Hundreds of audiences in Ho Chi Minh City came and listened to director Hirokazu Kore-eda talk and interact until 11pm on April 10 - Photo: MI LY
On the evening of April 10, the screening of the film Broker and an exchange with Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda took place at the Ho Chi Minh City Theater within the framework of the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival (HIFF) 2024.
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda is considered a treasure of Japanese cinema. And in Vietnam, he must have been surprised to find that he has many sincere fans.
They had watched many of his films and were moved, clapping and cheering many times when they heard him talk.
Initially, the organizers planned to end the talk early so that the 61-year-old director could rest (he had just landed in Ho Chi Minh City on the night of April 9, and had to participate in some activities on the afternoon of April 10).
But before the audience's warm welcome and the continuous series of raised hands asking questions, the director declared that he was ready to sit down and interact "at any time".
Finally, the chat ended at 11pm.
Hirokazu Kore-eda and a warm evening in Vietnam
Journalist and critic Le Hong Lam - the host of the talk show - admitted that he is also a fan of Kore-eda. He has written insightful reviews of his films.
But on this evening, he left most of the question time to the audience and other journalists and filmmakers.
Journalist Le Hong Lam (left) leads a conversation with his idol Hirokazu Kore-eda - Photo: TTD
When asked questions, almost everyone admitted to being a fan of Kore-eda, naming his favorite film, asking in detail about the making of the film, asking about every scene that made them cry or impressed them. Among those who asked questions was Song Lang director Leon Le.
When asked if he was inspired by Ho Chi Minh City or wanted to make a film in Ho Chi Minh City like he did in Busan (Korea) with the film Broker , Kore-eda said:
"That could very well happen if the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival has a second or third time and invites me each time, helping me to interact and learn about Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam."
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda received a commemorative medal of HIFF 2024 and flowers from Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City and Mr. Kim Dong Ho, Honorary President of HIFF 2024 - Photo: TTD
Although he has not made a film about Vietnam, Kore-eda's cinema is still well received by Vietnamese audiences because his films often talk about simple and familiar themes and life stories, carrying very profound and empathetic messages about life.
They are Nobody Knows, Still Walking, After the Storm, After Life, Like Father, Like Son, Shoplifters, Broker... and most recently Monster.
In particular, many films have strong family themes or family elements, and family is a universal theme, which can bring cinema across borders as Kore-eda desired.
Kore-eda claims to be most influenced by Taiwanese master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, who is also behind classic films about family and humanity.
A large audience, journalists, and filmmakers followed director Kore-eda's talk from beginning to end, even though he told anyone who was tired to leave - Photo: TTD
The critics at Cannes are harsh.
When talking to the audience on the evening of April 10 or the Vietnamese press on the afternoon of April 10, director Kore-eda made a good impression with his serious style. He often thought carefully and answered with inspiration, with his own suggestions for each question.
When asked why in the movie Broker, the character says "Thank you for being born" to others so many times, is it a bit too much, he replied:
"In life, there are people who have never heard anyone thank them for being born.
I made this film for them, even though the saying sounds simple and crude, it is to send to those who have never heard that saying in their life."
(Official Trailer) Broker - Broker I KC: June 24, 2022
When asked why he often premieres his work first at the Cannes Film Festival - the world's leading film festival - he said:
"Cannes is a very harsh place, not easy at all. I meet a lot of harsh critics and still have to listen, so I'm not necessarily happy or excited to go to Cannes. That's the reality.
But when I got there, I met so many people living in so many countries with different circumstances but in the same era. Thanks to that, I realized that I was not alone in making films. There were so many people in the world making films like me.
Cannes Film Festival is also a place with a very long history. Coming there, I feel the length of history, films of the past, present and future."
He suggested that the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival should pay attention to the historical value of a film festival to leave for future generations.
In good there is evil, in evil there is good
For Kore-eda, life would be easy if there were only two sides, good and bad. However, in the world we live in, within the good there is bad, within the bad there is good, and within the good there is evil, within the evil there is good.
As a director, he has the mission to convey such life stories to the audience, so that they understand that behind a person's actions is a whole destiny, a long story. Everyone deserves to be listened to and understood.
As in Broker, he delves into the mind of a prostitute who intends to abandon her child, and in the end her presence helps to ease the pain of a boy who was abandoned by his mother.
Besides his great storytelling, the great human values in Kore-eda's films have made him a contemporary master of world cinema.
Source
![[Photo] Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs Government Conference with localities on economic growth](https://vstatic.vietnam.vn/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/2/21/f34583484f2643a2a2b72168a0d64baa)
Comment (0)