Taste () is an internationally co-produced 2021 drama film, directed and written by Lê Bảo in his feature directorial debut. It stars Olegunleko Ezekiel Gbenga as a Nigerian footballer living in Vietnam who lives with four Vietnamese women, played by Thi Minh Nga Khuong, Thi Dung Le, Thi Cam Xuan Nguyen, and Thi Tham Thin Vu.
It premiered at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival, where it won Special Jury Award during the Encounters section.
Synopsis After being dropped from the football team due to an injury, Bassley, a Nigerian football player, now works as a barber and resides with four women in a slum.
Cast Olegunleko Ezekiel Gbenga as Bassley Thi Minh Nga Khuong as Mien Thi Dung Le as Trang Thi Cam Xuan Nguyen as Hanh Thi Tham Thin Vu as Thuong
Production The project was awarded the Most Promising Project at the 2016 Southeast Asian Film Lab. It was also selected and awarded for TFL Co-Production Awards and ARTE Prize at the 2017 TorinoFilmLab.
Release Taste had its world premiere at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival during its Encounters section on 1 March 2021. It received the Special Jury Award for the section. Wild Bunch acquired international distribution rights to the film.
On 17 May 2021, the production company Le Bien Pictures was administratively fined 35 million Vietnamese đồng for submitting the film to a film festival without a general license. In July 2021, the film was officially banned from release in Vietnam due to a 30-minute nude scene.
Reception Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.
Accolades + Awards and nominations for Taste Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Berlin International Film Festival 1 March 2021 Encounters Award – Special Jury Prize Taste Taipei Film Festival 7 October 2021 International New Talent Competition Lê Bảo Asia Pacific Screen Awards 11 November 2021 Achievement in Cinematography Nguyễn Vinh Phúc Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival4 December 2021 Golden Hanoman AwardTaste NETPAC Award
References