Going to the forest to show movies on a big screen.

Việt Nam•14/03/2024

The old A2 jeep took us from the paved road onto a rough red dirt road, then across the Song Phan railway station and into the forest along what was then a muddy trail.

The vehicle got stuck in the mud, so the team got out, helped move some of the equipment and machinery, then cheered and pushed it through the stagnant water, which resembled a stream. The whole team looked at each other, their clothes covered in mud, and burst out laughing. Finally, the vehicle was able to continue driving into the forest.

Stopping in an open field, we looked around and saw scattered small stilt houses belonging to the ethnic minority people. The village was sparsely populated, with only a few dozen houses. It wasn't yet evening, so the village was deserted. A few naked, dark-skinned children ran out, staring blankly at us or at the seemingly unfamiliar vehicle. We asked where their parents were, but some couldn't understand Vietnamese.

The sun was setting behind the forest trees. The six brothers began their work: setting up the screen, assembling the equipment, pulling the loudspeakers… The villagers also began returning to the village from their fields and deep in the forest. Heavy baskets of potatoes and cassava slung over the bare backs of the men, and babies dozed off with their heads tilted to the side of their mothers. Bundles of firewood and hoes were carried on their shoulders. When the villagers saw us, they ran towards us, shouting excitedly: "There's film! There's film!"

Hello, hello. We are Mobile Film Screening Team No. 3 of Thuan Hai Film Company. We cordially invite everyone to gather at the screening area in front of the village after dinner to watch our free film screening. Today, we are showing the film "Hero Nup Fighting Against the French Invasion" by Vietnam Feature Film Studio.

Hearing us speak over the loudspeaker, many people looked at each other and whispered something. It seemed some villagers didn't understand, so they asked each other in their mother tongue. We waited until nightfall, when it was dark enough for the projector to shine the film. Once everyone had gathered, we invited them to sit in the open field and look at the large screen. The villagers were so gentle, so united, so orderly, and so obedient to our instructions. They lacked so much modern convenience. It was heartbreaking, but because they lived so far away, the film projection team only came once every few months, bringing a few good feature films to entertain them and bring them some joy after months of hard work.

It's all in the past. The days of mobile film screenings on large screens on natural lawns are gone, thanks to the progress of civilization. The same goes for the small village of the Raglay ethnic minority deep in the forest, now Tan Quang hamlet, Song Phan commune, Ham Tan district.

The village now has a national highway running through it, and the population is larger and more vibrant. The barefoot, tanned children of those days have grown up, and the next generation has gone to work in all parts of the country, using smart technology to stay in touch with their parents and grandparents.

Gone are the days when, every afternoon, upon hearing that a mobile film screening team was coming from afar to the village, children and old alike would run after them, cheering and applauding.

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