The character in the movie "Children in the Mist" talks about the Mong people's custom of wife capture.

(Dan Tri) - Ma Thi Di - the main character in the documentary "Children in the Mist" by director Ha Le Diem shared emotional stories about her life in the talk show "Out of the Mist".

On July 5, at the Women's Museum, the Vietnam Women's Union organized a talk show called "Out of the Mist" . The talk show was conducted within the framework of Project Component No. 8 : Implementing gender equality and solving urgent issues for women and children under the National Target Program on Socio -Economic Development of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, chaired by the Vietnam Women's Union. Participating in the talk show were Ms. Chau Thi Say and her sister Ma Thi Di, from Sapa town, Lao Cai province. Di and her daughter brought the audience real, very touching stories about their lives.

Nhân vật phim Những đứa trẻ trong sương nói về tục bắt vợ của người Mông - 1

Ma Thi Di - Main character in the movie "Children in the Mist" by director Ha Le Diem (Photo: Luong Duy Tien).

Ma Thi Di - Mong ethnic, born in 2004. At the age of 15, she opposed the custom of "wife pulling" of her ethnic group. Thanks to her mother's support, Di avoided the life of being a wife and mother when she was not full and worried. Di's story was reflected interestingly, vividly and realistically in the film Children in the Mist by the young female director of the Tay ethnic group, Ha Le Diem. The film won 34 awards and nominations at film festivals around the world , the film was also shortlisted - shortlisted (top 15) for the Oscar - Best Documentary category; In 2023, the film won the first Da Nang Asian Film Festival award in the category of Best Film - Asian Film category . Sharing at the discussion, Ma Thi Di said: "Ms. Ha Le Diem made the film "The Children in the Mist " to talk about my life, but coincidentally, she recorded scenes and true stories about the Mong people's custom of wife-capturing. Those scenes were very real, but luckily, Di did not agree to become someone's wife when she was very young". When asked why many Mong girls around 13, 14 years old wanted to get married, why did Di oppose the custom of wife-capturing? Ma Thi Di said: "I feel like I'm not confident, not mature enough to be a daughter-in-law. I still want to go to school. Even though the guy's family agreed to let me go to school, I feel like I'm not old enough to become someone's wife".

Nhân vật phim Những đứa trẻ trong sương nói về tục bắt vợ của người Mông - 2

Ma Thi Di and her mother at the talk show "Out of the Mist" on July 5 in Hanoi (Photo: Luong Duy Tien).

After refusing the custom of wife-capturing, Ma Thi Di continued to go to school and became an inspiration to many girls in the highlands. Currently, Di has a family, the two came together out of love and respect for each other. Ma Thi Di said that currently, many Mong girls have not been able to fulfill their dreams because they face many barriers from their families and the community. Some Mong women are still abused by their husbands, so Di hopes that everyone will raise awareness about women and gender equality so that their families will be happier. This 19-year-old girl dreams of opening a homestay in her hometown of Sapa, creating many jobs for ethnic minority women in the highlands so that they can have income, take charge of their lives, and not be victims of domestic violence. "Many young Mong women today are very talented, running effective homestay businesses , studying English diligently... many people get to travel and experience many places to see a more beautiful and richer life. I hope I will be able to continue studying to return to my hometown to get rich, to touch my youthful dream," Ma Thi Di confided.

Nhân vật phim Những đứa trẻ trong sương nói về tục bắt vợ của người Mông - 3

Ms. Ton Ngoc Hanh - Vice President of Vietnam Women's Union spoke at the seminar (Photo: Luong Duy Tien).

Sharing at the Seminar, Ms. Ton Ngoc Hanh - Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee, Vice President of the Vietnam Women's Union could not help but be moved by the stories of the two main guests attending the event. She said that changing the awareness and thinking of an entire generation is not simple, not to mention language barriers. "Stories like Ma Thi Di's are "real people, real events" and are truly valuable examples for more effective communication work. Many children in the highlands have not been able to realize their dreams because of family matters, so the Party and the State always attach importance to the work of protecting and promoting the rights of ethnic minority women. In particular, the Vietnam Women's Union is a unit that always accompanies women, especially disadvantaged women, women in difficult areas in the process of realizing the aspiration for development and equality", Ms. Hanh said.