Tran Anh Hung - 3 times won Cannes thanks to unique perspective

For more than 30 years of making films, director Tran Anh Hung has scored points thanks to his aesthetic cinematic language, helping him be honored at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival with his latest work "Pot Au Feu".

It is no coincidence that Vietnamese filmmakers and cinema lovers always mention Tran Anh Hung with admiration and pride. Partly because he is the one who made it. The smell of green papaya (1993) – the first Vietnamese-language film to be nominated for an Oscar in 1994 in the category Best foreign language film .

Furthermore, throughout his career, the director born in 1962 has made many large and small contributions to the country's cinema, from teaching filmmaking classes to bringing the image of Vietnam closer to international audiences.

At Cannes 2023, Tran Anh Hung continued to step up to the pinnacle of glory when he won the category Excellent director. What's special is that exactly 30 years ago, he was also named for his debut work, right at this prestigious film festival.

Aesthetic style and poetic language

Each filmmaker has his own perspective and approach to cinema. For Tran Anh Hung, the most important element in a film is the visual storytelling language.

Tran Anh Hung when his name was called at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

“I think I make films not because I know how to make films. I make films because I want to practice a very subtle and complex language. That is the language of cinema,” the director shared in a filmmaking workshop organized by Toong released in 2018.

According to him, it is something that is very inspiring because it contains many difficulties, but also makes him "feel like he can devote his whole life" to the 7th art alone.

To master that language, Tran Anh Hung personally wrote the scripts for all the works he directed. But when making his first feature film The Scent of Green Papaya , the director made a bold decision to use his native language, Vietnamese, instead of French.

The film's plot is simple, telling the story of a girl named Mui, who worked as a maid for two families in Saigon from the 1950s to the 1960s. Through each stage, the character witnessed the changes in the lives of the homeowners, from which there were many changes in her thoughts and actions.

Although the setting is Vietnam, Tran Anh Hung had to film everything in France. Language became the first thing that helped the film exude Vietnamese spirit. In that situation, the director cleverly minimized the dialogue, letting the images speak for the characters' hearts for most of the duration.

Right from his debut film The Scent of Green Papaya, Tran Anh Hung left many impressions on critics and audiences.

Reply to the magazine Bomb, The filmmaker said he wanted to “create a certain freshness and poetry in everyday life” through Mui’s story. “I wanted to create a rhythm for the film, a rhythm that I hope represents a certain way of life in Vietnam, and through that rhythm to reveal the soul of the country,” he said.

Therefore, Tran Anh Hung's debut work does not have too many climaxes. On the contrary, all events take place in a strangely slow manner. If there is any drama, it is also handled gently, creating a feeling of wandering and dreaminess, reminiscent of the typical filmmaking style of famous Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu.

Through Tran Anh Hung's lens, every character's action, no matter how small, becomes beautiful and romantic.

It was the clear eyes of little Mui as she watched the sap flowing down the green leaves, amidst the chirping of birds in her garden.

That was also the moment when Mui, now a young woman, gently applied lipstick to her lips, happily looking at herself in the mirror, unaware that someone was watching from afar.

Throughout the work, the director creates many beautiful and romantic frames.

After The Scent of Green Papaya , Tran Anh Hung persistently pursues an aesthetic filmmaking style in his next projects. He made Cyclo (1995) and ended the trilogy of films about Vietnam with Summer vertical projection (2000).

Since then, the director has filmed in many places around the world , from the US, Japan, Hong Kong, to France.

However, the works associated with his name are always praised for their subtle language. The frames often focus on details and are full of symbolism, sometimes only for the purpose of evocative, so they can be difficult to understand for the general audience.

3 times conquering Cannes Film Festival

Tran Anh Hung has had his works compete at several major international film festivals such as Venice, Dubai, and Sydney. However, Cannes is where his name is further known on the world map.

The filmmaker first appeared at Cannes when he turned 31. With The Scent of Green Papaya , director was honored to win 2 categories, including the award Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) and Award of the Youth. Not only was the film nominated for an Oscar, it also won the 1994 César Award for Best First Film. This was an admirable achievement for a director whose previous experience was only making short films.

Seven years later, Tran Anh Hung returned to the 2000 Cannes Film Festival but did not compete for the highest prize but only participated in the category. Un Certain Regard (Unique perspective) with Summer vertical projection. Although it did not win, the film was still highly appreciated and is one of the important films in his career.

This year, Tran Anh Hung continues to bring to Cannes his latest project called Pot Au Feu . The title refers to a traditional French beef stew. The screenplay, adapted from Marcel Rouff's novel, centers on the relationship between a chef and a culinary expert, set in late 19th-century France.

In the work, Tran Anh Hung had the opportunity to work with the "icon" of French cinema: Juliette Binoche - who won Best Supporting Actress at the 1997 Oscars. The star starred alongside co-star Benoît Magimel.

Surpass many competitors, Pot Au Feu shortlisted Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), and received positive feedback from critics. According to Variety , it's the most “radical” entry on the shortlist, “beginning with a nearly 40-minute cooking scene” and continuing with a romance.

Of course, the film still maintains the style of Tran Anh Hung with a minimalist plot and beautiful, poetic scenes. His unique perspective helped his film stand out from the rest of the competition, leaving a strong impression on the jury – headed by Swedish director Ruben Östlund.

In 5 nominations at Cannes, Tran Anh Hung won 3 awards, including the category that any filmmaker desires: Excellent director . It is the result of more than 30 years of hard work and perseverance in pursuing a unique filmmaking language, since his first foray into cinema.

Image from Pot Au Feu - Tran Anh Hung's latest project.

At Cannes 2023, the director shared: “As a filmmaker, I felt like I was born again in Cannes during the presentation. The smell of green papaya 30 years ago. I was so moved when I heard Vietnamese being sung at this film festival, that feeling is hard to describe. And today, I bring here a film in French."

During his career, Tran Anh Hung has had the opportunity to work with big names in world cinema, from "French muses" Audrey Tautou, Bérénice Bejo, Mélanie Laurent,... to Asian stars such as Tony Leung, Lee Byung Hun, Toru Watanabe,...

But it's been a long time since Tran Anh Hung made a film about Vietnam, collaborating with Vietnamese actors.

That makes The smell of green papaya It has become an unforgettable memory for movie fans, especially those who love Vietnamese movies.

When hearing the news that the director was honored at Cannes, most of the audience believed that this event would motivate and inspire many young filmmakers in Vietnam. At the same time, many people also hoped that a Vietnamese-language work by Tran Anh Hung would appear in the future.

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