Tran Anh Hung: 'I lost my breath when I left Vietnam'

Ho Chi Minh City Tran Anh Hung - Outstanding director of Cannes Film Festival 2023 with the work "The Pot-au-Feu" - likened his love for Vietnam to his breath.

After nine months of showing The Pot-au-Feu (Vietnamese name: Muon vi nhan gian, English name: The Taste of Things ) abroad, the French director of Vietnamese origin chose Vietnam as the final stop for the work. Returning to the country this time, he shared for the first time his views on filmmaking and his love for his homeland.

- Since the premiere of "Eternité" (Eternity) in 2016, it has been eight years since you released a work in Vietnam. How do you feel?

- Every time I return to my country to show films to my compatriots, I am very happy. These occasions remind me of my life as a filmmaker. The screening of The Pot-au-Feu in Cannes last year was an emotional one for me. 30 years ago, I stood in Cannes with The Scent of Green Papaya, the first time I heard Vietnamese in a Cannes cinema, the emotions at that time were so intense, it felt like my ancestors appeared beside me to remind me of the meaning of that moment. 30 years later, I made a film entirely about France. It was a very long process, with many challenges.

If I could say anything to the audience, I just want them to come and enjoy the work. When I make a film, I consider it a gift for everyone. I hope that the amount of money the audience spends to see the film will not be comparable to what the work brings. Just like how I feel when I go to a bookstore and buy a masterpiece from the 17th-19th century, for example, the amount of money I spend to buy that book is not worth much. So, I put all my effort into making the film and giving the audience a gift. Of course, the audience also has the right to refuse to accept the gift (laughs).

Trailer 'The Taste of Things' — Trailer "The Pot-au-Feu" released domestically on March 22. Video: *Gaumont*

- What inspired you to make a film about love and food?

- I think there are two important things that affect many aspects of each person's life: Food and love. When I read the novel The Life and Passion of Dodin-Bouffant, Gourmet (1924), I found a few pages where the characters talked about food very well, so I decided to do this topic.

This film posed two challenges for me. The film starts with a story focused on food, but in fact, the more you watch it, the more you forget about it and the more you see it, the more you will be left with the love story. In addition, the love in the film is that of a husband and wife - there is almost no major conflict, no drama. Therefore, the director needs to balance the main content and the food scenes.

- Which behind-the-scenes story of the movie do you find most interesting?

- The Pot-au-Feu project originated 20 years ago, when I really wanted to make a film about art, with a culinary theme. It was not until later that I met French star Juliette Binoche, who expressed her desire to collaborate with me. I realized that Juliette was very suitable for the role of Eugenie in the film because she is also a strong, independent and free woman. Once Juliette was created, I immediately thought of the male character to be played by Benoit Magimel, Juliette's ex-husband. Both stars had a not-so-amicable divorce 21 years ago, and in all those years, they have not acted together. Cinema-loving audiences are probably waiting for the day when they will appear together again in a work.

When I mentioned to Juliette that I would be casting Benoit with her, she assumed her ex-husband would say no. However, after reading the script, Benoit accepted the role. They had a great reunion.

- From "The Scent of Green Papaya" to "The Pot-au-Feu" - a film imbued with French culture and people, how do you maintain your "Vietnamese quality" through your work?

- "Vietnamese quality" is something that naturally permeates me, in life and filmmaking. When I make a work, my quality just naturally shows up, I don't have to try to get it. In a film that has nothing to do with Vietnam like The Pot-au-Feu , I still think I am somewhat influenced by the culture and people of my homeland. For example, the film The Pot-au-Feu is vaguely influenced by the literary work Thuong nho muoi thap by Vu Bang, about the sense of time, four seasons and the story of cuisine. Or when describing daily life, in the scene of peeling the skin of chicken feet to prepare stew, usually in France, people burn them first and then peel the skin, but I wanted to express that scene the way Vietnamese people often do.

Tran Anh Hung talks about adapting the work 'Thuong nho muoi thap' and his next project. Video: Cong Khang — Tran Anh Hung reveals his next project. Video: *Cong Khang*

Currently, I am working on a film project entirely with the crew, about life in Vietnam. I wrote the script with a female writer. There will be no men in this film, just a group of women going out together, once a month, they choose to go to a place together. The places they go to must have a kitchen, so they can go to the market together and each person cooks a dish. During meals, they talk about life, men, and love.

- When Tran Anh Hung won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, many people said they were proud because it was the first time a Vietnamese director had been honored at a prestigious world film award, but many also thought that he was actually a representative of French cinema. As for you, what culture do you think you belong to?

- I love the beauty and perfection of both cultures. However, there was a time when I felt like I was sitting in two chairs at the same time. So every time I think about whether I am Vietnamese or French, it is a struggle for me.

- How do you overcome the feeling of being "between two chairs"?

- There is a funny story in my daily life like this. I often imitate doing this and that from my wife - Yen Khe. When Yen Khe practiced yoga, I also practiced. The first time I practiced, Yen Khe taught me how to breathe through my nose. Later, Yen Khe practiced qigong, I practiced breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. Then recently, I started learning to swim, they taught me to breathe in through my mouth and out through my nose. Both ways were difficult and I had to practice. I associate my story of learning to breathe with the past, when I left Vietnam to live in France, there was a time when I thought I "couldn't breathe anymore", and I had to try to overcome that difficult feeling of losing my breath.

Even though I have lived in France for many years, I am still conscious of preserving the Vietnamese language. Many people often ask me why I can still speak Vietnamese well. Actually, it is natural, I do not try at all. I always enjoy speaking and expressing myself so that people can understand me through Vietnamese. I still keep the habit of reading Vietnamese books and newspapers, although I read quite slowly.

Tran Anh Hung talks about his experience absorbing two cultures, Vietnamese and French. Video: *Cong Khang*

- Speaking of your wife, what role do you think Yen Khe plays in your career and life?

- At home, Yen Khe is the owner of the kitchen, my chef. On set, she is also the owner. When I film, Yen Khe always sits next to me, watches the monitor with me, and discusses what is necessary. When I call "cut", Yen Khe will run in to observe, sometimes changing this or that in the scene. Yen Khe is in charge of the aesthetics of my films. All the aesthetic feelings the audience sees in my work are thanks to her.

Tran Anh Hung talks about his wife's support in the project 'The Taste of Things'. Video: Cong Khang — Tran Anh Hung talks about the support of his wife - Tran Nu Yen Khe - in the project "The Pot-au-Feu". Video: *Cong Khang*

Tran Anh Hung, 62 years old, settled in France after 1975, majoring in philosophy at a university. After accidentally watching Robert Bresson's A Man Escaped (1956), he decided to pursue an artistic career, studying at the prestigious École Louis-Lumière film school. When making his first works, the director pursued themes that were deeply Vietnamese, such as the short film Nguoi Thieu Phu Nam Xuong ( La Femme Mariée de Nam Xuong ), adapted from Truyen Ky Man Luc. In 1993, his first feature film The Scent of Green Papaya - set in Saigon in the 1950s - won the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar in the Best International Feature Film category.

In the book France and Indochina: cultural representations (2005), Carrie Tarr - professor of Film at Kingston University, UK - commented that Tran Anh Hung's films give the audience a different view of Vietnam, erasing the image of a poor, backward country in American and French films.

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