Tran Anh Hung has just brought the film Muon Vi Nhan Gian to Vietnam to introduce to the public. VTC News reporter had a conversation with the male director about the film, the gift he sent to his wife who has been with him for the past 35 years.
Tran Anh Hung won the Best Director award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival with the film "A Thousand Tastes of Humanity".
"I think the movie will win Tran Thanh"
- What inspired you to make "A Thousand Tastes of Humanity" - a film about food and love?
I have wanted to make a film about food for 20 years. By chance, when I read the novel La Vie et la Passion de Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet (1924), I was attracted to the very interesting pages where the characters talk about food, so I decided to make this topic.
The film challenged me to balance the two themes of food and love. Food and cooking are ways for the two characters to express their love. More specifically, I wanted to portray the female character. She is a modern, strong female character who wants to have a job and a career, not just a wife.
"Thousands of People" tells a love story between two souls in harmony in work and passion.
- Tran Anh Hung's film depicts the beauty of French cuisine, culture and people. How is the Vietnamese element expressed in your film?
One thing I really like about French culture, which also suits my Asian nature, is moderation in art. They never do anything too much. That is the characteristic and spirit of the French people. I find it very compatible with me, so I exploit that in the way the characters treat each other.
However, my Vietnamese culture is always present in my works. In a film that has nothing to do with Vietnam like Muon vi nhan gian, I still think I am naturally influenced by my homeland's culture. For example, in the scene where Dodin peels the skin off a chicken's feet, the French would burn it to peel it off, but I wanted my character to soak the chicken feet in hot water before peeling them off. A traditional Vietnamese way of preparing them. There are many more details that could be analyzed.
- How do you feel when the movie is released in Vietnam after nearly 1 year of being shown on big screens around the world?
I am very happy. Every time I make a film, I just look forward to the day I can bring it back to the country to show to my compatriots. It is always a happiness to return to meet my colleagues, friends and Vietnamese audiences.
My Vietnamese culture is always present in my works.
- How do you expect Vietnamese audiences to receive the film?
I don't make movies to be popular. The idea of making a movie comes to me and I make it, but I don't care about how many people watch it. Every time I make a movie, I only think about making the best movie I can, with the highest cinematic quality possible, and being the best gift for the audience.
I believe that if the film has high cinematic quality, the film's life will be longer. I also heard feedback that this film is easier to watch than my previous films, so I hope the film will be popular in Vietnam.
- Surely you also set a revenue target for the movie?
Yes. I think the movie will win over Tran Thanh. I believe the movie will do that (laughs).
- Tran Thanh's success has created records for Vietnamese cinema. What do you think about this?
I think Tran Thanh's success is a good sign in the film industry. We need films like that for the film industry to develop. I also hope this will change the thinking of investors and producers in Vietnam. Because cinema needs to be diverse so that audiences have many choices.
After films that have grossed hundreds of billions of dong, producers should also have a different mindset and think about spending some of their money on art films. Especially when Vietnamese cinema has received more attention at major film festivals such as Cannes, Venice, and Berlin.
I'm not talking about myself, or including myself in it, but I want to mention the first steps of directors like Phan Dang Di or the recent victory of Pham Thien An with Inside the Golden Cocoon , winning the Camera D'or at Cannes; Pham Ngoc Lan won the Best Debut Feature Film award at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival with Cu li never cry s,..
It is still the story of film budget. Investment from producers will help young directors somewhat reduce the financial burden on the path of art film, which is already difficult and has a selective audience. There are projects that have to wait 10 years to be completed because no one is investing money, which is very regrettable.
In France, producers know that there are films that do not bring in revenue, but they still invest. Because they believe that the film will win awards at the Film Festival. That is necessary for the development of a cinema and we need to understand that.
Tran Anh Hung assessed Tran Thanh's success as a good sign in the film industry.
- What prompted you to return to your homeland?
I love returning to Vietnam. The great thing about me is that I have two countries, and every time I go back and forth, it's like I get a "blood change", my perspective changes. When I return to Vietnam, I get to meet my colleagues, watch good movies together, and discuss cinema.
My children are the same, before they both did not like to go back to Vietnam because of the hot weather and few activities for them. But now they really like to come back here and speak Vietnamese. Lang Khe speaks a lot of Vietnamese while Cao Phi understands everything but does not speak much.
"I want to cook for my woman"
- "A Thousand Tastes of the World" tells a love story not only between a husband and wife, but also between two souls who are in harmony in work and passion. This is very similar to the relationship between you and your wife. Have you ever had any disagreements about your career over the past 35 years?
Yen Khe is a picky person. Many times when I said “Why are you so picky?” Yen Khe would reply “No, I’m picky.” Of course, we couldn’t avoid conflicts. When we can’t find a common voice, giving in is very important. I think I give in more, but Yen Khe thinks she gives in more.
Regardless, each person will have their own responsibilities. Taking on the role of art director and costume director, Yen Khe has a very precise and clear vision. Many times I feel like there is something wrong, it takes a long time to find out, but she can find it right away. This is something I really appreciate.
The film is a gift from Tran Anh Hung to actress Yen Khe, his wife and confidant who has accompanied him for the past 35 years.
- It's been a long time since the audience has seen actress Yen Khe. Do you plan to let your wife act in your movies?
Yes. However, in the last 3 films, one Japanese film, 2 French films with the setting in the late 19th century, it is very difficult for Vietnamese characters to appear in them.
In the near future, I plan to make a film in Vietnam about women. The film has no main characters, only 5-12 female characters, no men at all. They will gather once a month in a large kitchen. They go to the market together, cook, talk about life, love, men...
- Cooking is a way of expressing love for the two characters in the movie. What about you and your wife?
After making this film, I also started cooking, before that I didn’t. When I was little, my mother kicked me out of the kitchen because she said it was not a place for men. After I met Yen Khe, she was a very good cook, so I couldn’t go into the kitchen. When I did, I was scolded and kicked out.
Now I study Dodin, want to go into the kitchen, cook for my woman. The first time was very successful, the second time was a failure, the third time was very bad. Because I started to create too quickly, wanted to change. I thought this way would be better but in the end it was not.
My cooking lessons were interrupted after 8-9 months of filming. Now, when I return to normal life, I will have to make that dish… 5 more times (laughs). Someone told me, to cook a delicious dish, you have to make it at least 8 times.
Director Tran Anh Hung and his wife and son.
- Besides your wife, your son also participated in the production of this film. What are your plans for your children to pursue cinema?
For Lang Khe and Cao Phi, that was the first step for the two of them. They were also in the exploration phase, wanting to understand whether they really wanted to do cinema or not. I did not interfere in that because the two children had strong personalities, more like their mother than their father. I only gave advice when they had questions.
Audience and expert reactions to "A Thousand Tastes of Humanity" by Tran Anh Hung.
The Taste of the World is the latest work by Tran Anh Hung, full of art revolving around the love and culinary story of the characters Dodin (Benoît Magimel) and Eugénie (Juliette Binoche).
With the extensive acting experience of veteran actor Benoît Magimel and Oscar winner Juliette Binoche, director Tran Anh Hung borrowed the culinary story to create a romantic, gentle love song in the French countryside.
The film has brought Tran Anh Hung many large and small academy awards around the world, including the Best Director award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
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