A genre rarely explored in France, safe for the occasional encouragement from the CNC via its support for genre films (which in 2019 had helped Tralala [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Serge Bozon
scheda film]), the musical is even rarer among debut features. Stéphane Ly-Cuong’s In the Nguyen kitchen however belongs to that category. Filming since 25 September, it features music by Clovis Schneider and Thuy-Nhân Dao (TIN).

In the cast, the filmmaker (who has directed three short films, including Allée des jasmins which played in Clermont-Ferrand in 2019) brings together Clotilde Chevalier (who headed the musical show Cabaret Jaune Citron which the director successfully brought on tour between 2010 and 2017), Anh Tran Nghia (very well received in the theatre world in Saïgon), Leanna Chea (nominated for the 2020 Best Supporting Actress Canadian Screen Award for her role in 14 Days, 12 Nights, appreciated in Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom [+leggi anche:
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Written by Stéphane Ly-Cuong, the script centres on Yvonne Nguyen, a young actress of Vietnamese origin who dreams of making it in the world of musicals, to the great chagrin of her mother who’d like to see her follow a more serious path. It is in the intimacy of the kitchen, between family meals and traditional recipes, that the two women will finally manage to communicate, and to understand and accept one another…

Produced by Amélie Quéret for Respiro Productions (who already produced two short films by the director), In the Nguyen kitchen is co-produced by Jour2Fête (who will be handling distribution in French cinemas). Pre-bought by Canal+ and Ciné+, the feature film also benefits from the support of the CNC (with an advance on receipts and the Images de la diversité fund) and the Île-de-France region. The seven weeks of filming (with Alexandre Icovic as director of photography) will conclude on 9 November. International sales will be handled by The Party Film Sales.