Tran Anh Hung facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Trần Anh Hùng
Trần Anh Hùng at the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival in 2015
Born	(1962-12-23) December 23, 1962 (age 62) Da Nang, South Vietnam
Citizenship	French
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Trần Nữ Yên Khê
Children	2

Trần Anh Hùng (pronounced Tran An Hoong) is a famous Vietnamese-French filmmaker. He was born on December 23, 1962. He is known for directing movies that explore life in Vietnam and for his unique film style. His films have won many awards around the world.

Early Life and Moving to France

Hung was born in Da Nang, a city in South Vietnam. When he was 12 years old, in 1975, the Vietnam War ended. After the war, his family moved to France.

He first studied philosophy at a university in France. But then he saw a film called A Man Escaped by Robert Bresson. This movie inspired him to change his path. He decided to study film instead. He went to the National School Supérieure Louis-Lumière. This school teaches people how to be cinematographers, who are in charge of how a movie is filmed. To support himself, he worked in a bookshop at the Musée d'Orsay museum.

His Film Career

Trần Anh Hùng is a leading filmmaker among Vietnamese people living outside Vietnam. His movies have become very famous internationally. His first three films were all about life in his home country, Vietnam.

His first major film was The Scent of Green Papaya (1993). This movie was nominated for an Oscar! It also won two big awards at the Cannes Film Festival.

His next film was Cyclo (1995). This movie starred the famous Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Cyclo won the top prize, the Golden Lion, at the Venice International Film Festival.

The Vertical Ray of the Sun, released in 2000, was the third film in what people call his "Vietnam trilogy." These three films show different sides of Vietnamese life.

After taking a break, Hung directed a thriller movie called I Come with the Rain (2009). This film had well-known international actors like Josh Hartnett.

In 2010, he directed Norwegian Wood. This movie was based on a popular Haruki Murakami novel. It was released in Japan in December 2010.

His film The Taste of Things (2023) won the Best Director award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. It was also nominated for an Oscar in 2024.

Films About Vietnam

While studying film in France, Hung made a short film in 1987. It was called La femme mariée de Nam Xuong. This film was inspired by an old Vietnamese folk tale.

He then made another short film, La pierre de l'attente (1989). After that, he made his first full-length movie, The Scent of Green Papaya (1993). This film was praised for its beautiful look and how it showed Vietnamese life. It is still the only Vietnamese film ever nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The success of The Scent of Green Papaya helped him get money for his next film, Cyclo. This movie tells stories about poor people in Ho Chi Minh City, which used to be called Saigon. It was filmed right there in the city. When Cyclo won the Golden Lion at the 52nd Venice International Film Festival, Hung was only 33 years old. He was one of the youngest directors to win such a big award.

After showing life in Ho Chi Minh City, Hung focused on Hanoi in his film The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000). This movie is about three sisters who look up to their parents' perfect family life. But then they discover the truth after their mother passes away.

His Style of Filmmaking

Trần Anh Hùng makes films to help rebuild the image of Vietnam that he missed after moving to France. He wants to show audiences a different view of Vietnam. For a long time, French and American movies often showed Vietnam in a certain way. Hung's films are based on his knowledge of Vietnamese culture. His later films also use his own experiences from visiting Vietnam.

He is greatly influenced by French cinema. He also admires European and Japanese filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman, Robert Bresson, Akira Kurosawa, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Yasujirō Ozu.

Hung believes that "Art is the truth wearing a mask." He likes to tell stories in new ways, not just the usual way. He wants his films to make audiences feel things deeply. He wants them to enjoy the movies with their emotions, not just by thinking critically.

As a leading Vietnamese filmmaker, Hung has changed how Vietnam is seen in movies. He uses his unique camera work to show a Vietnam where kindness and harshness exist together. His famous "trilogy" of films—The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), Cyclo (1995), and The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000)—express his feelings for his home country.

Filmography

Here are some of the films Trần Anh Hùng has directed:

Awards and Recognition

Trần Anh Hùng has received many important awards for his films. Here are some of them:

• The Scent of Green Papaya (1993):

* Nominated for an Oscar (Best International Feature Film) * Won the Caméra d'Or (first film award) at the Cannes Film Festival * Won the Best Debut at the César Awards (French national film awards)

• Cyclo (1995):

* Won the Golden Lion (top prize) at the Venice Film Festival

• The Taste of Things (2023):

* Won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival * Won the Audience Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival and Montclair Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Trần Anh Hùng para niños