Hanoi (VNA) - The Vietnam Film Week – The Journey of Light, running from December 5 - 12 at Le Grand Rex, marks an unprecedented showcase of Vietnam’s filmmaking over the past half-century since national reunification in 1975.
The event is a curtain raiser of the cultural initiative “Vietnam – The Symphony of Love”, an ambitious project by AVSE Global – Association of Vietnamese Scientists and Experts, designed to introduce global audiences to the nuances of Vietnam’s cultural identity. The film programme is co-organised by the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA), with the patronage of the Vietnamese Embassy in France.
Speaking at a Vietnam-France joint online press conference on November 14, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of VFDA, explained that the title “The Journey of Light” draws inspiration from the flow of Vietnamese cinema, from its wartime origins to its peacetime renaissance, from the early days of Doi Moi (renewal) to the current era of global integration.
She expressed her hope that the event would serve as a mirror to the nation’s own “Journey of Light” – the light of peace emerging from the war, the bold transformations of the Doi Moi era, and the modern face of the country as it transforms through industrialisation and modernisation.
A curated selection of 17 acclaimed works forms the heart of the programme – films that have won awards or earned selections at major international festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Busan, Hawaii and Nantes, as well as top honours at home.
They include the classics such as When the Tenth Month Comes, The Abandoned Field: Free Fire Zone, The Retired General, and a wide range of modern titles including Don’t be Afraid, Children of the Mist, Culi Never Cries, and Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass.
Adding to the excitement are two of Vietnam’s most talked-about recent blockbuster releases – Red Rain and Hijacked – which will make their European debut during the festival.
Representing the organisers, Professor Nguyen Duc Khuong expressed his hope that the Vietnam Film Week in Paris would be more than a cultural showcase and that it would become a bridge of emotion, understanding and national pride.
“Cinema, with its remarkable ability to transcend borders, is the very gateway through which the world can come to know Vietnam. And Paris is only the beginning,” he remarked. “This marks the first step in a larger journey, one that will carry Vietnamese cinema to audiences across many countries and broaden a global network of cultural and artistic collaboration.”
Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang said the week offers a valuable opportunity to delve more deeply into the evolution of Vietnamese cinema, to seek broader support, and to forge new connections with the French filmmaking community.
Alongside film screenings and opening and closing ceremonies, the programme will feature a panoramic exhibition on the history of Vietnamese cinema, public discussions, filmmaker exchanges, and a Vietnam-France cinema cooperation workshop.
Audiences in France can register to attend through the festival’s official website: vietnamsymphonyoflove.com/tuan-le-dien-anh-viet-nam./.
