"Scent of Green Papaya" in the top 100 best Asian films of all time

A scene from "The Scent of Green Papaya".

The lists of the best Asian films of all time and the 100 most outstanding Asian directors were released at the ongoing Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

The first place in the list of top 100 best Asian films of all time was "Tokyo Story" (1953) by Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu. The second and third places were "Rashomon" (1950) by Japanese director Kurosawa Akira and "In the Mood for Love" (2000) from Hong Kong, directed by Wong Kar-wai.

"The Scent of Green Papaya" (1993) directed by Vietnamese-born Tran Anh Hung ranked 66th.

The top three of the list of 100 best Asian directors included Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu, Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami.

Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung and Vietnamese director Dang Nhat Minh ranked 40th and 62nd.

The organizers of Busan Film Festival said they made the lists to help movie lovers around the world to understand more about the history of Asian cinema. A number of films on the list will be screened at the festival. The list will be updated every five years.

“The Scent of Green Papaya” is a 1993 Vietnamese-language film produced in France by Lazennec Production, directed by Vietnamese-French director Tran Anh Hung, and starring Tran Nu Yên-Khê, Man San Lu, and Truong Thi Loc.

Director Tran Anh Hung.

The film won the Caméra d'Or prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, a César Award for Best Debut at the French annual film award ceremony, and was nominated for the 1993 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

The Scent of Green Papaya was Tran Anh Hung's first feature film and starred his wife, Tran Nu Yen Khe. Hung is also known for Cyclo, Vertical Ray of the Sun and Norwegian Woods.

“The Scent of Green Papaya” is about the life of a girl named Mui. A little girl, Mui, goes to a house as a new servant. The mother still mourns the death of her daughter, who would have been Mui's age. In her mind she treats Mui as her daughter. Ten years later Mui (now a young woman) is sent to another family, a young pianist and his wife. The musician falls in love with the peasant, teaches her literacy and they eventually marry.