33 Production and distribution

Phone call connected.

"Please help me transfer to M. Schubert... Hi, it's me, Lyman. Yeah, I've arrived in Saint-Denis. Are you free today? I have something I want to discuss with your company. Yes, it's about the new project. Do you have time? Alright, I'll come over this afternoon. Thank you."

Hanging up the phone, Lyman turned to Thomas and René in the room and said, "It's all set. We can meet this afternoon."

"Are you planning to seek investment and distribution assistance from EuropaCorp?" Thomas curiously asked.

"Of course. With a distribution company backing us, we won't be so rushed during production. You wouldn't want to go door-to-door seeking theater distribution after the film is finished, would you?" The three of them chatted casually, and time quickly passed.

Since the day before yesterday, after more than a week of brainstorming, René had finally completed the final draft of the film script. That's how they ended up in Paris.

EuropaCorp's headquarters was located in a commercial building in the central district of Saint-Denis, in the northern suburbs of Paris.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the three of them set off early. They hailed a taxi and headed towards their destination. Lyman looked out the window, observing the tall buildings and the wide roads, enjoying the vibrant atmosphere of this modern metropolis.

The car stopped, and René, sitting in the passenger seat, paid the fare. The three of them got out of the car without hesitation and walked into the EuropaCorp building. After explaining their purpose to the receptionist, they were led to a conference room.

They didn't have to wait long before the executives of EuropaCorp arrived. "Lyman, this is Reynald Robert, the head of the distribution department."

In this spacious conference room, M. Schubert, the short-haired man who had purchased the rights to "Buried", began introducing everyone present to each other. "And this is Luc Besson, I believe you're not unfamiliar with him."

Upon hearing this, Lyman looked and immediately recognized the familiar face. He had learned about this prominent French director from various media and newspapers.

"Hello, M. Besson, it's an honor to meet you." As he spoke, Lyman shook the outstretched right hand of Luc Besson.

"I've seen your work, and it left a deep impression on me." Luc Besson showed no signs of unfamiliarity. Instead, he continued to smile and said, "I heard you have a new project, and I hope it will be another masterpiece."

"..."

After everyone became somewhat acquainted, the meeting seeking investment and distribution began. Lyman stood up and exchanged a glance with René and Thomas. Seeing this, the two of them started distributing project proposal materials to the executives of EuropaCorp present for their review.

After a while, feeling that it was almost enough, Lyman spoke up, saying, "The film's production budget is approximately €6M, and the shooting time is around two months. You have more detailed information in front of you, so I won't waste words."

"What do you think?"

"I think there's some risk. The film will be shot in India, and I'm afraid..."

"The subject matter is quite good, focusing on higher education in India."

"But investing €6M is a significant amount of money. What if we can't recoup the costs?"

People below exchanged their opinions, and the previously quiet conference room became somewhat noisy.

At that moment, Mr. Schubert stood up and said, "Lyman, how confident are you that the film will be marketable upon release? Without profit prospects, it's difficult for us to make investment and distribution decisions."

"Before a film is released, who can say for sure whether it will succeed or not? All I can say is that I will do my best to create a good story, a story that will be appreciated by the audience, that's all," Lyman said calmly.

"But our company doesn't have distribution channels in India, so we can't really help much," a middle-aged man stood up and voiced his opinion. He was Reynald Robert, the head of the distribution department introduced earlier. Lyman recognized him, and it was clear that he believed the primary audience for this film would be in India.

"How about a joint distribution? It shouldn't be difficult to collaborate with a distribution company in India to promote this film. I think EuropaCorp has had commissioned distribution in the past when distributing films globally," Lyman suggested.

"Even so, the risk is still too great, especially when it involves shooting overseas. I can't think of any favorable outcomes for non-English films," the head of the marketing department stood up and expressed his opinion.

Indeed, in recent years, non-English films in the English-speaking cultural sphere, primarily Europe and North America, had not had much success. Even those films that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film had struggled to make a splash. Until this year, only six non-English films had achieved significant profits, and among them, only two have been very successful: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" from mainland China and "Life Is Beautiful" from Italy.

This exclusivity within the cultural sphere was evident, and it posed a significant challenge for all non-English films. Therefore, EuropaCorp's concerns were justified. The potential for growth was very limited, and the prospects for recouping profits were uncertain. Rather than investing time and money in such films, it would be more prudent to focus on the local market. Perhaps it was only natural that they would choose to abandon this somewhat tricky project.

Listening to these skeptical questions, Lyman also felt somewhat discouraged. His initial idea was to shoot a film that portrays the current state of education in India from an outsider's perspective, without excessive idealization or vilification, but with a fair and impartial depiction of the light and shadows of society. The greatest purpose of this film would be to bring reflection and change to the audience.

The caste system was indeed the detritus of a civilized society and should have been abolished long ago. Without understanding, it's truly difficult to imagine that in this modern society where the world is beginning to address issues of class, there could still be such disparities of status.

Those of lower caste are sentenced to a life of hardship from birth. Often, they end up doing the work of servants and craftsmen, with extremely limited upward mobility. Such cruelty is rarely known to many.

At least Thomas was unaware. He had learned about India's caste system from textbooks, but he didn't really understand some of the phenomena associated with it. He even believed that the Indian government had already abolished this social system. Indeed, how would outsiders in a civilized society care about matters that have no intersection with their own lives?

With Lyman's detailed evidence and explanations, René, who had gained some understanding, and Thomas, who was still unaware, were both astonished by Lyman's words. He said, "In reality, those of higher caste do not consider those of lower caste as beings of the same species. In their eyes, the lowly are like domesticated livestock."

And there are hundreds of millions of such human cattle in India, with the Dalits, who are not protected by Indian law, at the lowest level, even lower than the Shudras.

These people lose their dignity and honor from birth until death, perhaps never having done anything wrong. Diligent and hardworking, they belong to the higher civilization, but the one thing they shouldn't have done is to be born into a low-caste family.

But what's even more terrifying is that these glaring social issues remain unbreakable. This kind of rule, resembling the system of slavery, is considered by the oppressed as natural and absolutely right. From the indoctrination they receive since childhood, the low-caste are supposed to work for and support the high-caste masters, to obey them.

And all of this absurdity happening in the heart of India's most devout Hinduism.

Its teachings advocate equality for all, but that equality is only spiritual. All souls of believers are born equal, but your physical body is unequal, there are distinctions. Some people are born with clean bodies, like Brahmins, while the bodies of low-caste individuals are defiled, impure, and untouchable. Therefore, the low-caste Dalits naturally accept oppression. Who made their bodies impure? Lord Brahma, the great god, will not protect those with impure bodies.

To break free is simple—wait for the next life, be born into a good family, and become a Brahmin.

Religious rules also state that low-caste people should wear foul-smelling clothes to test their willpower. If they can endure what ordinary people cannot endure, practice diligently every day, they can move the great god Brahma and escape the sea of suffering.

Moreover, the doctrines say that the suffering of this life is temporary. If they work diligently and avoid contact with other low-caste people, otherwise they will be contaminated and be low-caste in their next life.

What clever and manipulative methods for managing the masses. It is precisely because of this that those who belong to the low-caste class also look down on each other.

Those who kill chickens look down on those who kill fish, considering them untouchable and contaminated, destined for a miserable afterlife. Those who kill fish look down on those who kill sheep, also considering them untouchable and contaminated, maintaining segregation.

In such understanding, the low caste class is manipulated to the point where they cannot unite. They see each other as mythical creatures and would rather sincerely serve the high caste, yearning to become nobility in the next life, than risk contamination by interacting with each other. It is even more impossible for them to raise their voices to the world and fight against the ruling class that oppresses them.

It is precisely because of the influence of these indoctrinated doctrines and the shared beliefs of parents that this cancerous caste system continues to survive in Indian society.

How tragic, isn't it? Religion was supposed to be a solace for the soul, but it has become a tool of the rulers, tormenting countless low-caste families in India.

"Lyman, let us consider it and give you a definite answer later," Luc Besson spoke. He was the key decision-maker in this company.

"Alright, I'll go back and wait for your response," Lyman forced himself to gather his spirits, putting on a suitable smile. The three of them left the conference room.