Vietnam Week Screening: The Vertical Ray of the Sun

Join us as we celebrate Vietnam Week, with a screening of Trần Anh Hùng’s The Vertical Ray of The Sun followed by a post-screening conversation with celebrated directors Tony Bui and Trần Anh Hùng. The event will conclude with a DJ set featuring DJ Leo Nguyen.

Program details:

Film: 1pm-3:15pm
Director conversation: 3:15-4pm
DJ Set: 4pm-5:15pm

This program is presented in partnership with the Vietnam Society.

About the film:

THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN

In this critically acclaimed Vietnamese drama from 2000, three sisters living in modern-day Hanoi – Lien (trān nū yēn khē, Cyclo), Suong (nguyēn nhū quȳnh, The Chinese Botanist’s Daughters) and Khanh (lēkhanh) – prepare a banquet for the anniversary of their mother’s death. Upon the ending of the banquet, the three sisters’ personal lives go through different stages of distress, dealing with strife in their personal relationships and the revelation of a mysterious man who lingered throughout their mother’s life. Directed by Trần Anh Hùng (The Scent of Green Papaya), THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN is a beautifully shot film that transports you into another world.

(Dir.: Trần Anh Hùng, Vietnam, 2000, 112 min., English/Vietnamese with English subtitles)

Image cred: Sony Picture Classics

Host or Publisher Freer and Sackler Galleries