Animated films by French filmmakers will be shown at Manzi Art Space on June 9. Free admission. — Photo courtesy of Manzi Art Space

Inspired by urban life of modern-day Việt Nam, Stéphanie Lansaque and François Leroy made the films including Red River (2012); Cold Coffee (2015) and Exquisite Corpse (2018). 

The latest, Exquisite Corpse, has no dialogue. It is a visual acoustic and odorous ballad through the wandering of a one-eyed dog in Hà Nội's alleys. 

In the maze of old Hà Nội streets, daily life and legend mingle on the syncopated rhythm of folklore hát xẩm (blind busker's singing). 

The score was made by Vietnamese troupe Đông Kinh Cổ Nhạc and Denis Vautrin. It was a candidate in the European Film Award 2019's short film category. 

Cold Coffee is an intimate and nerve-racking movie on Sài Gòn's dark side, telling a story of a girl. After her mother's death, she has to quit her studies to take over the family cafe.

The last one Red River is a social chronicle of Hà Nội. Three young brothers newly arrived from their native village to work in the capital. 

Around Long Biên Bridge, they cross the path of a young cop and a street vendor.

It has been shown at international film festivals such as Cannes, Palm Springs and Cinema Jove. 

Cold Coffee and Red River have English subtitles. The shows will begin at 8pm at 14 Phan Huy Ích, Ba Đình District. After the shows, there will be Q&A session with the filmmakers. 

The filmmakers are specialised in animation. After studying Graphic Design in Paris, Lansaque worked as an artistic director for the press and publishing houses.

Leroy studied Design in Paris and then got a degree in Animation from GOBELINS, l'école de l'image.

They travelled to Việt Nam for the first time in 2002. They liked the atmosphere and decided to work together on their first film entitled Goodbye Mister Chu. 

They now both live and work between Paris, Hà Nội and HCM City. — VNS