tran anh hung: the filmmaker who hears the monkeys cough
Tran Anh Hung was born in the village of Danan (Vietnam), and when he was 12 years old he moved to Paris. The change certainly doesn't seem have to done him any harm. That's what he says every time he's asked. We don’t believe him. Even though he was brought up and lives in Paris, in his films he always talks about the land where he was born.
In >i>L'odeur de la papaye verte (1993) he made his first film that was quite a success in France. It's a strange one, this one. Even though the film takes place in Vietnam, it is totally filmed in a studio in Paris. Next up was Cyclo (1995) in Ho Chi Minh, and winner of the Gold Lion at Venice. He didn't make another film until the year 2000, À la verticale de l'été, and this year, where he further mixes things up by filming his first film entirely in English, I come with the rain, we get to see him again. He filmed this one in Hong Kong. It's his first thriller, and those who are familiar with his special way of viewing things will recognise him very quickly. And well, Tran Anh Hung has become the new star that has shook them all up. He has been the one chosen to direct the film Norwegian Wood. The Haruki Murakami best seller based film has been the most hotly-sought after seat in the world of film.
Though he's not known by the general viewing public, Tran Anh Is greatly appreciated by the organisers of film festivals. He has always demonstrated a personal viewpoint and much sensitivity in the way he films. Of all the elements that make up cinema, Tran Anh Hung works best with time. Tran Anh Hung has openly admitted to being a staunch admirer of the work of Bergman, Tarkovsky and Kurosawa, and you can easily tell this appreciation of the classics from his first films. We, on the other hand, prefer the fine details that appear in his films and words because this guy has a special talent when it comes to catching the unobvious: "I remember very little from the period of when I first came to Paris: I would get feel woozy in the car and vomit, and the smell wafting out of the bakeries, the sweetest smell in the world... Paris was amazing. The thing is, the village where I was born was so small that we could even hear the monkeys cough."
In >i>L'odeur de la papaye verte (1993) he made his first film that was quite a success in France. It's a strange one, this one. Even though the film takes place in Vietnam, it is totally filmed in a studio in Paris. Next up was Cyclo (1995) in Ho Chi Minh, and winner of the Gold Lion at Venice. He didn't make another film until the year 2000, À la verticale de l'été, and this year, where he further mixes things up by filming his first film entirely in English, I come with the rain, we get to see him again. He filmed this one in Hong Kong. It's his first thriller, and those who are familiar with his special way of viewing things will recognise him very quickly. And well, Tran Anh Hung has become the new star that has shook them all up. He has been the one chosen to direct the film Norwegian Wood. The Haruki Murakami best seller based film has been the most hotly-sought after seat in the world of film.
Though he's not known by the general viewing public, Tran Anh Is greatly appreciated by the organisers of film festivals. He has always demonstrated a personal viewpoint and much sensitivity in the way he films. Of all the elements that make up cinema, Tran Anh Hung works best with time. Tran Anh Hung has openly admitted to being a staunch admirer of the work of Bergman, Tarkovsky and Kurosawa, and you can easily tell this appreciation of the classics from his first films. We, on the other hand, prefer the fine details that appear in his films and words because this guy has a special talent when it comes to catching the unobvious: "I remember very little from the period of when I first came to Paris: I would get feel woozy in the car and vomit, and the smell wafting out of the bakeries, the sweetest smell in the world... Paris was amazing. The thing is, the village where I was born was so small that we could even hear the monkeys cough."
