Vietnam Will Submit “Glorious Ashes” to 2024 Oscars

The film Tro Tan Ruc Ro (Glorious Ashes) has been selected to represent Vietnamese cinema in the preliminary round of the 2024 Oscars category for international film. The invitation was extended by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences based in the US.

If the film qualifies for the official competition round, it will be competing in the Best Non-English Film category.

This film marks the return of director Bui Thac Chuyen after a 10-year absence since his last film, Loi Nguyen Huyet Ngai (The Curse of the Blood Wormwood).

Phuong Anh Dao, playing Nhan, in a scene of “Glorious Ashes”.

Glorious Ashes is an adaptation of two short stories by novelist Nguyen Ngoc Tu: Tro Tan Ruc Ro and Cui Muc Troi Ve (Rotten Firewood Returns). The film tells the story of the devastated people of Thom Rom hamlet, a poignant fishing village in Ca Mau province.

Glorious Ashes revolves around the unusual love lives of three women, presenting a contrast between their tumultuous feelings and the tranquility of the land they inhabit.

“In my opinion, a perfect movie is one that evokes empathy and delves into people’s lives. Audiences will embrace such works. I hope Glorious Ashes finds its audience and that they can connect with the movie as deeply as they connect with their own souls,” said Director Bui Thac Chuyen.

In October 2022, the film made its debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival and was among the top 15 films showcased.

A month later, it won the top award – Montgolfière d’Or (Golden Balloon) – at the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes, France.

Director Bui Thac Chuyen at the ‘Glorious Ashes’ premiere in Hanoi. Photo: VNA

In December 2022, the film was officially released in Vietnam and received a warm reception from both critics and the general public.

“Director Chuyen not only captures the cultural richness of indigenous characteristics in Tu’s literature but also portrays it in a thought-provoking manner where the characters appear internally wounded,” wrote journalist and film critic Le Hong Lam on Vietcetera.

Despite being an art-house film, Glorious Ashes lagged in terms of box office performance compared to commercial films, although it still earned over VND4.1 billion (US$178,000).

On September 9, Glorious Ashes won Best Feature Film and Best Cinematography at the Golden Kite Awards, organized annually by the Vietnam Cinematography Association. Chuyen also received the Best Director award.

The only Vietnamese film to have received an official Oscar nomination for Best International Feature Film was Tran Anh Hung’s Mui Du Du Xanh (The Scent of Green Papaya) in 1993. Although the film was produced in France, its director requested that it be submitted as Vietnam’s representative for the Oscars.

Another notable Vietnamese film, Children of the Mist by young director Ha Le Diem, made it to the top 15 nomination list for the 2023 Oscars as the first Vietnamese documentary to achieve this recognition.
On September 21, Tran Anh Hung’s film The Pot au Feu was selected by France to compete in the 2024 Oscars.

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