Film as art

Viet Nam News BUSAN — Organisers of Asia’s largest film festival have issued a rallying cry to its supporters as the event emerges from years of starring in its own political drama. The Busan International Film Festival hopes to draw a line under its role in a bitter row over the sinking of the Sewol ferry – one of South Korea’s deadliest ever disasters – which divided and traumatised the nation. "This edition of the festival is a reunion," said Lee Yong-kwan, chairman of the BIFF organising committee. "This year is about our recovery and a return of our status. It’s about expansion and reformation." The festival opens on Thursday with the world premiere of South Korean director Jero Yun’s Beautiful Days, which focuses on a North Korean family reunited after the mother escapes south looking for a better life. Its theme of reconciliation seems a fitting one considering the troubles BIFF has endured since the festival screened a … [Read more...] about Busan film festival seeks ’reunion’ after ferry tragedy row

Viet Nam News HCM CITY – Six Vietnamese-made films are being shown in cinemas nationwide this month.    Moviegoers are eager for the comeback of comic actor Thái Hòa and Vietnamese-American director Charlie Nguyễn in the comedy Chàng Vợ Của Em (My Mr. Wife). The duo were successful in such films as Để Mai Tính (Fool for Love), Tèo Em (Little Tèo), Cưới Ngay Kẻo Lỡ  (Love Puzzle), and Fan Cuồng (Fanatic). Chàng Vợ Của Em is adapted from the English novel Busy Woman Seeks Wife by Annie Sanders, featuring the love story of a homely man and a successful woman. In an interview with local media, Charlie said it was the first time he had adapted a film from a book, which was set in the UK. The movie will be different from the book, but he will keep the novel’s spirit about the differences between social classes. The director invited young actress … [Read more...] about Vietnamese comedies, dramas and horror films to screen this month

The Royal Citadel in the central city of Huế. — VNS File PhotoViet Nam News THỪA THIÊN – HUẾ — At least 22 art troupes from countries such as Australia, India, the UK, Belgium, Brazil, Morocco, South Korea, Mongolia, France, the Philippines, Thailand and China will perform at the 10th Festival Huế. To be held from April 27 to May 2 in the ancient city of Huế, the festival themed “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development” will feature music, dance and circus performances, street art, installation art, and films. There will be tickets to events such as the opening and closing ceremonies and performances at the Huế Imperial Citadel and An Định Palace, while others like traditional rowing and kite flying will be free of charge. The biennial festival has become not only a major cultural event in Việt Nam with hundreds of outstanding cultural and tourism programmes but also a convergence … [Read more...] about Twenty-two int’l art troupes to participate in Huế Festival 2018

Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The Krossing Over Arts Festival (KOAF) will feature a series of interdisciplinary and collaborative performances along with a plethora of artist talks, dance workshops, and international film screenings on April 16-22 in HCM City. In its second edition, the festival will offer art lovers an exciting week-long programme on the theme “Home, City and Architecture”. The site-specific works presented at this year’s festival examine the intimate relationship between people and their ever-evolving surroundings. Inspired by Italo Calvino’s classic novel Invisible Cities, KOAF’s artists view themselves as “travellers” sharing stories of the cities they know or have been to from their own perspectives, using different methods of expression. Together these performances unveil different facades of HCM City, which invoke a conversation between these travellers and their audience about the degree of disconnection from the … [Read more...] about Arts festival brings performance to new spaces