French press praises film by Tran Anh Hung and Pham Thien An

Director Tran Anh Hung won the Best Director award for the film "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" at the closing ceremony of the 76th Cannes Film Festival in France on the evening of May 27, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

As reported by VNA correspondent in France, on the evening of May 27, in France, the closing ceremony of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival ended with the historic victory of two filmmakers of Vietnamese origin, Tran Anh Hung, who won the Best Director award for the film "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" (The Pot-au-Feu) and Pham Thien An, the Golden Lens award (Camera d'Or) for his debut film "Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell".

Not only did these two directors receive applause from the public, they also received much praise from the French press.

"La Passion de Dodin Bouffant," translated as "The Passion of Dodin Bouffant," by French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, adapted from the novel of the same name by writer Marcel Rouff, tells the love story between a young female kitchen assistant Eugenie, played by actress Juliette Binoche, who works alongside famous chef Dodin, played by actor Benoit Magimel.

During 20 years of working together, they developed a deep affection stemming from their shared love of culinary arts.

Together, they created many special dishes that amazed diners. However, in the end, Eugenie, always wanting to be free, refused to marry Dodin. The famous chef decided to give her a special gift: preparing her a special meal.

Commenting on this film, French daily Le Monde said that along with the main actors Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel, French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung has made his mark on a very academic film about cuisine and the art of living.

The film not only depicts a love story in the late 19th century but also celebrates the art of fine dining, French style, and a sociable French lifestyle.

The daily Le Figaro compared the character's performance in "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" to the gentleness of Catherine Deneuve in the French classic "Peau d'âne," or the wonderful performance of Stéphane Audran in the film "Festin de Babette" (Oscar for best foreign language film in 1988).

Recalling the success of director Tran Anh Hung with the film "The Scent of Green Papaya" (L'Odeur de la papaye verte) which helped him win the Golden Lens Award in 1993, the author of the article said that "La passion de Dodin Bouffant" brought him a convincing Best Director award and affirmed that "with a very successful performance of the novel of the same name by Marcel Rouff, Tran Anh Hung's film will certainly satisfy gourmets, of which there are many in France."

While Tran Anh Hung shone at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival with the Best Director award, young director Pham Thien An stood out with the Golden Lens award presented by the Filmmakers Association for his debut work "Inside the Golden Cocoon."

The story revolves around the journey of the character Thien. His sister-in-law died in a sudden car accident in Saigon, leaving behind a son named Dao.

Thien returned to his hometown, carrying with him the task of arranging his sister-in-law's funeral, taking care of the baby, and searching for his brother who had been lost for many years in the mysterious mountains and forests.

His journey is interspersed with forgotten dreams and hidden passions, causing him to question many questions about life and faith.

Pham Thien An's film not only won the sympathy of the judges and the public, but also received many compliments from the French press.

The daily newspaper Liberation compares "Inside the Golden Cocoon" to a contemplative epic poem in rural Vietnam.

Director Pham Thien An (left) was awarded the Camera d'Or for the film "Inside the Golden Cocoon" at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in France on the evening of May 27, 2023. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

According to the author of the article, this debut feature film by Pham Thien An deserves the Golden Lens award thanks to the amazing filming techniques by a 34-year-old Vietnamese filmmaker - who was trained through a small job filming weddings and was helped by a group of friends who were mostly trained only in the process of filming (director Dinh Duy Hung is a childhood friend, the art director is his wife, Ms. Huynh Phuong Hien).

The Daily Screen website wrote: "Dinh Duy Hung has created beautiful scenes of Vietnam such as the quiet forest at night, the rushing waterfall, the trees swaying in the wind or the image of golden cocoons. The camera angles are reasonable and rhythmic, focusing on key details. Pham Thien An knows exactly what he needs to record to convey the story to the audience."

The French-language magazine Gavroche of Thailand commented that the appearance of a young filmmaker at a professional and prestigious playground like the Cannes Film Festival has never been easy. However, the director of "Inside the Golden Cocoon," Pham Thien An, only 34 years old, has emerged as a phenomenon, one of the most beautiful discoveries of the Cannes Film Festival, which has always been a playground for veteran filmmakers in both age and career. The author of the article believes that with the Golden Lens, Pham Thien An promises to go far.

Born in 1962 in Da Nang , Tran Anh Hung is the Vietnamese film director who has won the most international awards to date.

He has affirmed his reputation in European and world cinema, including many films about Vietnam such as "The Young Woman of Nam Xuong" which was introduced at the Cannes Film Critics Week in 1989, "The Scent of Green Papaya" which won the Golden Lens Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993 and the Cesar Award for Best Film in 1994. Many films with Vietnamese backgrounds and themes such as "Cyclo" (1995), "Vertical Summer" (2000) all received public acclaim.

Pham Thien An was born in 1989. He won second prize in the "48 Hour Short Film Making" contest in 2014.

In 2018, his short film "The Mute" was screened at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and was selected to compete at about 15 other international film festivals.

In 2019, Pham Thien An attended the Cannes Film Festival for the first time with the short film "Stay Awake, Be Ready" ./.

According to NGUYEN THU HA (Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

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