Vietnam set for 1st international chorus contest

For illustration purposes only

The first ever Vietnam International Chorus Festival and Competition to be held in Hoi An next month will provide Vietnamese choirs the opportunity to meet their international counterparts and take part in a festival of this size for the first time.

It will be hosted by renowned choir organizer, Interkultur of Germany.

For its six categories of competition, 34 choirs from eight countries have signed up so far. The compulsory categories include mixed, male, female, and children choirs.

Indonesia will send 12 choirs, followed by the Philippines with 10. Vietnam will be represented by five choirs from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Quang Nam province.

The event will also feature advisory circles, rehearsals with choir experts, and encounter concerts.

A highlight will be the big opening show on March 15 on a giant floating stage by the Hoai River square.

Besides the competition, the choirs will also perform for locals and tourists at eight venues across Hoi An.

The event, scheduled to be held from March 15 to 18, is among 12 international competitions for amateur choirs held by Interkultur.

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Vietnam wins two prizes at film festival

Johnny Tri Nguyen and Ngo Thanh Van pose for pictures at the closing ceremony of the first Vietnam International Film Festival in Hanoi on October 21, 2010

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Vietnam International Film Festival wrapped up Thursday night at the National Convention Center in Hanoi, with Vietnamese films winning the Best Documentary and Best Actress prizes.

Nguyen Thi Kim Hai’s “Always Beside You,” the story of a mother who cares for her three-year-old son who has leukemia, was named the Best Documentary.

Nhat Kim Anh was the Best Actress for her performance in “The Fate of a Songstress in Thang Long.”
Australian director and jury member Phillip Noyce described the film as “Extremely beautiful [and] revealed parts of Vietnamese history that we as outsiders were not aware.”

Hong Kong’s Fiona Sit shared the award with Anh for her performance in “Break Up Club.”

Malaysia’s A Niu was named the Best Actor for his role in “Kacang Puppy Love” while.

“Sandcastle” made by first-time Boo Junfeng of Singapore made a huge impact, winning the Best Feature Film, Best Director, and NETPAC Jury Awards.

“Boo’s film doesn’t look like a first film, it is so self-assured,” US entertainment trade publication Hollywood Reporter quoted Venice Film Festival director Marco Mueller as saying at the festival.

The closing ceremony was attended by 2,000 people, including movie stars and filmmakers from Vietnam and abroad.

Lai Van Sinh, the head of the Vietnam Cinema Department and the festival’s chief organizer, said: “The first VNIFF has made a good impression on international audiences. Besides, it has helped bring cinema closer to the public.”

Large audience

Vietnamese films attracted large crowds at the five-day event.

All 14 Vietnamese feature films shown at the Vietnam International Film Festival that concluded Thursday were sellouts despite being screened four times every day, according to the organizers.

“Always Beside You”, “Adrift”, “The Legend Is Alive”, “Living In Fear”, “The Rebel”, “Hanoi- Hanoi”, “The fate of a songstress in Thang Long”, “The Lieutenant”, “Pao’s Story”, “The Buffalo Boy”, “Don’t Burn”, “The White Silk Dress”, “Moon At The Bottom Of The Well” and “Temple Of Literature” were screened at Platinum Cineplex, Megastar cinemas, and the National Screening Center.

To meet the demand, organizers put up 40-70 temporary seats at the venues.

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Asian film center-stage at first Vietnam film fest

File photo of director and AiF ambassador Phillip Noyce, who will act as a judge at Vietnam's first international film festival next month

Photo: AFP

Asian cinema will take center-stage at Vietnam's first international film festival next month, the government says.

The festival, from October 17-21 will feature 30 works by Asian directors in three categories: feature film, documentary and short, said a statement received Tuesday from the Ministry of Culture's cinema department.

The event is being held as part of celebrations to mark Hanoi's 1,000th anniversary.

Entries in the juried festival were produced during the last two years and may have been shown already, but they must not have been broadcast on television or the Internet, the cinema department said.

Among the judges will be Australian Phillip Noyce, who directed "The Quiet American," a 2002 film adaptation of Graham Greene's novel set during Vietnam's war of liberation against France.

The statement said other judges include Vietnamese director Dang Nhat Minh, whose 2009 film "Don't Burn" dealt with the Vietnam War, Venice Film Festival director Marco Muller, and South Korean actress Kang Su-Yeon.

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