Viet Nam News HCM CITY — The final round of the HTV Short Film Awards 2018 will include 24 films by young filmmakers in HCM City and provinces, two months after its launch. The films of 15 minutes or less, which aired on HTV9, feature social issues related to young people and their hopes and dreams. Highlighted productions include Lời Cầu Siêu (Prayer) and Tiếng Trống Lắc (Drum’s Beats) by professional film directors Hạnh Thúy and Phi Điểu, and Tim (Heart) by young talents from the Dragon O Group. The three films tell stories about youth and their difficulties in life, study and love. Ten advertising films of 30 seconds each offer messages to different communities. “Making films is not a game. We face challenges but we will never give up,” said young actress Quỳnh Hoa, who performed in Tim by Dragon O. “Through this contest, I hope to find new chances for my … [Read more...] about Film contest attracts young filmmakers
Film director school
Taiwanese film to be screened at Heritage Space
Taiwanese film to be screened at Heritage SpaceThe Saigon Times Daily HCMC - Heritage Space on the first floor of Dolphin Plaza in Hanoi’s Nam Tu Liem District will screen “Dust in the Wind”, a 1986 film by Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, for the 23rd FILM Storyteller program on Saturday, July 14, starting at 7 p.m. Based on co-screenwriter Wu Nien-jen's own experiences, the film is the final part of Hou's coming-of-age trilogy, with the others being A Summer at Grandpa's (1984) and The Time to Live and the Time to Die (1985). It tells a love story about a young couple from Jio-fen, a small mining town in the northern-east part of Taiwan. In the town, A-yuan is an apprentice by day and goes to night school, and A-yun works as a helper at a tailor’s shop. Everyone thinks they are meant for each other, so do they. However, they fail to see time and fate are beyond their control. Hou Hsiao-hsien is a Taiwanese film director, screenwriter, producer and … [Read more...] about Taiwanese film to be screened at Heritage Space
Teach feminism in schools, says film legend Agnes Varda
Viet Nam News PARIS — Feminism should be taught in schools, said the French film legend Agnes Varda, who has become an icon for the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements demanding equality in the film industry. Varda, 90, who was nominated for an Oscar this year for her documentary Faces Places after winning an honorary one in 2017, said activism had to start in schools. "Feminism is not active enough in schools and colleges, and sexual education has flatlined," the veteran director told a Women in Motion gathering in Paris on Tuesday organised by the fashion conglomerate Kering. "We do not talk enough about it to young men and women," she added. "We have to continue the fight. We thought in the 1960s that things would change quickly. But clearly, that has not been the case." Varda, the only female director who emerged from the French New Wave that rewrote the rules of cinema in the 1960s, has become an icon for many women in the industry. She helped lead a protest by … [Read more...] about Teach feminism in schools, says film legend Agnes Varda
Comedy drama a top grossing Việt Nam film
Now showing in cinemas, Những Tháng Năm Rực Rỡ (Go-Go Sister) is one of two movies released this year that have been included in the five top grossing Vietnamese films. Go-go sisters: A still from Tháng Năm Rực Rỡ which ranks among the top five highest grossing Vietnamese films. Photo kenh14.vn The comedy/ drama, the latest production by established director Nguyễn Quang Dũng, has so far pulled in VNĐ84 billion (US$3.7 million) at the box office, with an audience of 1.4 million since its release. Tháng Năm Rực Rỡ is a Vietnamese adaption of the Korean blockbuster, Sunny. It focuses on the friendship and reunification of a group of urban women who used to be friends in their youth. After meeting her old friend Mỹ Dung, protagonist Hiểu Phương is devastated to discover her high school friend is dying of cancer. In order to comfort her friend, Hiểu … [Read more...] about Comedy drama a top grossing Việt Nam film
Netflix series shows ‘necessary’ Philippine drug war: director
The deadly drug war waged by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is to be dramatised in the first Netflix series by award-winning director Brillante Mendoza, who says the internationally-condemned crackdown is "necessary." "Amo," which premieres April 9, is about a high school student who starts selling crystal meth and ends up tangled in a nightmarish world populated by violent kingpins and corrupt officials. It is the latest up-close examination of the dark side of Philippine life from Cannes-honoured Mendoza, who is a Duterte supporter and has filmed two government advertisements promoting the president's anti-drug campaign. "Yes, it (the drug war) is necessary for the Philippines - not only for the Philippines but also other countries afflicted with the drug problem," the 57-year-old Filipino told AFP in a telephone interview. "The reason why I did this is so people can see the other side of the coin," he said - from the point of view of the "victims" as well as the "victimizers." … [Read more...] about Netflix series shows ‘necessary’ Philippine drug war: director