Utah.
Today is the opening day of the Sundance Film Festival.
Sundance is specifically a festival for independent films.
Everyone knows that independent films usually have small budgets and often pursue artistic rather than commercial paths. Such films are hard to release in theaters and even harder to recoup costs.
To ensure good films are not buried, the Sundance Film Festival was created.
Many well-known directors, such as the Coen Brothers, Christopher Nolan, and Quentin Tarantino, have emerged from Sundance. It is truly a talent factory for Hollywood.
This year's festival will last for 10 days. Eric was now taking a taxi to Park City, a small town with a population of just over ten thousand people, with no airport.
"Ring"
A phone call came from another, more personal number, known to few.
"Hello, Elin!"
"You little schemer, is this your plan? I woke up, and Hasbro's shares had already dropped by 5%."
Eric frowned:
"Only 5%? So little? It seems the market still believes I will be a good director, ha-ha-ha..."
"What are you thinking? Even I know this is utter nonsense. The shares didn't fall more because someone is supporting them. Surely it's the Hasselfeld family."
"And also because the news is too recent, and many people are still waiting, thinking it's false information."
"I see, you want me to go all out, huh?"
Elin snapped:
"Of course! I took a risk giving you the loan, and for that, I could go to prison. Don't disappoint me, Eric Cooper! Otherwise, I'll drag you to hell with me."
Even through the phone, Eric could feel her tension and tried to calm her down:
"Don't worry, don't be so nervous. This isn't like the woman I know."
"I'm heading to the Sundance Film Festival opening now. All the leading entertainment media in America will be there. These bloodthirsty sharks will help us blow things up."
On the other end, Elin was breathing heavily, calming herself:
"I hope you're right."
Half an hour later, the taxi arrived. In the snowy town, a vast space was cordoned off, filled with cinemas. Countless people were trying to get inside – movie enthusiasts from all over the country.
"Phew"
Eric exhaled a cloud of steam, took off his hat and mask. It was cold, but it was worth enduring a bit so the media could capture him better.
He immediately bought a pass for all the films for $2000. Few could afford such a luxury; usually, people bought tickets only for individual films.
Scanning the booklet with over a hundred film titles, Eric looked for something familiar and on the second page saw "The United States of Leland."
Though the director was unknown, the cast had familiar names: Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling, and Michelle Williams.
Don Cheadle is that black actor who played War Machine in "Iron Man," but not in the first part.
He's been in the film industry for over 10 years and is somewhat known, although not at the level of Denzel Washington or Will Smith, but still a fairly well-known black actor.
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are promising young Hollywood actors, the former even recently auditioned for a role in "Transformers."
Choosing his target, Eric headed to the hall where "The United States of Leland" was being shown. The screening was about to start, and he hoped to meet a few journalists there.
Pushing through the crowd, he found a hall with a good spot. Entering, he did indeed see a small press conference.
There weren't many media representatives, just seven or eight, but it would suffice. Eric boldly sat in the front row.
Attractive people attract attention everywhere, like a bright star. The moment he appeared, Ryan Gosling's gaze immediately fell on him.
"Eric Cooper, is that really him? Why is he here? Is he interested in my film?"
With these thoughts, Ryan nodded to Eric, and Eric smiled in return.
This strange reaction sparked interest, and a few people's gazes turned to Eric. The media, of course, didn't stay out of it either.
The film crew might not know who Eric was but noted his attractiveness.
But the journalists sensed it like sharks sense blood and surrounded Eric, not letting him leave.
"Mr. Cooper, is it true that you will be directing 'Transformers'?"
"Mr. Cooper, can you comment on the morning news? Is it MGM's mistake?"
"Mr. Cooper, are you really going to direct? Is it true?"
Seeing such interest from journalists and comparing it to their lackluster reaction to themselves, the director and actors felt annoyed.
Hey, this is our press conference! What's going on?
Eric raised his hand, calling for silence:
"I will answer your questions, but only after the film. This is a great film with talented directors and actors. Let's focus on them first, okay?"
Saying this, he sat down, and the journalists didn't insist. Eric promised to answer, so they decided to wait until the film ended.
However, the real reason was that there were few major outlets among the journalists. If the news of his presence spread, there would be a crowd of reporters here after the film.
Let's wait a bit.
Seeing the journalists' attention return to them with even greater enthusiasm, the director and actors felt grateful.
He seems like a good person.
More than an hour passed unnoticed, and the film ended. Eric and the few viewers applauded. Though it was an arthouse film, it was quite good.
The film crew came on stage to thank the audience, and they started leaving the hall.
The director and actors headed towards Eric. Such an opportunity to meet an important person doesn't come often; no one wanted to miss it. Maybe he would be a buyer of their film.
But the journalists were quicker. To the initial 7-8 journalists, dozens more had joined, surrounding Eric.
Cameras and microphones were practically shoved in his face, creating chaos. The actors and film crew stood aside, embarrassed, watching the scene.
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