours earlier than him.
She asked what he was doing. He said Berlin was too cold, and he was soaking in the bathtub to stay warm. Then he asked what she was doing. She said she wouldn't tell him.
Luca was at a loss for words. After thinking for a bit, he forwarded the message to Kate and then forwarded Kate's reply to Theron, essentially becoming a message relay station.
Somehow, Theron agreed to watch a movie together with him.
"…"
Luca frowned and texted Kate, "It's way too cold. I don't want to go. What should I do?"
"Go!" Kate responded immediately.
"Berlin is seriously freezing. I just want to stay in bed."
Luca tried again.
"Wouldn't it be warmer to cuddle up with Theron tonight?" Kate said.
"…"
That actually made sense.
But it was so freezing outside that he really didn't want to go out.
"Go, or I'll beat you up!" Kate pushed.
"… Fine!"
If it weren't for Kate's threats and intimidation, nothing would've made him take on this unpleasant task.
(End of Chapter)