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Chapter 43 - 305

Sony-Colombia knew that their hardest opponents were Warner Bros and Walt Disney. 

If the other studios were ready to bleed to acquire Grey Pictures, then Sony-Colombia was also prepared. Sony-Colombia was the weakest of the Big Six and they could turn it over once they acquired Grey Pictures. 

If Walt Disney was ready to exchange 1.2% shares for 30% shares of Grey Pictures, then Sony-Colombia with 2.3% shares and this amount was already approved by Sony's Chairman, Nobuyuki Edei. 

Akio Morita, the last chairman of Sony, died in 1999 and Nobuyuki Edei became the chairman. 

Sony and Sony-Colombia understood that they needed someone to keep producing high-quality films and Kazir fit the criteria. 

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Toronto International Film Festival was one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, founded in 1976 and taking place each September. Many movies are released every year at this festival and many people love to attend this festival. 

The Film Festival was a way for small directors to present their projects to the public.

Films that were released in festivals were mostly artistic films and few luckily got distribution contracts from some studios. 

Toronto International Film Festival hosted awards and many of its winners gained a strong box office once released in theaters. 

A few of these movies were:

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Slumdog Millionaire

The King's Speech

12 Years a Slave

La La Land

Green Book

These movies won the festival's People's Choice Award and these movies gained a reputation at the box office. 

And you know what? All of these movies gained nominations/awards at the Academy Awards(Oscars). 

In a way, for a movie to get nominations for Academy Awards, it had to participate in film festivals and award ceremonies such as Golden Globes. 

This was the method that Grey Pictures followed. Just like what the others did, The Revenant had its first screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. This was the start of their knocking on the door of the Academy Awards. 

Even Tom Cruise attended the screening. Mind you the Toronto International Film Festival last 12 days. From September 5 to September 17. The actor knew the importance of this Film Festival so he attended the 12-day festival even though their movie would only be released on the last day. You know, a way of promotion and publicity. 

Not going to lie, Tom Cruise did a lot of selfies and autographs for the fans within 12 days. 

Tornado International Film Festival hosted 343 films this year and it was a lot of movies. Why 343 movies? Because many movies from different countries would have screened in this film festival. Different languages, different regions, and different races. Toronto International Film Festival was all for everyone. One of the reasons why this film festival was famous all over the world. 

Also, one of the reasons why the Toronto International Film Festival was famous was because of the superstars who showed up. This year, the biggest actor who showed up was Tom Cruise. 

The opening movie was Ararat while the closing movie was Brian De Palma's Femme Fatale. 

As for The Revenant, it was second to the last. 

Kazir already finished the post-production of The Revenant and made sure that it would participate in the Toronto International Film Festival. Kazir was following the usual procedure. 

He knew that film festivals had biases against Hollywood movies but that didn't stop him. 

Their target was to win the People's Choice Award and positively gained recognition from the members of the Academy Awards. 

Days passed and the festival was going strong. Many audiences stayed for the whole festival, appreciating the art they witnessed. 

However, the last day was quite packed and almost all of the seats were taken.

Kazir Grey and Tom Cruise were sitting in the front row together with the cast, waiting for their movie to start. 

Both of them were confident in the movie, they watched it before the festival and were satisfied with it. 

Still, confidence was not enough to win the Academy Awards. After all, the Academy was biased against blockbuster movies, movies produced for the sole purpose of making money. And Kazir was known for being a director who pursued money. 

It was unknown if they would accept The Revenant. One of the reasons why they wanted to test the water in this film festival and see the reaction of the audience. 

The logo of 20th Century Fox and Grey Pictures showed up on the screen, stating that the movie started. 

[The Revenant is an epic survival drama set in the American frontier of the 1820s. The story revolves around Hugh Glass(Tom Cruise), a frontiersman and fur trapper who endures a series of harrowing challenges. The narrative kicks off with a brutal bear attack that leaves Glass severely injured. Struggling for survival, he is betrayed by his own expedition team, led by John Fitzgerald(Tom Hardy).]

[Left for dead, Glass defies the odds, embarking on a treacherous journey through the unforgiving wilderness. Battling harsh weather, hostile Native American tribes, and the pursuit of revenge against Fitzgerald, Glass's resilience becomes a testament to the strength of the human spirit.]

[The Revenant is a gripping tale of one man's fight for survival against nature's brutality and the betrayal of those he trusted, creating a visceral and emotionally charged cinematic experience.]

The audience clapped once the movie ended and Tom and Kazir were happy. Based on the reaction of the audience, the movie was promising. 

Well, both of them were veterans in this industry and knew how to make great movies. 

Since The Revenant was second to the last, Femme Fatale was released after their movie ended. 

While that was happening, some of the audience already decided which movie to vote for. 

Movies made by Hollywood usually had high quality and The Revenant fit the box. They were entertained. So the audience voted for the movie. 

Many expected that this year's winner would be obvious. You see, a lot of people know Tom Cruise. This actor was a superstar famous all over the world. To make it better, The Revenant was a great movie too. 

So the winner of the People's Choice Award was undoubtedly The Revenant. There was no acceptance speech but Kazir Grey and Tom Cruise were satisfied with the results. At least The Revenant had a good chance to get nominated at the Oscars after this event.