Pham Thien An is the director of the film "Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell" which won the Camera D'or (Golden Camera) award, went to the contest to represent Vietnam, and Tran Anh Hung, the original French director. Viet won the Best Director award for "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" (The Pot-au-Feu).
The award for the film "Inside the golden cocoon" by Pham Thien An is the same award that director Tran Anh Hung received 30 years ago for the film "The smell of green papaya". This is an award for an outstanding debut film by a young director, chosen by one of the selection departments (Official Selection Board or International Critics' Week).
After "The smell of green papaya" won the Golden Camera award at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, the name Tran Anh Hung became famous in the international film world. Even when it comes to Vietnamese cinema, experts remind Tran Anh Hung or only know Tran Anh Hung. That said, Cannes is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. To identify a cinema, the film must be shown and recognized at this film festival. If you are lucky enough to win an award, then by default, the cinema with the winning film will be mentioned, recognized as a branded "logo".
"Inside the golden cocoon" is 120 minutes long, about the character Thien. When suddenly receiving news that his sister-in-law had died in an accident, Thien had to return to his hometown to accept family responsibilities and began to have the urge to find his lost brother in the mysterious mountains. His journey is mixed with slumbering dreams and deep-seated passions, causing him to ask himself: What do I live for?
Director Pham Thien An was very emotional when receiving the award. He thanked the crew - those who accompanied him to make the "sparkling" film at Cannes this year. “We have come a long way to get here and cinema is the faith that unites us,” he said. This award is for everyone.”
Pham Thien An was born in 1989. He won the second prize of the contest "Make a short film 48 hours" in 2014. In 2018, his short film "The Mute" was screened at the Palm Spring International Short Film Festival. and was selected to compete at nearly 15 international film festivals in Winterthur, Tampere, Hong Kong, Encounters, Aspen. In 2019, Pham Thien An attended Cannes for the first time with the short film "Wake up and get ready" (Stay Awake, Be Ready), winning the Illy Award for "Best Short Film".
When An's film was awarded, many people in the Vietnamese filmmaking world shared the same feeling of pride and… pity. Screenwriter of the film "Sisters 2" - Nhung Khin said: "Inside the golden cocoon" is an international cooperation between 4 countries: Vietnam - Singapore - France - Spain. The Vietnamese company JK Films was established to produce Pham Thien An's films and this is also Pham Thien An's company.
This regret contains the wish that Vietnam should pay attention to the development of cinema in a substantive way. The Law on Cinema has been opened up, but it is still not enough when the policies are still on paper and the filmmakers are broken in terms of the team when there is no feasible decision to revive the Vietnamese cinema industry. There needs to be a drastic change in the thinking of managers to have the right orientation, creating conditions for film talents (both at home and abroad) to make films more openly.
Regarding Pham Thien An's victory at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, director Luong Dinh Dung asked: "Will Pham Thien An be welcomed as the team's victory in the SEA Games?". According to director Luong Dinh Dung, this is the first time a Vietnamese director has officially won an award at Cannes in a proper way, a Vietnamese film in the true sense of the word, and "Cannes playground" is one of the major film festivals. ranked in the world can be likened to world-class "World Cup playgrounds". Therefore, we should rejoice and welcome director Thien An as a person who brings the honor of Vietnamese cinema to the world. Not only for Thien An but for a future generation of young cinema to look at, cinema is cherished as it is and its power affects the human world to create endless inspiration for them to contribute. dedicated to the country's cinema.
“I have heard when some people still say that, if you want a movie to be screened at an international film festival, you only need to register. Sounds fun and funny. Just like if we want to play the World Cup or the European Football League, we just need to register to play in the final. In fact, a film that wants to be selected for official screening at a major international film festival, frankly speaking, has reached another level. Because there is an international film festival, the film only needs to be officially screened, more prestigious than winning the first prize of many other film festivals because you have to "surpass tens of thousands of other world-class racers" – Dao actor Luong Dinh Dung shared.
Many major film production studios in the world have spent many millions of dollars, even tens of millions of dollars, to make films, including the goal of conquering the world's major film festivals. wants to contribute the richness of cinema to humanity, in part through the award to enhance the value of the studio and the country itself. Cannes is also a film festival where participants pay the highest fee, which can be up to 300 USD when submitting films to attend, although many writers in our country believe that the LHFs are organized to collect fees. That is not entirely correct. It is normal for a movie to produce millions of dollars or even more, it shows the seriousness of the filmmaker and prevents indiscriminate submission of films...
“A winning Vietnamese film, the whole world can know, that is also an effective way of promotion that everyone has seen as clear as day. I hope that Pham Thien An will be warmly welcomed when she returns, filmmakers will feel appreciated. Don't get rewarded for this, but expect to be rewarded with a heart that respects cinema. Don't let, like many directors before, when winning international awards at major international film festivals, go to the airport and quietly take Grab home. Although filmmakers sometimes don't need anything, as long as their films reach domestic and international friends the most. Although I have not seen Thien An's movie, "The betel nut is heavily held in my hand. I hope director Pham Thien An has something different," said director Luong Dinh Dung.
