Tran Anh Hung tells the story of making the film 'Pot-au-Feu'

Red carpet events at international film festivals are certainly familiar to the couple of directors Tran Anh Hung and Tran Nu Yen Khe, but the red carpet event at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival is a special memory for this couple.

Director Tran Anh Hung and actor Benoît Magimel interact with Tokyo audience

Director Tran Anh Hung happily said: "This year's red carpet was very beautiful, close to the audience and I was warmly welcomed by everyone so I felt very happy, I had interesting experiences". Arranged along the walkway on Hibiyanaka Street between the two high-rise buildings Chanter and Tokyo Midtown Hibiya, with a winding design, up to 165 m long, the red carpet event also surprised actress - designer Tran Nu Yen Khe: "Walking on the red carpet on the opening day of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival, I found them so beautiful, this is the most impressive red carpet event in my film career so far".

Pot-au-Feu   premiered to Tokyo audiences on the afternoon of the second day of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival. The appeal of Tran Anh Hung's name, along with the international awards he won from Pot-au-Feu , and the film's Japanese subtitles, further increase the reasons why Japanese cinema lovers are looking forward to it.

Japanese audiences and press at the screening of Pot-au-Feu at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya

Director Tran Anh Hung opened the exchange, talking about making a film inspired by the novel The Passionate Epicure (1924) by Marcel Rouffe, which tells the love story of culinary expert Dobin (played by actor Benoît Magimel) and his chef lover Eugénie (actress Juliette Binoche).

Choosing to tell a story in a new direction about the topic of cuisine and love was really a challenge for the director, and the way to overcome it was to make the emotional element the main factor. Actress Tran Nu Yen Khe recalled: "As soon as I heard the idea, I found it a challenge, because the film takes place in 1925, we both come from Vietnam, so there are many differences. In the film, people will see the emotional element as the main factor, because the description of the image speaks of a specific culture , and the emotion is a common and universal thing that everyone can feel."

Many details in the making of the film Pot-au-Feu were shared at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival.

Pot-au-Feu : a rare film that does not use music

Most films about love cannot lack music , but Pot-au-Feu is a rare film that does not use music. The reason was revealed by director Tran Anh Hung: "Cooking always involves many continuous movements, fast tempo, the sounds in the kitchen have their own rhythm and appeal, when editing the film I found that those sounds were already music so I did not use music anymore".

Actor Benoît Magimel's cooking talent on film makes viewers' senses throb with... craving. It turns out that he is also someone who often cooks for himself and his friends. Benoît Magimel told the story of how he perfectly got into character in the film: "I consider cooking a way to express love to my friends and loved ones. I am not a culinary artist, so putting emotion into cooking is an important detail, so when acting that way, everything flows smoothly and naturally like I do every day."

The culinary advisor for Pot-au-Feu is the famous 3-star Michelin chef of French cuisine, Pierre Gagnaire, who was voted by La Chef as one of the ten best chefs in the world . And to have delicious footage for all the senses, Benoît Magimel said he completely followed Pierre Gagnaire's instructions, use of spices, and choice of ingredients.

Actor Benoît Magimel added: "When Mr. Hung talked to me about the role, I told him that normally, the role of a chef in a movie is always a fat guy, why not a skinny guy. Then when I got the role, I had to learn to cook, and I cooked continuously for my friends, by the time filming started, I had gained more than 10 kg compared to before. Today, I also have to apologize to Mr. Hung and Ms. Yen Khe for having to adjust and loosen my costume throughout the filming process."

Pot-au-Feu is expected to be released to Vietnamese audiences at the end of 2023.

The film was shot in a beautiful setting, going back a hundred years in history. And to have the satisfactory setting as seen in the film, designer Tran Nu Yen Khe said she had to work hard for 25 days to complete everything from interior design to costumes for the actors. The film received feedback that the scenes were beautiful, but Yen Khe said: "We are very honored to receive many compliments, but our goal is not to make a beautiful film, but to try to do the right, specific, detailed things about what we want to tell, which is cuisine".

Talking on the sidelines with actress Yen Khe, she said the film still does not have a Vietnamese title: "The film is in the process of being titled in Vietnamese, Hung and his mother are looking for a suitable name. It is expected that Pot-au-Feu will have the opportunity to be released to Vietnamese audiences at the end of December." The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival is still taking place with many attractive and in-depth activities of the film industry.

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