Young director Pham Thien An and the journey of making the film 'Inside the Golden Cocoon'

Trailer for the film Inside the Golden Cocoon

The Golden Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for the film Inside the Golden Cocoon did not come by chance, but from the meticulous preparation of Pham Thien An and the support of programs nurturing young film talents.

Thirty years after Tran Anh Hung's *The Scent of Green Papaya* , *Inside the Golden Cocoon * is the second Vietnamese-language film to win the Camera D'or award for best debut film at the Cannes Film Festival, a prestigious award and a dream for many directors around the world .

To achieve this remarkable success, the film by young director Pham Thien An went through many stages and a complex development process. Although filmed with social distancing from 2020 to 2022, the idea for the film originated before "Wake Up and Be Ready" - An's short film completed in 2019 - garnered numerous international awards.

Pham Thien An received the award on stage at the closing ceremony of the 76th Cannes Film Festival in late May 2023.

NSCC

Director Pham Thien An (born in 1989) is from Lam Dong province . He previously lived and worked in Ho Chi Minh City (he and his wife currently reside in the US but retain Vietnamese citizenship). Five years ago, his short film * The Mute * premiered at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival (USA). A year later – in 2019 – he made his debut at the Cannes Film Festival in France with his short film * Stay Awake , Be Ready *.

Scene from the short film *Stay Awake and Be Ready* - the precursor to the feature film *Inside the Golden Cocoon*.

DPCC

The short film "Stay Awake and Be Ready" was made by Pham Thien An in 2018 after winning a 200 million VND grant from the first season of the CJ Short Film Project in 2018. This short film was extremely successful, having been screened and won top awards at more than 40 major international film festivals such as: Cannes Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival, Busan Film Festival, Singapore Film Festival… Notably, it also earned An the Illy Award for Best Short Film at the Directors' Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival 2019.

When Phạm Thiên Ân first moved to America, his family advised him to learn some trades to secure a stable livelihood, such as hairdressing or nail art. During that time, the young director felt like he had an "awakening." Like Thiện in the film, Ân began to rediscover his deepest core values ​​and asked himself many questions: what am I living for, what is the meaning of my faith, what is truly important in this life...? This is one of the particularly important sources of emotion that helped shape "Inside the Golden Cocoon ." The film subtly conveys a philosophy about lost youth searching for meaning in a dark dream. The director explains the title: "The golden cocoon is like the shell of a person in society, the things that draw them into an endless cycle, a race for money and fame. The cocoon inside is like a person's soul."

Movie poster for Inside the Golden Cocoon

Pham Thien An (a graduate of Information Technology from a university in Ho Chi Minh City who worked in various professions before entering filmmaking) was incredibly fortunate to have the like-minded companionship of his wife, Huynh Phuong Hien, as the art director, responsible for set design for the film "Inside the Golden Cocoon"; along with two close friends, Dinh Duy Hung and Tran Van Thi, who served as cinematographer and producer, respectively. From childhood, An, Hung, and Thi forged a beautiful friendship in their Catholic village in Lam Dong; and all of this contributed to creating a truly worthwhile film.

Director Pham Thien An and his wife

NSCC

Director Pham Thien An shared: “Actually, I already had a film outline for Inside the Golden Cocoon before making Wake Up and Be Ready , although it was changed quite a bit compared to the final version. Wake Up and Be Ready was built from the first scene of the script for Inside the Golden Cocoon , and the short film was made for me to experiment with the rhythm and staging of my first feature film. This new award further strengthens my belief in the path I have chosen. Next year, I will continue to make a film inspired by my life in Vietnam.”

Scene from the movie Inside the Golden Cocoon

Actress Hong Anh, advisor to Pham Thien An in the CJ Short Film Project.   Season 1 stated: “I am very happy and proud of the initial achievements that An has garnered at the Cannes Film Festival 2019. Young filmmakers always hope to receive support not only financially but also through the sharing of experience from professional filmmakers, thereby contributing to building confidence and motivation for them on their filmmaking journey in the future.”

It is clear that, on the journey of filmmakers like Pham Thien An, programs supporting young film talents, filmmaking platforms, and film festivals play an extremely important role. These are the "cocoons" that nurture and cultivate filmmaking dreams and bring the works of Vietnamese creators to the world.

Among them, programs like the CJ Short Film Project – now in its 4th season – and Autumn Meeting, which just concluded its 10th year, are a few prime examples. Providing direct professional and financial benefits to filmmakers aspiring to create their first films, these "cocoons" have contributed significantly to many of the recent resounding achievements of Vietnamese cinema and cultural industries.

Director Phan Dang Di also shared: "I think if there were a more proactive and attentive approach to developing young talent, Vietnamese cinema would have a proud image and could confidently stand alongside other film industries in the world."

Having won a major award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and receiving many positive reviews from critics, Inside the Golden Cocoon will be released in North America, France, Spain, and other countries in the near future. The film will also continue to participate in many international film festivals such as the Melbourne Film Festival (Australia), the San Sebastian Film Festival (Spain), and the New Horizons Film Festival (Poland).

Pham Thien An is proud to be a Vietnamese person honored at one of the world's largest film festivals.

NSCC

In Vietnam, "Inside the Golden Cocoon" is distributed by CJ CGV, the organizer of the CJ Short Film Project since 2018. The film will officially premiere in theaters nationwide on August 11th. Pham Thien An said: "I'm as excited as if I were going to Cannes to attend. I'm worried about how the audience and the press in Vietnam will react after the screening. I just hope that each viewer will receive positive inspiration from the film when they relate it to their own lives."

The film Inside the Golden Cocoon tells the story of Thien, a man who must bring the body of his sister-in-law back to his hometown after she died in a car accident in Ho Chi Minh City. Whether he likes it or not, he must take his nephew, Dao, with him, a child who miraculously survived the accident. Back home, he seeks out his older brother, who had disappeared many years earlier, to return the child. Throughout his journey to find his brother, Dao's father, Thien confronts his past and reflects on life, faith, and the meaning of existence.