[Chapter 429: A Warm and Loving Family Gathering]
[T/N: All the Chinese women gathered with Link and had great Chinese food.
Joan Chen asked whether to sign more artists and Link agreed.
Mr. Wang from Chinese Pictures contacted Joan, hoping to meet Link, probably to discuss investment opportunities.
Since Wang had good connections in the industry and was skilled at operating films, Link asked Joan to negotiate with them, and Eastwind Pictures invest in Chinese Pictures.
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Thanks to strong promotion by the distributor, The Sino-Dutch War 1661's box office did well in its second week, with 43.48 million in China and 23.91 million in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, totaling 67.39 million.
...
With domestic affairs settled, mid-February saw Link return to the US with Gong Li, Feihong Yu, and Rebecca Wang to promote the film's North American release.]
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Back in the US, Link first stopped by Seattle to check on several pregnant women, providing positive support to keep their spirits high during pregnancy.
He spent other times at the Beverly house with Jennifer Connelly, Sofia Coppola, Nicole Kidman, reminding them regularly to behave and not put on dramas at home.
Sometimes, he visited villas where Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, and others stayed.
Life was busy yet fulfilling.
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Late February, the 50th British Academy Film Awards took place in London. Link and crews from The English Patient, The Net, and Batman Forever were invited to attend.
Last year, Link's affair with Diana caused a stir in the UK. The British public regarded him poorly, blaming him for stealing their "treasure" Diana and losing face internationally.
Despite seeing Diana recovering on TV, they refused to forgive Link's actions.
This unforgiveness was evident at the BAFTAs.
After The English Patient's release, it received very positive reviews in the US and UK art circles. Many media rated it near perfect, calling it a classic romance film with higher artistic level than any film released the previous year.
Media predicted The English Patient would be the biggest winner of the awards.
At the ceremony, though, The English Patient only took home Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Music.
Link's nominations for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing all lost.
This was the first time in the early awards season that he missed out on Best Director and Best Editing.
It seemed like the British judges were targeting him.
Reports later linked this to the Diana incident, stating the British public was not ready to forgive him, and the academy was hesitant to award him.
Some media criticized the academy for lacking professionalism and objectivity in their selections -- unfair to Link.
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