VN film wins in Stockholm

Through a child's eyes: A scene from Bi, Dung So (Bi, Don't Be Afraid), which won the best first feature award at the Stockholm Film Festival.

HA NOI — Director Phan Dang Di's first movie, Bi, Dung So! (Bi, Don't Be Afraid), has won Best First Feature at the 21st Stockholm International Film Festival.

His senior cameraman, Pham Quang Minh, won the award for best cinematography. Bi, Dung So! also won best screenplay during the Cannes film festival's critics week, as well as the new talent award at the Asia-Hong Kong Film Festival.

The film is scheduled to open at box offices in Viet Nam next month. It will be broadcast on TV network Arte Channel in France and Germany.

The film narrates the story of a young boy called Bi who lives with his mother, father and aunt in a house in Ha Noi. When Bi's grandfather, who has been absent for many years, suddenly reappears, the family are once again reunited. However, his return turns out to be far from auspicious. Bi's father begins to stay out late, to the point where he stops coming home at all in what appears to be a way of coming to turns with his own loneliness when his own father was absent. Meanwhile, Bi's aunt falls in love with a young man whom she meets on a bus, his father falls in love with a masseuse and his mother behaves as if nothing has changed.

The feature is much more than just a family drama. Director Di represents the lost because he has no way to express complex emotions. The photography borders on poetry and the interesting camera angles and the fascinating film locations, combined with realistic dialogue, turn this film into something extraordinary. Ordinary people become remarkable. The life of the child is nothing short of enchanting, and viewers become intimate witnesses of a family struggling to escape loneliness.

Holly Hunter, who starred in The Piano, headed the jury panel, said she was amazed by power of the scenes and thought the film compelling.

Meanwhile, cameraman Minh's photography was described as poetic and dignified in its simplicity and subtle technical perfection.

The 12-day Stockholm Festival, which ended on Sunday, was launched in 1990. It has become one of the leading film events in Europe. The festival takes place every November and typically features about 180 films from more than 50 countries. — VNS

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Vietnam Swans first time victors in Indochina Cup

Vietnam Swans play Thailand Tigers at Saturday’s Indochina Cup in HCMC. The Swans, who took the Cup, won all their matches against Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. - Photo: Adam Martin

The Australian Rules football team, Vietnam Swans, celebrated their first ever tournament victory on Saturday night after beating all comers at the Indochina Cup earlier that day.

The Swans  were joined at an over 200 strong party at La Cantine Restaurant in Dong Khoi St, District 1 by Aussie football players from fellow Indochina Cup teams, the Laos Elephants, Thailand Tigers and Cambodian Cobras, plus the Swan’s sister team, the Saigon Shooters, who also won a same-day netball IndochinaCup, and women’s netball teams from Hanoi and Thailand.

At the after-match function Vietnam Swan’s captain, Luke Creamer, said the Australian football Indochina Cup win was, “Epic.”

It was a very hard-fought-for win with several injuries early in the day including a broken jaw, a concussion and a badly split lip.

Before the game started Australian Consul General in HCMC, Graeme Swift, held a minute’s silence for the hundreds of Cambodians, who died in last week’s bridge tragedy in Phnom Penh.

The four Australian football teams played a round robin tournament with six 30-minute games played in total at the fields at RMIT in District 7.

“Not only the Indochina Cup, this is our first-ever tournament win. We’ve won a lot of individual games but never a tournament before,” Danny Armstrong, the Vietnam Swan’s national treasurer said.

Armstrong, who played his last game on Saturday, deciding to retire from playing after more than 30 years of footy, said winning the Cup was a terrific feeling.

“It was time for me to hang up the boots, whether we won or lost, so I asked the boys for a special effort to come up with a win. Couldn’t ask for more.”

Swan’s player, Matt Natalotto, who got his jaw, eyesocket and cheek bone broken in the first 10 seconds of the Swan’s first game against the Cambodian Cobras and had to get airlifted to Bangkok for surgery said from his hospital bed in Thailand on Sunday, “Great win for the Swans who definitely deserved it. So much hard work has gone into the team this year… and years past.”

Natalotto had also planned to hang up his boots after the Indochina Cup, but said that he couldn’t finish off a footy career like that, so he would continue to play at least until the ANZAC match next year once the injuries were healed.

Saul Morgan, captain of the Thailand Tigers, said the Indochina cup was one of the highlights of the Asian Football calendar. Morgan said the Vietnam Swans had organized the cup really well and he looked forward to next year’s Cup being held in Laos.

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French guitarist Manu Codjia jazzes Hanoi

French guitarist Manu Codjia, a world famous French jazz guitarist, will perform at the Tuoi Tre Theater, 11 Ngo Thi Nham Street in Hanoi at 8 p.m. on December 10.

The artist and his friends, contrabass player Jérôme Regard and drummer Philippe Pipon Garcia will take jazz fans on a passionate journey of sophisticated melodies from his latest album. They will also perform famous songs by the Jamaican musician Bob Marley and “the King of Pop,” Michael Jackson.

Graduated from the Paris Conservatoire under the guidance of Professor Francois Jeanneau, Manu Codjia began his career playing classical guitar but quickly found his passion in jazz.  His first album, ‘Songlines’ (Bee Jazz) was released in 2007 and received enthusiastic praise from both audiences and critics.

He won best guitarist at the 2007 Djangos d’Or Awards, one of the most prestigious honors for jazz in Europe, and the Victoires du Jazz Award for best new instrumentalist of 2008.

Tickets are available at L’Espace Center, 24 Trang Tien St., Hanoi for VND50,000 to VND100,000.

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VSIP charity day raises US$100,000

The eighth annual VSIP Charity Day, organized by Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park J.V., Co., Ltd (VSIP) and the park’s management board, raised over US$100,000 for the company’s charity fund.

Thousands of workers from the park turned up for the two day event to enjoy a fun fair, music shows, traditional games and a talent show.

There was also a charity dinner called “Enchanted Night. Under the Sea” that included a Mr and Ms VSIP beauty pageant.

“We hope to strengthen the business relationship with our esteemed partners as well as the enduring co-operation in community outreach. We trust that VSIP’s tenants will always accompany us in social activities not just by donating to the fund, but also by encouraging their workers to join the activities after their hard work,” said Nguyen Phu Thinh, general director of VSIP at the banquet.

Since the inception of Charity Day in 2002, VSIP has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars. The money raised in 2008 and 2009, was donated to Tan Binh Primary School for new buildings, Que Huong Charity House and scholarships in Binh Duong province.

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Stockholm honours Viet Nam film

HA NOI – Bi, Dung So! (Bi, Don't Be Afraid), director Phan Dang Di's first movie, has won Best First Feature at the 21st Stockholm International Film Festival.

His senior cameraman, Pham Quang Minh, won the award for best cinematography.

Bi, Dung So! also won best screenplay during the Cannes film festival's critics week, as well as the new talent award at the Asia-Hong Kong Film Festival.

The film is scheduled to open at box offices in Viet Nam this month. It will be broadcast on TV network Arte Channel in France and Germany.

The film narrates the story of a young boy called Bi who lives with his mother, father and aunt in a house in Ha Noi. When Bi's grandfather, who has been absent for many years, suddenly reappears, the family are once again reunited. However, his return turns out to be far from auspicious. Bi's father begins to stay out late, to the point where he stops coming home at all in what appears to be a way of coming to turns with his own loneliness when his own father was absent. Meanwhile, Bi's aunt falls in love with a young boy whom she meets on a bus, his father falls in love with a masseuse and his mother behaves as if nothing has changed.

The feature is much more than just a family drama. Di represents the lost because he has no way to express complex emotions. The photography borders on poetry and the interesting camera angles and the fascinating film locations, combined with realistic dialogue, turn this film into something extraordinary.

Ordinary people become remarkable. The life of the child is nothing short of enchanting, and viewers become intimate witnesses of a family struggling to escape loneliness.

Holly Hunter, who starred in Piano, headed the jury panel, said she was amazed by power of the scenes and thought the film compelling.

Meanwhile, Minh's photography was described as poetic and dignified in its simplicity and subtle technical perfection.

The 12-day Stockholm Festival, which ended on Sunday, was launched in 1990. It has become one of the leading film events in Europe. The festival takes place every November and typically features about 180 films from more than 50 countries. – VNS

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Youth dance for HIV cause

Enthusiasm reigns: Young people attend the dance4life programme at the American Club on Saturday. — VNS Photos Doan Tung Winner: Pham Quynh Anh from Ha Noi's Le Quy Don High School receives first prize for her painting There's No Difference Between You and Me.

HA NOI — Up to 1,000 young people gathered here on Saturday night to dance as part of a worldwide event aimed at drawing the attention of world leaders to the issue of HIV/AIDS.

Local participants in the dance4life programme gathered at the American Club on Ha Noi's Hai Ba Trung Street, and were linked by satellite to similar parties around the world, as young people used their voices and their feet to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and challenge the stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.

Pop singers My Dung and Minh Quan, comedians Xuan Bac and Tu Long, and the Big Toe Dance Crew, together with model and UNICEF goodwill ambassador Vu Nguyen Ha Anh appeared at the event.

Xuan Bac, a well-known television celebrity, has been a supporter of the annual dance4life programme since 2006.

"HIV and AIDS don't discriminate," he said. "Anyone – me, you, everyone – can suffer from it. So I realise that I myself need to live a healthy lifestyle and so do you.... We will dance for better health, better moves, and a better life without HIV and AIDS."

Dance4life Viet Nam is a project of the World Population Foundation (WPF) with an estimated 9,000 students now involved.

"Without a doubt, this is the greatest HIV prevention event that I have ever taken part in," said student Hoai Anh, a member of a dance team performing at the event. "It's exciting and very innovative. I always feel so happy when I join the team to perform somewhere."

A dance4life art contest, with the theme this year of Living Together, also concluded on Saturday, with first prize going to the painting There's No Difference Between You and Me by Pham Quynh Anh from Ha Noi's Le Quy Don High School. Anh beat out over 600 entrants from schools around the country.

Saturday's event received support from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Durex and Akzo Nobel Paints Viet Nam, in addition to the WPF. The international programme was founded in the Netherlands in 2003. — VNS

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Families to host regional youth in cultural exchange

HCM CITY — More than 320 youngsters from Southeast Asia and Japan will arrive in HCM City early next month for an annual cultural exchange.

The Southeast Asian Youth Programme 2010 (SSEAYP) delegation, which includes 29 from Viet Nam, left Yokohama in Japan by ship on a 52-day journey through six countries that will see the youths return to Tokyo on December 15.

The city unit of the HCM City Youth Union is preparing to receive the delegates and host the annual programme that will include music, home stay, and other events as well as charitable activities. It has chosen 60 volunteers for the purpose.

Some 170 families in the city have volunteered to house the guests during their three-day stay which will expose them to Vietnamese culture.

Le Van Minh, a Youth Union official, said several families have done this on more than one occasion, explaining the ship will be on its 11th visit to HCM City.

The visitors will discuss participation by youth in social activities, including culture, environment, international relations, education, health, food, and community development.

They have been to Malaysia and Thailand and are now in Indonesia. They will next leave for Singapore before arriving in Viet Nam on December 5.

SSEAYP, started in 1974, is a joint initiative by Japan and five founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.

It seeks to strengthen friendship, co-operation, and understanding between Japanese and Southeast Asian youths to help build a peaceful, stable, and developed region.

Viet Nam joined the programme in 1996 VNS

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