Institute History
Description
Four ordinary people living as strangers in their own land; a young girl hired to aid a reclusive spiritual master; a cyclo driver who becomes obsessed with a proud and ambitious prostitute; a very young boy hustling lighters, gum, and cheap watches in the streets; and an American Vietnam vet searching for the daughter he never knew. Disparate lives struggling to find both place and meaning in a nation that won the war but may be losing a piece of its soul.
With sweeping directorial vision and a powerfully poetic narrative, Tony Bui’s enormously impressive feature debut weaves together multiple stories into a striking pictorial tapestry of the “new” Vietnam, a contrast of the traditional to the modern, set within a nation in the chaotic throes of transition. As the first American film to be shot in Vietnam since the war, with a remarkable Vietnamese cast and emotionally provocative acting by the stalwart Harvey Keitel, Three Seasons achieved a pinnacle of excellence in filmmaking that was just as rare in its time as it is today.
Bui workshopped Three Seasons at the 1996 Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters and Directors Labs. Just three years later, Three Seasons went on to premiere at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition, where the film received widespread acclaim, earning the Excellence in Cinematography Award, and became the first feature film to win both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. The version screening in the upcoming Festival is a new digital restoration in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative and original master 4-track stereo.
“After 25 years, Three Seasons comes full circle back to Sundance where it originally premiered,” said Bui. “The long and emotional journey to restore the film isn’t just about preserving the film, but about bringing it back to life to share this timeless story of love, loss, and healing after the Vietnam War for generations to come.”
Digitally restored in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative and original master 4-track stereo. Special thanks to Focus Features for permission to screen the film.
Park City screening to be followed by a conversation with director Tony Bui, Producer Jason Kliot and Joana Vicente, and more.
Screenings include open captions.