Tran Anh Hung

Trần Anh Hùng, or as known in English as Anh Hung Tran, is a remarkably innovative Vietnamese-French filmmaker. He was born on December 23, 1962, in Da Nang, South Vietnam, and moved to France at the age of 12 following the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Early in life, Hùng developed a profound interest in philosophical studies but ditched for film after watching Robert Bresson's film, A Man Escaped. He then specialized in film at the prestigious National School Supérieure Louis-Lumière in France. In addition to his education, Hùng gained invaluable experience and income by working for the Musée d'Orsay’s bookshop. Over his career, he has been a leading flag bearer for acclaimed overseas Vietnamese cinema over the past two decades. His unique yet irresistible storytelling and film style have underscored his international fame and string of accolades. His work is primarily known for telling varied mediations on life in Vietnam, with his first three features being classical examples. His debut, an Oscar-nominated film, The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), won two top awards at the Cannes Film Festival. His other renowned works include Cyclo (1995), which claimed the Golden Lion prize at the Venice International Film Festival, and The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000). Hùng’s filmography also includes the noir psychological thriller I Come with the Rain (2009) and the cinematic adaptation of Haruki Murakami's celebrated novel, Norwegian Wood, which was widely received upon its release in December 2010. His indelible mark on Vietnamese cinema is marked by his profound, intricate, and captivating depictions of Vietnamese life and culture, offering a new lens for his audience to view Vietnam beyond the dominative French and American frames.