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| French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati presented the Order of Arts and Literature, Officer rank, to Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association. (Photo: Ngoc Anh) |
During the State visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Vietnam, on May 26, French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati awarded the Order of Arts and Literature, Officer rank, to Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association.
Meeting Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, who was still emotional after unexpectedly receiving the French Officer of the Order of Literature and Arts, TG&VN reporters listened to her talk about her concerns and constant efforts in the journey to integrate Vietnamese cinema into the international community.
Affirming identity
Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan said that this is not only a recognition for an individual, but also the result of a long journey of dedication to cinema, from research, criticism to management. She emphasized that the award is the result of a collective effort and she is just the lucky one to represent and receive that honor.
From a very young age, she had a deep affection and impression for French cinema - a cinema that focuses on finding and affirming its own identity, clearly different from Hollywood films that are often inclined towards commercialism and globalization. French cinema has an original creative spirit, especially evident in the works of independent filmmakers, which always makes her feel close and in tune with her artistic thinking.
Right from the first days of working at the Department of Cinema (now the Department of Cinema), Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan had the opportunity to work with French experts who came to Vietnam to support the training of young filmmakers. From these experiences, she gradually realized the importance of preserving the identity, cinematic language and national culture in the journey of artistic creation.
Similarity in thinking
Her PhD thesis on “Modernity and Nationality in Vietnamese Cinema” did not directly mention French cinema, but according to her, it is clear that the mindset of protecting national identity, preserving traditions and affirming one's own language is vital for all cinema.
During her research, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan selected a number of Vietnamese films as examples to analyze the trend of building unique characteristics in the country's cinema. She does not believe that this is the result of direct influence from French cinema, but recognizes a similarity in thinking - that is, the awareness of preserving national identity as an indispensable "hinge" if one wants to develop a cinema with its own unique mark.
Citing the debut film “The Scent of Green Papaya” by French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, she said that although filmed on a studio in Paris, each frame opens up a journey of subtle discovery of the identity and soul of the Vietnamese people from the perspective of a child far from home looking back to the motherland. The film has a subtle blend of French and Vietnamese cultures, between a “distanced” view and a sense of attachment. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1992, representing Vietnam, not France, further affirming the value and significance of a soul that has absorbed East Asian culture.
Bringing international cinema... home
During her time working at the Department of Cinema, cooperation programs with the French side have brought many practical results. That experience and spirit of cooperation continued to be promoted when the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) was founded, with a clear direction: Creating a playground for independent filmmakers, promoting individual creativity. Therefore, DANAFF clearly divided two competition areas: Asia - where Vietnam participated with independent films rich in identity and Vietnamese films, focusing on films with good techniques and craftsmanship. It is gratifying that in the first two periods, Vietnamese films won high prizes in the Asian film category, with "Those children in the mist" (2023) and "Cu li khong bao khong khong" (2024).
As President of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan stated that for any country, cinema can hardly develop without deep, proactive and comprehensive international exchanges. According to her, cinema is a highly international industry, as today, a film is often a product of cooperation between many countries and territories.
In Vietnam, the form of co-production with foreign countries, including France, has begun to appear, but is still on a limited scale. The access of Vietnamese films to the international market is still small-scale, not creating a clear trend. According to her, this is an area that needs to continue to be promoted through specific cooperation projects so that Vietnamese cinema can gradually affirm its position on the regional and world cinema map.
Therefore, each time a Vietnamese film achieves success at an international film festival, the international audience and colleagues pay more attention to Vietnamese cinema. However, if we only rely on sending it to film festivals, it will take a lot of time. Therefore, the Vietnam Association for Promotion and Development of Cinema focuses on organizing international film festivals right in the S-shaped country.
Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan added that in order to develop DANAFF in a stable and sustainable manner, the Organizing Committee always strives to make each season bring its own unique mark, different from the previous season. This is especially important in the current context, when every year there are thousands of film festivals taking place around the world. According to her, in order for a brand to be maintained and remembered, it is necessary to build its own identity - that is the core factor that creates the long-term vitality of DANAFF.
Talking about the new features of this year's DANAFF season, she was excited about new activities such as: DANAFF Talent - a playground for promising talents in the field of cinema. From nearly 100 submitted applications, the Organizing Committee selected seven Asian projects and seven Vietnamese projects. Young directors and producers will be guided by leading experts from France, including the participation of the French National Cinema Center (CNC). Notably, CNC will award a prize worth 8,000 Euros to the best project in the independent film group in the Asian region.
According to her, accompanying and supporting the young generation of filmmakers right from the beginning will contribute to creating quality works, while forming a core creative force for the future of Vietnamese and regional cinema.
From the story of Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, we can clearly see the constant efforts of Vietnamese artists and cinema in preserving identity, expanding international cooperation and nurturing young talent. Through internationally acclaimed films, Vietnam has the opportunity to affirm its own mark in the global flow, contributing to building the image of a creative, friendly, dynamic and integrated country.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ket-noi-van-hoa-qua-ngon-ngu-dien-anh-316020.html
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