Above: A still from Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell by Phạm Thiên Ân, which recently won the Caméra d’Or award at Cannes Film Festival.
In 1993, the Caméra d’Or award, reserved by Cannes Film Festival for the best directorial debut, went to a filmmaker of Vietnamese descent—Trần Anh Hùng for The Scent of Green Papaya (Mùi đu đủ xanh). In May, 30 years later, it happened again: The winner was Phạm Thiên Ân of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Bên Trong Vỏ Kén Vàng).
Interestingly, both film titles refer to an item that’s organic in nature and suggest one must get close to fully experience it.