104 mins - Vietnam / France 1993 - Subtitles - Dir: Tr?n Anh Hùng Starring: Nu Yên-Khê Tran, Man San Lu and Thi Loc Truong The East Asia Film Festival Ireland (EAFFI) is delighted to present THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA at Triskel Arts Centre to celebrate Lunar New Year 2024: Year of the Dragon. The first part of his Vietnam Trilogy, THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA is French-Vietnamese writer-director Tr?n Anh Hùng’s (THE TASTE OF THINGS, 2023) brilliant debut feature, set in 1950/60s Saigon. In a subtle exploration of female characters, the story unfolds in two parts beginning in 1951. In the interiors of a house and garden with a papaya tree, domestic chores and the intimate life of a wealthy but troubled family and their servants unfold. The slow decline of a society, its family life, gender and class, mirrors the coming-of-age and romantic blossoming of servant girl Mùi. Sparse dialogue and elaborate compositions in a precise palette of colours, textures and sounds (birds, insects, plants, food preparation, clothes, interiors and piano), combine with fluid tracking shots to create a languorous and sensual cinema full of palpable sensations. A pioneer of lyrical and evocative films! Winner: Caméra d’Or, Cannes International Film Festival 1993 (Marie-Pierre Richard, programme curator & co-organiser of EAFFI & EAFFI Discoveries) “Here is a film so placid and filled with sweetness that watching it is like listening to soothing music...this is a film to cherish.” Chicago Sun-Times
