''Inside the Golden Cocoon'' - Vietnamese film wins big at Cannes

Director Pham Thien An speaks at the premiere of the film "Inside the Golden Cocoon" in Cannes on May 24.

At the Cannes Film Festival in France, the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) is a prestigious award for the best debut film by a young director. The award was created by French critic Gilles Jacob and was first presented to Robert M. Young's Alambrista in 1978. Since then, the award has been given to many world-famous filmmakers such as Jim Jarmusch, Naomi Kawase, Bahman Ghobadi, Tran Anh Hung, and Jaco Van Dormael.

In the 76-year history of Cannes, in 1993, Tran Anh Hung became the first Vietnamese-French person to win this award with the film The Scent of Green Papaya, which he directed and wrote. With purely Vietnamese content and a setting in Saigon in the 1950s, the film was shot at a studio in Paris, with French investment and production crew.

Ms. Viet Linh - director of the film Me Thao in its heyday - commented: "After the honor that Tran Anh Hung brought to Vietnamese cinema 30 years ago, this time, I am very proud to hear that a film made by a young domestic director won big at Cannes. I think this is a boost for our cinema, especially for independent film directors."

The film premiered in Cannes on May 24, receiving a standing ovation of more than five minutes from the audience. On May 25, Variety wrote a review: "Pham Thien An's debut captivates audiences with a spiritual journey through rural Vietnam." IndieWire rated the film B+/A+, saying it was on its way to creating something extraordinary.

The work revolves around the character Thien and his journey to bring his sister-in-law's remains back to his hometown after a motorbike accident, while also taking care of his five-year-old nephew Dao. On the journey to find his brother - Dao's father, Thien faces the past to seek faith and the meaning of life.

Screendaily wrote: "Cinematographer Dinh Duy Hung shows the audience beautiful scenes of Vietnam such as the quiet forest at night, the rushing waterfall, the trees swaying in the wind or the image of colorful golden cocoons. The camera angles are reasonable and rhythmic, focusing on key details. Pham Thien An knows exactly what he needs to record to convey the story to the audience."

According to this page, the ability to listen to the language of nature, curiosity about death, faith and reincarnation make Pham Thien An's work similar to the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul - a famous Thai filmmaker. In addition, the work also reminds the audience of the filmmaking style of Theo Angelopoulos - a Greek filmmaker - with a leisurely, contemplative tone.

"Inside the Golden Cocoon is a mysterious and fascinating work by Pham Thien An with the message: There are no easy answers to the questions of existence. We can only seek them with kindness and a kind heart. In the end, faith is what remains on the journey to find the answer," Screen Daily commented.

Filmmaker Pham Thien An describes the film as a slow piece of music that takes listeners along the flow of life's twists and turns. The idea for the film comes from the Lam Dong highlands - Thien An's hometown - and the parables in the Bible.

From the beginning, Thien An had the ambition to present the work in a minimalist way, using available materials and long takes. The story of the character Thien in the film is also Thien An's voice, reflecting the director's thoughts and attitudes.

The film's script was written over three years, from 2019 to the end of March 2022. The film has a gloomy, cold color scheme with gray tones. The director believes that the humid atmosphere during the rainy season in Vietnam contributes to the character's inner strength, while highlighting the colors of nature and people.

"For me, ideas and scripts are temporary things. The content of the work is formed from the location, time, people, nature and beautiful things that randomly appear during the filmmaking process," Thien An said.

Born and raised in the Lam Dong highlands, Pham Thien An said that since childhood he did not have the opportunity to participate in entertainment activities like in the city. Thien An often organizes movie screenings at home with friends. The movies he chooses to show are mostly thrillers or superheroes.

The first time he studied cinema in depth, Thien An felt bewildered. At first, the director often lost patience watching two- or three-hour art-house films. After four years studying information technology in Saigon, Thien An found that he was not suited for it. "I decided to learn more about cinema, and learned how to edit and shoot films myself. Gradually, the films that were difficult to watch became more interesting to me, so I tried my hand at making some short films," the director said.

In 2014, the director won second prize at the 48-hour Short Film Competition in Vietnam and moved to the US a year later. In 2018, Thien An released his first short film, The Mute, which was screened at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and competed in nearly 15 international film festivals including Winterthur, Tampere, Hong Kong, Encounters and Aspen. The artist made three short films before making his first feature-length work.

Inside the Golden Cocoon, funded by the Singapore Film Commission, Purin Pictures, Normandie Images and Hubert Bals Script & Development Scheme, produced by a Vietnamese team in collaboration with Singapore, Spain and France. Previously, at Cannes 2023, the film surpassed nearly 4,000 works to be included in the list of 19 films shown in the Director's Fortnight category - a branch of the Film Festival, established in 1968 to honor art films that do not compete for the main award.

In April, Cercamon acquired the film's rights ahead of its premiere at Cannes 2023. "We were captivated by the story, the scenes and the characters in the film. It proves that the power of images and messages can transcend all cultural boundaries," said Cercamon CEO Sebastien Chesneau.

According to VnExpress