Documentaries screened to mark Party Congress

Six documentaries on national defence and construction will be screened
from January 20-22 to mark the success of the 11th National Congress of
the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

The selected documentaries include films shot from the ‘60s of the 20 th as well as those made in 2010.

A 40 minute film of “Images of Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary life” made
in 1960 has recalled the revered CPV founder’s activities at home and
abroad from 1920 till 1960.

The documentary won the Golden Lotus award at the second national film festival in 1973.

“The South is in my heart”, of the same length, confirmed the Party’s
stance that the southern region is always integral to Vietnam . It
also told a moving story about President Ho Chi Minh’s deep feelings for
the south, which were reflected in his famous saying “The South is
always in my hear”.

Director Hong Ha shot the film
in 1976, just one year after the American war came to an end, as a
tribute to the late President Ho Chi Minh who longed for the national
reunification.

There is another film about Ho Chi Minh, which won the Golden Lotus award at the ninth national film festival in 1990.

General Vo Nguyen Giap, the famous commander in chief of Vietnam
’s People’s Army, is also highlighted at the festival through “General
Vo Nguyen Giap, a century-a life”. The documentary recalled the
considerable contributions to the two wars against French and US
invaders the nation’s hero made, who turned 100 years old last October.

The remaining two films feature the contributions that CPV member have made to the national liberation and construction./.

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Vietnam film wins in Stockholm

Director Phan Dang Di's first movie, Bi, Dung So! (Bi, Don't Be Afraid),
has won Best First Feature at the 21st Stockholm International Film
Festival.

His senior cameraman, Pham Quang Minh, won
the award for best cinematography. Bi, Dung So! also won best
screenplay during the Cannes film festival's critics week, as well
as the new talent award at the Asia-Hong Kong Film Festival.

The film is scheduled to open at box offices in Vietnam next
month. It will be broadcast on TV network Arte Channel in France and
Germany .

The film narrates the story of a young
boy called Bi who lives with his mother, father and aunt in a house in
Hanoi . When Bi's grandfather, who has been absent for many years,
suddenly reappears, the family are once again reunited. However, his
return turns out to be far from auspicious. Bi's father begins to stay
out late, to the point where he stops coming home at all in what appears
to be a way of coming to turns with his own loneliness when his own
father was absent. Meanwhile, Bi's aunt falls in love with a young man
whom she meets on a bus, his father falls in love with a masseuse and
his mother behaves as if nothing has changed.

The
feature is much more than just a family drama. Director Di represents
the lost because he has no way to express complex emotions. The
photography borders on poetry and the interesting camera angles and the
fascinating film locations, combined with realistic dialogue, turn this
film into something extraordinary. Ordinary people become remarkable.
The life of the child is nothing short of enchanting, and viewers become
intimate witnesses of a family struggling to escape loneliness.

Holly Hunter, who starred in The Piano, headed the jury panel, said
she was amazed by power of the scenes and thought the film compelling.

Meanwhile, cameraman Minh's photography was described
as poetic and dignified in its simplicity and subtle technical
perfection.

The 12-day Stockholm Festival, which
ended on Nov. 28, was launched in 1990. It has become one of the leading
film events in Europe . The festival takes place every November and
typically features about 180 films from more than 50 countries./.

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Film industry in the spotlight

Filmmakers and critics gathered in three workshops within the framework
of the first Vietnam International Film Festival on Oct. 20 to discuss
and encourage the development of the domestic film industry.

The Republic of Korea ’s film critic Cho Bockrey said she loved
watching Vietnamese films but used to feel that the local cinema
environment was very out-of-date.

"I've watched
several films by director Dang Nhat Minh and met some filmmakers," Cho
said. "I feel that the Vietnamese film industry is similar to the RoKo
industry about 20 years ago."

Cho said she played a
key role in choosing Vietnamese locations for the film Red River by
Chinese director Zhang Jia-rui, and she lauded the teamwork and quick
official approvals she witnessed in Vietnam .

Yoo
Byung-woon, who works as a cinematographer with the Korea Broadcasting
System, said he has been to Vietnam six times and lauded the efforts
of the Vietnamese movie industry despite limited technical conditions.

"The friendly manners and efforts of the Vietnamese
people, as well as the beautiful scenery and unique customs, are a rich
inspiration and will lead more film crews to select Vietnam as a
location," Yoo said.

"Vietnamese culture excites
creativity," he added. "It was very strange that, when we were preparing
a scenario back home that we couldn't work out, we just had to arrive
in Vietnam and work directly with a Vietnamese film crew, and we
were given new suggestions and inspiration."

The
director of the Singapore International Film Festival, Phillip Cheah,
suggested that Vietnamese filmmakers listen to and exchange more with
their audiences.

"We have seen Vietnamese films but
we want more," Cheah said. "If you bring your films closer to the
standards of international audiences, the film industry will develop
steadily."/.

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Japanese features, anime to screen

Japanese director Nobuhiro Doi's latest film Hanamizuki is one of ten
films scheduled to show in competition at the first Vietnam
International Film Festival, which runs until Oct. 21 in Hanoi.

Hanamizuki is a romantic drama which tells the story of high school
student Sae Hirasawa, played by Yui Aragaki, who lives a simple life
with her mother in a peaceful northern fishing town but dreams of a life
overseas.

She meets two special men in her life.
One is another high school boy who she falls in love with. They
encourage each other to pursue their dreams, even as their dreams pull
them apart. The other man is an upperclassman who shares her same
dreams.

Doi, with the support of the Japan
Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange, is scheduled to arrive on Oct.
19 to attend the festival and conduct question and answer sessions about
the film.

Born April 11, 1964 in Hiroshima
Prefecture , Doi began as director for the hit TBS television series
Good Luck!! in 2003 and Orange Days in 2004 until striking it big with
the 48 million USD box office hit Be With You the same year, his
directorial film debut.

Hanamizuki was released in Japan in August and is his third feature film.

My Darling Is a Foreigner, the directorial debut by Kazuaki Ue, will also compete for the festival's top prize.

Eatrip by Yuri Nomura, and Mental by Kazuhiro Soda will compete in the
documentary and short film categories, respectively. Mental won the
Best Documentary Award at the Pusan International Film Festival and the
Dubai International Film Festival in 2008.

Japanese
animation will also make a showing at the festival with Summer Wars
(2009) and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), both directed by
Mamoru Hosoda. Both films have received numerous awards not only in
Japan but throughout the world, including the Best Animation Award at
the Japan Academy Awards in 2007 (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) and
in 2010 (Summer Wars).

Please see the What's On section on page 27 for the festival calendar./.