Over 2,700 attend opening of Vietnam Film Week in Paris

Over 2,700 people across 23 countries attended the opening of the Vietnam Film Week titled “Journey of Light” in Paris on December 5.

The audience had the opportunity to see the international premiere of the film ‘Tu Chien Tren Khong’ (Hijacked) with a live performance of its soundtrack at Le Grand Rex, the largest cinema in Europe.

A major event for Vietnamese culture and arts

“Vietnam Film Week in Paris is a major event for the culture, arts, and cinema of Vietnam, and it has been very well received by the French public, as well as French media,” Dinh Toan Thang, France’s Vietnamese ambassador, told Vietnam News.

“We hope that this will become an unforgettable milestone for the journey of Vietnam’s cinema, as well as for cinematic and cultural exchanges between Vietnam and France,” the ambassador added.

“This is the first time a major Vietnamese film event has been held in the City of Lights, Paris, commemorating the 50th anniversary of national reunification and the 80th anniversary of the National Day,” Ngo Phuong Lan, chairwoman of the Vietnam Film Development Association, said.

“It also takes place in December, the month the world commemorates 130 years since the Lumiere brothers gave birth to cinema, an art form that has helped change human history and enrich our inner worlds and everyday life,” the chairwoman added.

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17 Vietnamese films to be screened

The “Journey of Light” film week, running until Friday, will screen 17 Vietnamese films.

Classic Vietnamese films from the renewal period, locally referred to as “doi moi,” include ‘The Abandoned Field: Free Fire Zone’ by People’s Artist Nguyen Hong Sen, ‘When the Tenth Month Comes’ by People’s Artist Dang Nhat Minh, and ‘The Retired General’ by People’s Artist Nguyen Khac Loi.

Films created by young independent filmmakers, showcasing their distinctive perceptions and voices, include ‘Bi, Don’t Be Afraid’, ‘Cu Li Never Cries’, and ‘Don’t Cry, Butterfly’.

“We want to offer international audiences a rich, multi-dimensional, and distinct perspective on Vietnamese cinema, not limited to the war films of the past,” Lan told Tuoi Tre News.

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