After the unfinished appointments due to the pandemic, TimTay finally had the opportunity to meet, chat and capture them with the most natural images. The photo series was taken by Barack Huy at places familiar to Hai Anh in Saigon. She took us to coffee, bought handmade notebooks at Reading Cabin, then walked to her favorite lunch restaurant nearby. The group continued to wander through Khong Trung, where she often visited to choose movies and watch outdoor movies.
One of the many reasons why TimTay decided to invite Hai Anh to appear in the Portrait column of TimTay Ke this time was the interestingness of &NOI - the program in which this girl is the co-founder, ideator and producer. Please listen to our story.
France & Vietnam, where did Hai Anh choose to live and work?
Hai Anh grew up in France and always considered Paris her home. Recently, Hai Anh moved back to Vietnam because she found love here and is making Saigon her second home.
What fate brought Hai Anh to a career in filmmaking?
It can be said that Hai Anh was born through cinema. Her parents lived on opposite sides of the ocean for 40 years before meeting for the first time at a film festival in Paris. Hai Anh’s mother, who was born and raised in Vietnam, was invited to the Créteil International Women’s Film Festival to premiere her film “The Traveling Circus”; and Hai Anh’s father, a French-Vietnamese man, acted as her mother’s interpreter and tour guide. I always imagined that my parents fell in love at that cinema.
Thinking further, Hai Anh’s paternal and maternal grandparents were also producers and filmmakers; Hai Anh thinks that perhaps it was fate. I believe that the love for cinema and storytelling runs in my blood, something very Vietnamese and also a characteristic of Hai Anh’s family. Obviously, Hai Anh followed that path.
Share a Vietnamese movie that you like? Why?
I really like Song Lang by director Leon Le. As a Vietnamese born and raised abroad, Hai Anh is very grateful for the love letter that he dedicated to his homeland as well as his first love for Cai Luong art. Hai Anh especially likes the way the relationship between the two main characters is portrayed, showing us that our feelings for one person are limitless. The movie is satisfying to the eyes but also leads us through many emotional levels, and that is what Hai Anh is looking for.
What has been the biggest change in your filmmaking career so far?
Hai Anh graduated from the School of Cinema in December 2019, right before the pandemic, and is currently working on her first feature film. She is also working on another storytelling format that she is passionate about, comics.
Hai Anh has always wanted to tell the story of her mother’s teenage years during the Vietnam War and how it affected their relationship, but movies didn’t seem to be enough, so she wrote a comic book called SONG, illustrated by her close friend Pauline Guitton. We recently signed a contract with Ankama, a major publisher in France, and are excited to announce that SONG is scheduled to be published next year. This is Hai Anh's greatest achievement to date because I get to tell the story that I've always wanted to tell to all the wonderful women who appear in my life. Hai Anh thinks this is the greatest success in my life.
How was "&NỐI" born? Through "&NỐI", what does Hai Anh want to convey?
The journey of "&NỐI" started during the 2020 pandemic, this is a series of interviews where we invite inspirational figures to share about their lives and careers, as well as their interests in popular culture from childhood to the present.
We are a group of four members, starting with Hai Anh and Hong Anh. We met when we were the Behind the Scenes directors for the MV "Doi Khi" by Nodey x Suboi. We are all female directors of the 9x generation, returning to Saigon to learn more about our roots, connecting through sharing cultural interests such as: music, cinema, MV, books... That is like a catalyst that motivates us every day, in addition to inspiring works of art.
&NỐI is a way for us to share those things with everyone, first to ourselves and gradually to a wider audience. We believe that art & pop culture is the simplest and most wonderful way to connect people around the world.
According to Hai Anh, what is the connection between fashion and cinema?
Cinema and fashion are both arts. Both require a strong vision to reach emotions, but all can only become reality with great teamwork.
What is your everyday outfit like?
My friends often say that I look like I’m going to the beach, probably because I usually wear simple and comfortable dresses. I like to have a few things in my wardrobe that I can take out and put on right away, without having to think too much in the morning.
Do you have any clothes or accessories that you especially love or that you are always with?
Lately, I’ve been wearing a jade bracelet, a gift from a special woman. She has been collecting jewelry for many years and these jade bracelets are no longer in production, making them even more special to me. I recently broke the bracelet in a fall and had it reinforced with a bit of white gold.
My second favorite item is the “explorer hat” from Muji. I get sunburned easily so I always need a hat to protect me. I bought this hat last year before a documentary project was canceled at the last minute due to the pandemic. During the quarantine period, Hai Anh kept thinking about this hat and looking forward to using it, because no matter how much of a homebody I am, I always want to go on adventures to get inspired.
Two "inseparable" items of Hai Anh
A Pair of Jade Bracelets Given by a Special Woman
Muji's “Explorer Hat”
What is your impression of TimTay?
What Hai Anh likes about TimTay designs is that they are simple yet unique. They always have a certain highlight that makes the outfit special. It would be great to hear more about other projects such as workshops to encourage people to do more handmade things, TimTay Tells, activities towards sustainability such as free repair and exchange of clothes…
What do "&NỐI" and TimTay have in common?
It is the passion and constant search for a better way of life for the community.
Interviewer Hoàng Anh
Photographer Barack Huy
Thank you Reading Cabin, Khongtrung Drink & Screen for enthusiastically supporting TimTay to complete this photo series.
Hai Anh is wearing: Áo Suối, Quần Suối, Đầm Trà, Đầm Suối, Áo Lâm, Váy Trà, Áo Trà, Quần Kendo
