Vietnamese director awarded French Knight Medal

The program was held at the French Embassy on the afternoon of April 20, with the participation of the filmmaker's family, director Dang Nhat Minh and the French Ambassador to Vietnam - Mr. Olivier Brochet. The representative of the organizing committee said: "Director Tran Phuong Thao is passionate about French language and culture, and has a love for cinema. She has also spent 25 years developing documentary films in Vietnam, through organizing classes at Varan Vietnam, which supports young filmmakers."

French Ambassador to Vietnam - Mr. Olivier Brochet (right) - awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters to director Tran Phuong Thao. Photo: Provided by the Organizing Committee

Tran Phuong Thao, 48 years old, graduated from the Foreign Trade University, then studied documentary film at the University of Poitiers (France) in 2001. She married French filmmaker Swann Dubus, currently lives in Hanoi and pursues documentary filmmaking. Her films often touch on thorny topics, reflecting the dark side of society, such as: Dream of being a worker (2006) about poor rural girls who only want to become workers in the city, won the Pierre and Yolande Perrault scholarship at the Cinéma du Réel Film Festival in 2007. In or outside your hand (2011) and On the forest under the valley (2016) revolve around young drug addicts in the mountains.

In 2015, she attracted attention with Finding Phong - a documentary about the emotional transition of a young man from Quang Ngai , which won the Nanook Grand Prix at the Jean Rouch Film Festival (France). The director handed the camera to Phong to film himself but still communicated closely with the character. Four years after winning many international awards, the work found a domestic distributor.

Director Tran Phuong Thao. Photo: Character provided

In addition to her directing work, Tran Phuong Thao and four other filmmakers founded Varan Vietnam, which regularly organizes creative camps for young talents. She is also the producer of Nhung Du Tre Trong Dem (Children in the Mist) directed by Ha Le Diem - a project in the top 15 nominees for Best Documentary at the 2023 Oscars.

The Order of Arts and Letters is one of four ministerial-level medals of France, awarded since 1957 to individuals with outstanding achievements or contributions in related fields. The title of Knight is the first of three medals awarded by the French Minister of Culture. Director Nguyen Hoang Diep and Director of the Department of Records and Archives Dang Thanh Tung have been awarded this medal.

Kim Ly (According to vnexpress.net)

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/127058/Vietnamese-Electrician-Awarded-the-Phap-Hiep-si-Chuong