HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese motion picture Quán Kỳ Nam (Kỳ Nam Inn) is among five films nominated for the Grand Jury Feature Film Award at the Asian Pop-Up Cinema festival in Chicago.

Directed by Leon Lê and starring Liên Bỉnh Phát and Đỗ Thị Hải Yến, Kỳ Nam Inn is a romantic story about young translator and a widow. 

The film is set in the 1980s, when Việt Nam was still picking up the pieces after a devastating war. Khang is a young translator who came to HCM City to translate The Little Prince. At his new home, he meets Kỳ Nam, an older widow who lives downstairs. Over time, they form a connection that may even blossom into love.  

Channeling the likes of Wong Kar-wai, Lê’s quietly lyrical romance follows two characters who find love in between everyday routines and old songs playing on vinyl records. Bathed in a nostalgic and lush yellow hue, and featuring Việt Nam’s gorgeous classical architecture in the backdrop, this gentle romance smoulders slowly but surely.

Lê moved to the US with his family and carved out a successful career in musical theatre on Broadway in New York as an actor, before starting to write and direct short films. His first film, Song Lang (Tap Box), earned him awards for best director and best feature film at the Sharm El-Sheikh Asian Film Festival in 2019. 

Lê and Phát will both be in attendance at the Chicago screening of Kỳ Nam Inn on April 11. 

In its 20th edition, the Asian Pop-Up Cinema festival will take place from March 20 to April 12, continuing its mission of connecting Chicago audiences with diverse voices from across Asia through North American premieres, filmmaker conversations and community screenings.

“This year’s edition will showcase films from Malaysia, Việt Nam, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea, highlighting bold new voices, award-winning filmmakers and stories that reflect the evolving landscape of contemporary Asian cinema,” said Asian Pop-Up Cinema Founder and Executive Director Sophia Wong Boccio.

Other contenders for the Grand Jury Award include The Special, A Good Child, Blue Boy Trial and How Dare You from Japan and Singapore. 

Distinguished jury members include jury president Mehnrez Saeed-Vafa, Barbara Scharres and Karen Severns. 

Mehrnaz has been the artistic advisor and co-founder of the Annual Festival of Films from Iran at the Gene Siskel Film Center Chicago since 1989. Some of her films, including A Tajik Woman, Jerry & Me, The Silent Majority and Far From Home, have been screened at several domestic and international film festivals. — VNS