Vietnamese director's film receives 3 Emmy nominations

Director Bao Nguyen's project on the song "We Are the World" has been nominated for an Emmy Award, including for Outstanding Documentary.

The nominations were announced on July 17th (local time). In addition to the Best Documentary category, Bao Nguyen's The Greatest Night in Pop received nominations for Best Director for a Documentary and Best Sound Editing for a Nonfiction Film. The director said: "Our team was overwhelmed when I was announced as the winner in the same category as other prestigious directors."

The film premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival – the largest film festival in the United States. Featuring previously unreleased footage, the film traces the process of conceptualizing and composing the song "We Are the World" by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, to its release in March 1985. A highlight is the moment when dozens of big names in the music industry gathered in a Los Angeles studio to record the song to raise funds for famine relief in Africa.

The film received critical acclaim, achieving a 98% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes . RogerEbert writer Brian Tallerico wrote: " Music documentaries may be outdated, but The Greatest Night in Pop makes its mark by exploring a historical period in music." The Chicago Sun-Times commented: "It's delightful to hear Dionne Warwick's sweet voice blended with Willie Nelson again."

According to the Independent , the single sold 20 million copies, won four Grammy Awards and one American Music Awards. Profits from promotional events, poster sales, and t-shirt sales helped raise over $63 million for humanitarian aid programs in Africa and the United States.

Bao Nguyen said the idea for the film came about during the Covid-19 pandemic, when people around the world were suffering many losses. The circumstances led the filmmaker to think of "We Are the World ," a song that many people listened to when the world faced crises such as natural disasters, epidemics, and racial discrimination. "The song has such an impact that almost 40 years later, people around the world are still singing it," the director said.

Bao Nguyen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations from New York University (USA) and a Master of Arts degree in Documentary Film from The School of Visual Arts (New York, USA). At the Tribeca Film Festival (USA), his documentary Once in a Lullaby, produced in 2012, and Live from New York!, directed by him, were selected as the opening film three years later. Prior to The Greatest Night in Pop, his project about Bruce Lee, Be Water (2020), received a nomination in the Research Achievement: Documentary category at the 2021 Emmy Awards.

Director Bao Nguyen. Photo: Provided by the subject.

Besides the documentary category, the organizers announced other important nominations. Among them, the Shogun series leads with 25 nominations. Inspired by the novel of the same name by author James Clavell, the series is set before the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.

At that time, the supreme ruler had passed away, and his successor was too young. Before his death, he entrusted five feudal lords, including Yoshii Toranaga (played by Hiroyuki Sanada), to form a regency council to govern the country until the successor came of age. Outwardly, they served his dying wish and assisted the successor, but in reality, they were waiting for the opportunity to become Shogun and seize ultimate power.

Trailer for "Shogun". Video: FX

Experts praise the series for conveying the spirit of Bushido (the samurai code) and showcasing the complexities of feudal Japanese society. In the 2024 version, the roles of the Japanese characters are portrayed with greater depth, highlighting the protagonist's intelligence and resourcefulness, rather than leaning towards a Western perspective as in the 1980 television version.

Following Shogun are The Bear with 23 nominations, Only Murders in the Building (21 nominations), and True Detective: Night Country (19 nominations). Other notable works include Fallout with 17 nominations, Baby Reindeer with 11 nominations, and The Gilded Age with six nominations.

The Emmy Awards are the most prestigious awards in American television, one of the "Big Four" in the performing arts industry, along with the Oscars (film), Grammys (music), and Tonys (drama). First held in January 1949, the event takes place annually, except for 2021 when it was canceled due to the pandemic. The 2023 Emmy Awards were postponed to early this year due to strikes by Hollywood artists. The 76th awards ceremony will take place in September, broadcast live on ABC . The host has not yet been announced.

According to VnExpress

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/phim-cua-dao-dien-goc-viet-nhan-3-de-cu-emmy-post387183.html