Tran Anh Hung and his 30-year journey at Cannes: Starting with "The Scent of Green Papaya"

Exactly 30 years after winning the Golden Camera award for best debut film with "The Scent of Green Papaya," Tran Anh Hung has just won the Best Director award at Cannes.

Scene from the film "La Passion de Dodin Bouffant" (Photo: Variety).

The film La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Passion of Dodin Bouffant) has just won the Best Director award for French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung (60 years old) at the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival.

Exactly 30 years after winning the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival with his debut film , *The Scent of Green Papaya *, Tran Anh Hung won the second-highest award at the world's leading film festival. Throughout his 30 years of filmmaking, Tran Anh Hung has only released seven films, starting with * The Scent of Green Papaya* and ending with *The Passion of Dodin Bouffant *.

Director Tran Anh Hung at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 (Photo: Festival de Cannes).

As a French director of Vietnamese descent, Tran Anh Hung has embarked on a fulfilling journey to honor the two cultures that have inspired him in filmmaking. "The Scent of Green Papaya " (1993) is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, while "The Passion of Dodin Bouffant " (2023) explores the beauty of French cuisine .

Both films were highly acclaimed at the Cannes Film Festival and earned the director two of the most important awards of his career.

"The Scent of Green Papaya": A Vietnamese-language film conquers the world.

Director Tran Anh Hung's love for cinema began with his love for Vietnam. This love is fully expressed in his debut feature film, " The Scent of Green Papaya ."

Even today, when mentioning director Tran Anh Hung, people immediately think of "The Scent of Green Papaya" - the most important film in the filmmaking career of this French-Vietnamese director.

The little girl Mùi in the movie "The Scent of Green Papaya" (Photo: Variety).

The Scent of Green Papaya won the Golden Camera award for Best First Film at the Cannes Film Festival. It also won the César Award for Best First Film (the French César Award is often compared to the American Oscar). In 1994, it was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The Scent of Green Papaya is a film deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. It tells the story of Mùi, a young girl who works as a maid from a young age until she becomes a young woman and finds the beautiful love of her life. The film is set in Saigon in the 1950s, however, the entire film set was constructed in Paris (France).

Both actresses who played Mùi are French of Asian descent. In particular, actress Trần Nữ Yên Khê, who played Mùi as an adult, is French of Vietnamese descent. She is also the wife of director Trần Anh Hùng.

Mùi in her teenage years, a role played by Trần Nữ Yên Khê (Photo: Variety).

In The Scent of Green Papaya , the distinctive characteristics of the Vietnamese people are vividly portrayed. Most clearly reflected are the patience and self-sacrifice of the women.

Besides exploring the human condition and character, the director also guides viewers to a subtle appreciation of Vietnamese nature, even though the filming location was in France. Through close-up shots, the beauty of everyday life in Vietnam is vividly, romantically, and poetically portrayed.

Viewers will love the character of Mui, who is always amazed by even the smallest natural phenomena around her. Mui's wide-eyed gaze at the white papaya sap dripping onto the green leaves, or her delight in observing the tiny white seeds inside a green papaya, are highly expressive scenes.

The scent of green papaya has become a memorable milestone in director Tran Anh Hung's film career, helping him receive prestigious awards and recognition from the Western film industry.

"Cyclo", "Vertical Summer Afternoon": An Enduring Love for Vietnam

Scene from the movie "Cyclo" (Photo: Variety).

Even before making his feature film, *The Scent of Green Papaya *, Tran Anh Hung had a special inspiration for films about Vietnam. His short film, *The Woman of Nam Xuong*, was his graduation project at the prestigious Louis Lumière film school in France in 1987.

The film "The Woman of Nanchang" was nominated for the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival in 1989. This is the most prestigious category for short films at the Cannes Film Festival.

Later, the director made another short film, *Hon Vong Phu* (1991), before embarking on the feature film *Mui Du Du Xanh* (1993).

The success of *The Scent of Green Papaya* paved the way for Tran Anh Hung to make his next film, * Cyclo* (1995), which depicted the lives of poor laborers in Ho Chi Minh City. *Cyclo* won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. At this time, at only 33 years old, Tran Anh Hung was considered a phenomenon at Venice because he was one of the youngest filmmakers ever to receive this prestigious award.

Scene from the film "Vertical Summer" (Photo: Variety).

After exploring the setting of Ho Chi Minh City in Cyclo , Tran Anh Hung shifted his attention to the capital Hanoi and made the film Vertical Summer (2000). The film revolves around the life of a family with four children, including three sisters. The story centers on the love and marriage of the three women.

The first three films directed by Tran Anh Hung, * The Scent of Green Papaya *, *Cyclo* , and * The Vertical Summer*, are considered a trilogy of films about Vietnam that left a special mark at international film festivals.

The Scent of Green Papaya won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival. Cyclo won the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. Vertical Summer was nominated in the Un Certain Regard category at the Cannes Film Festival.

It wasn't until nine years after making his trilogy about Vietnam that Tran Anh Hung made another film, but the effect wasn't particularly impressive. The three films, I Come with the Rain (2009), Norwegian Wood (2010), and Eternity (2016), represent an attempt to shift the subject matter in Tran Anh Hung's filmmaking career, although they haven't yet brought him significant success.

Tran Anh Hung with his wife and two children at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 (Photo: Festival de Cannes).

It wasn't until La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (2023) that the director truly achieved success since seeking new sources of inspiration.

Thirty years after winning the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival, Tran Anh Hung has received another major award, marking a successful turning point in his filmmaking journey.

Thirty years have passed, a journey marked by shifts in inspiration and subject matter, yet director Tran Anh Hung, at 60, continues to surprise. He keeps those who appreciate his aesthetically pleasing filmmaking style and poetic imagery eagerly anticipating his next projects.

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