Vietnamese female student's passion for cinema has many times "encountered" Hollywood stars

After 15 years of living and studying in Vietnam, Bui Anh Minh applied and was accepted with 70% financial support for tuition at UWC ISAK High School, Japan.

After that, the Vietnamese female student studied for a Bachelor's degree in Radio/Television/Film at Northwestern University (ranked 28th in the world in 2024 according to Times Higher Education).

During her studies, Anh Minh always maintained the maximum score, won the department's excellent award in her second year and entered the Dean's List (a list of students with an average score of 3.75 or higher). She graduated with honors and received the title "Summa Cum Laude" (the most prestigious academic title given to the top 1-5% of the school's students).

Bui Anh Minh graduated with honors and received the most prestigious academic title, Summa Cum Laude, awarded to the top 1-5% of the school's students (Photo: NVCC).

Additionally, Minh is a member of Lambda Pi Eta (LPH), an honor society affiliated with the National Communications Association for students.

Recently, after completing her bachelor's degree, she applied and was accepted into several master's programs at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, University of Chicago, etc. And Minh decided to study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a commitment to financial support for at least 5 years to get a PhD.

Explore the Film Industry

Coming from a family where both parents studied engineering, Minh herself had to think a lot when choosing to pursue an artistic career. For her, the decision on university and major was greatly influenced by her studying abroad since high school. When she happened to take a film class at UWC ISAK, the Gen Z girl herself felt very interested.

Like any field of study, there are its own difficulties. The 10x girl also initially faced challenges when getting used to the film industry at University: "When I first took the first theory classes, the thing I found most difficult was reading books on film analysis.

There are books that the author writes that are very difficult to understand. Even though I use English as my daily language, it still takes me a while to get used to it. However, I remind myself that if I can't read quickly, I should read slowly, read slowly, read over and over again until I understand.

Vietnamese female student has impressive memories when joining the film crew (Photo: NVCC).

To quickly hone her skills, Minh diligently films. Each school year has three semesters, and she usually films one or two films each semester. This Gen Z girl often takes on the role of script supervisor (studio secretary).

In addition, the Vietnamese female student also joined a film-related club and was on the executive board. During the years she worked for the club, she co-organized talks with the participation of the producer of the movie "La La Land", the director of the movie "Miss Stevens", the editor of the movie "The Last of Us",...

In the club events organized there is a program she directly runs.

Sharing about the experience, Minh said that before going on stage, he felt quite nervous. However, both guests, Allie Wasserman (Vice President of Programming at HBO) and Louie Hayes (Director of Development at FX Entertainment) were very friendly and approachable.

So when directly listening to the sharing of professional experiences and work experiences, the 10X female student learned a lot of practical knowledge about the industry.

Bui Anh Minh's conversation with Allie Wasserman (Vice President of Programming at HBO) and Louie Hayes (Director of Development at FX Entertainment)

Memories, memorable lessons about filmmaking

The female student from Hanoi also always remembers the lessons of the big stars she has met.

"Director Kabir Akhtar (an Emmy-winning director who has worked on projects such as "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend", "Never Have I Ever"...) once told us that when making a film, don't be afraid of not being able to attract audiences, especially the first film. Few people make a successful film the first time, so just keep doing it and don't be afraid of anything, just persevere and we will gain experience."

Sharing a filmmaking experience that impressed Minh, she remembered a short film about a South American girl immigrating to the US. There was a scene where the girl talked to her grandmother and the two shared their dreams when they decided to leave their homeland to find better opportunities.

What moved the girl born in 2002 was that the grandmother written in the script was actually the mother of the actress playing that role. So the actress herself had deep connections with the dialogue.

"When the director just called cut, I cried, and looked around and everyone started crying. That's when I realized that what I do is entertaining, but cinema is also a tool for me to tell very important, very profound stories.

This is also one of the big reasons I decided to pursue this industry. Artists have stories they want to convey, and this is the platform for them to tell those stories."

For Minh, rediscovering literature in another form, cinema, is like returning to what he was passionate about and loved in the past (Photo: NVCC).

Minh shared the reason why he decided to study for a master's degree specializing in film studies and aim to become a lecturer because he loved literature since he was studying in Vietnam.

"When I took my first film analysis class, I realized that movies are like literature on screen. Instead of using words, movies use images, sounds, cuts, etc. But in the end, movies are still literature and art, and in the end, they are still related to history, culture, politics, etc., which are all things that are included in life.

So when I met literature again in another form, cinema, it was like I was returning to what I was passionate about and loved from the past," she recalled.

Giving advice to young people who want to study cinema, Minh confided: "I myself am not sure that I will be able to pursue art to the end, but being able to do what I am passionate about is a fate and a blessing. And when I pursue this industry, I do not expect that I will be too rich in the future.

If you feel this is truly a great love, be brave to pursue it. Be really diligent, be ready to learn from your predecessors, teachers, and friends.

You will never learn everything about art, don't subjectively think that you have talent and that's enough. If you have decided to pursue the industry, watch a lot, read a lot."

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/dam-me-dien-anh-cua-nu-sinh-viet-nhieu-lan-cham-tran-sao-hollywood-20240901224418387.htm