Young director Pham Thien An and the journey of making the film 'Inside the golden cocoon'

Trailer for the movie 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 came from Pham Thien An's careful preparation and the support of programs to nurture young film talents.

Exactly 30 years after The Scent of Green Papaya by Tran Anh Hung, Inside the Golden Cocoon is the second Vietnamese-language film to win the Camera D'or for best debut film at the Cannes Film Festival, a prestigious award and also the dream of many directors around the world .

To achieve this remarkable achievement, the film by young director Pham Thien An has gone through many stages and a complex development process. Although it was filmed in a distance from 2020 to 2022, the idea for the film was born before "Stay Awake and Be Ready" - An's short film completed in 2019 - won many international awards.

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

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Director Pham Thien An (born in 1989) is from Lam Dong , and used to live and make films in Ho Chi Minh City (he and his wife currently live in the US but still hold Vietnamese citizenship). Five years ago, his short film The Mute premiered at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival (USA). And a year later - 2019, he first came to the Cannes Film Festival in France with the short film Stay Awake , Be Ready .

Scene from the short film Be Awake and Be Prepared - the precursor to the feature film Inside the Golden Cocoon

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The short film Be Awake and Be Ready was made by Pham Thien An in 2018 after receiving a 200 million VND grant from the first season of the CJ Short Film Project in 2018. This is a very successful short film that has been screened and won high 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... In particular, it also brought An the Illy Award for Best Short Film at the Directors' Fortnight of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

When he first moved to the US, his family advised Pham Thien An to learn some trades to stabilize his livelihood, such as cutting hair or doing nails. At that time, the young director seemed to be "awakened". Like Thien in the film, An began to search for the core, deepest values in himself and asked himself many questions: what do I live for, what is the meaning of my faith, what is really important in this life...? This is one of the especially important sources of emotion, helping Inside the Golden Cocoon take shape. The film contains a deep philosophy about lost youth searching for the meaning of life in a dark dream. The director explains the title: "The golden cocoon is like the shell of people in society, the things that draw them into an endless circle, the race for money and fame. The cocoon inside is like a person's soul".

Movie poster Inside the golden cocoon

Pham Thien An (who graduated with a degree in Information Technology from a university in Ho Chi Minh City and worked many jobs before becoming a filmmaker) was extremely lucky to have the companionship of his wife, Huynh Phuong Hien, in the position of art director, in charge of designing the set for the film Inside the Golden Cocoon; along with two lifelong friends: Dinh Duy Hung and Tran Van Thi, who took on the roles of cameraman and producer, respectively. Since childhood, An, Hung and Thi have created a beautiful friendship in the Catholic neighborhood in Lam Dong; and all of them have resonated to help foster a film worth watching.

Director Pham Thien An and his wife

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Director Pham Thien An shared: “Actually, I had an outline for Inside the Golden Cocoon before making Be Awake and Be Ready , although it was later changed quite a bit compared to the final version. Be Awake and Be Ready was built from the first scene of the script 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, Pham Thien An's advisor in the CJ Short Film Project   Season 1 said: “I am very happy and proud of the initial achievements that An has achieved at the Cannes Film Festival 2019. Young filmmakers always want to receive support not only financially but also sharing experiences from professional filmmakers, thereby contributing to creating confidence and motivation for you on your future filmmaking journey.”

It can be seen that on the journey of filmmakers like Pham Thien An, programs to support young film talents, filmmaking playgrounds, and film festivals play an extremely important role. These are the “cocoons” that nurture and cultivate the dream of filmmaking and bring the works of creators from Vietnam to the world.

Among them, programs such as CJ Short Film Project - which is now in its 4th season, or Autumn Meeting - which has just completed its 10th year, are some typical representatives. Bringing direct benefits both professionally and financially to filmmakers who are cherishing their first film projects, these "cocoons" have contributed significantly to many recent resounding achievements of the Vietnamese film and cultural industry.

Director Phan Dang Di also shared: "I think if there is a more proactive and closer approach to developing young talent, Vietnamese cinema will have a proud appearance and can confidently stand next to other cinemas in the world."

Receiving the grand prize at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival and many positive responses from critics, Inside the Golden Cocoon will be released in North America, France, Spain... in the near future. The film will also continue to participate in many international film festivals such as Melbourne Film Festival (Australia), San Sebastian Film Festival (Spain), New Horizons Film Festival (Poland).

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

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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 11. Pham Thien An said: "I'm also excitedly waiting as if I'm about to attend Cannes. I'm worried about how the Vietnamese audience and press will react after the screening. I just hope that each viewer will receive positive inspiration from the film when comparing it to their own lives."

The film Inside the Golden Cocoon tells the story of Thien - a man who has to bring his sister-in-law's body back to his hometown after she died in a car accident in Ho Chi Minh City. Whether he wants to or not, he has to bring his nephew named Dao with him, the child who miraculously survived the accident. Returning to his hometown, he goes to his brother, who has been missing for many years, to return his nephew. During the journey to find his brother and Dao's father, Thien faces the past and reflects on life, faith and the meaning of life.