Category: Entertainment

Promoting cooperation within Asia is one of key factors for Vietnam’s film industry to develop and gain success, according to Park Ki-Yong, chairman of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC).

Park said Vietnam should seek support from Asian countries in sharing infrastructure and human resources, and improving storytelling.

He also emphasised to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the film industry between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

He gave the example of Nha Ba Nu (The House of No Man), a successful cooperation between Vietnamese filmmakers and Korean distributor CJ HK Entertainment, who successfully distributed the movie in Vietnam and foreign markets.

The directorial debut of film producer Tran Thanh became the highest-grossing Vietnamese film of all time, earning 450 billion VND (19 million USD). It also achieved more than 560,000 USD a week after release in the US in March.

Park mentioned that Korea’s capital, experience, and global distribution channel combined with Vietnam’s human resources, creativity, and location created the success of the movie.

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, deputy director of the Vietnam Cinema Department, said the cooperation between the department and CJ ENM has earned many achievements over the years.

In 2014, the department cooperated with CJ ENM in a programme called “Art House” to support and screen films by Vietnamese independent directors who won top prizes at national and international film festivals.

In 2016, they signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the film industry, including the CJ Short Film Making Project, where many Vietnamese filmmakers received financial support to make their own short films, and from there develop them into feature films.

Ha said the CJ Short Film Making Project was first held in 2018, discovering many talented filmmakers such as Pham Thien An.

An was one of the winners of the 2018 contest with the short film Hay Thuc Tinh và San Sang (Stay Awake, Be Ready). The film later turned into his debut feature film, Ben Trong Vo Ken Vang (Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell), which brought the director the Caméra d’Or Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

According to Park, Vietnam needs to have a support system for independent filmmakers from governments and businesses to make art movies, because the movie industry must consist of both commercial and art movies.

He said KOFIC planned to provide funds of 22.8-85.4 billion KRW (17.23 million-64.76 million USD) for Korean filmmakers in 2023.

He also recommended developing facilities for filming such as virtual production studios and post-production, as well as open schools to educate filmmakers, film crews, and technicians.

In the workshop on the film industry held in HCM City this week, KOFIC chairman expressed his wish to increase cooperation between KOFIC and the Korean Academy of Film Arts with Vietnam in the future.

Ha of the Cinema Department said, “It is a precious and practical opportunity to boost the development of Vietnam’s cultural industry in general, and the film industry in particular.”/.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The final of V-Stella 2023, a piano and Vietnamese-language singing competition for young Vietnamese people in Europe, took place in London on July 1.

The final round featured performances by 27 contestants from eight European countries.

V-Stella 2023, held for the first time by the London-based Hamy Academy, aimed to seek Vietnamese music talents, maintain the Vietnamese language in Vietnamese communities in Europe, and bring classical music closer to the overseas Vietnamese audiences.

It was also an activity marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam – UK diplomatic relations, head of the organising committee and founder of the academy Pham Ha My said, noting that the contest comprised four categories – Piano 1 and Vocal music 1 for contestants aged 5 – 12, and Piano 2 and Vocal music 2 for those aged 13 – 20.

The organising committee hoped that V-Stella would become a professional musical competition for young talents, and also help uphold traditional culture among young Vietnamese people in Europe.

The competition will be held biennially to give them a chance on the path to pursue professional art careers, she noted.

My also highly valued the quality of contestants though this was the first time V-Stella has been organised./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A space where Filipino fandoms can hold watch parties and K-pop-related events will be open for free every Friday in July 2023 at the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the Philippines. The ‘K-space,’ to be located at the KCC multipurpose hall in Taguig City, is part of the center’s month-long celebration of the Philippines’ love for Korean culture and music. ‘Open every Friday in July, K-space will be an open space for K-pop communities to host events like watch parties, comeback parties, cup sleeve events, birthday celebration of their favorite bias, anniversary celebration, and many more,’ the KCC said in an announcement. The use of the space is free of charge, with the allotted time set from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (excluding ingress and egress time) on July 7, 14, 21, and 28. K-pop communities who wants to use the venue must fill up the KCC Google form, which will be open until all slots are taken. Slots will be granted on a first come, first served basis. Upon selection, applicants will receive an email from KCC for venue viewing. ‘Everyone’s K-pop: Manila’ Prior to the opening, the KCC and Seoul Shinmun on Saturday held the Everyone’s KPOP: Manila in Ortigas, highlighting the diverse aspects of K-pop beyond its musical and dance elements. The event, organized in partnership with the Philippine K-pop Convention and Robinsons Galleria, kicked off with the KPOP Playground giving fans a chance to connect through K-variety show games. Attendees were also treated to a day full of dance covers and special performances from groups such as MAX PH, VER5US and G22 as well as a K-pop cosplay show. ‘Everyone’s K-pop: Manila aims to break barriers and stereotypes. We really want to express and make everyone feel that K-pop is for everyone,’ said KCC director Kim Myeongjin. ‘K-pop is not just about singing and dancing well but also about communication and uniting with people who share common interests,’ he added. In the afternoon, the KCC held the 2023 K-pop Cover Dance Festival featuring dance groups from all over the Philippines. The grand winner, the center said, will have an opportunity to represent the Philippines in Korea for the final round and receive a full K-pop idol group experience, including training with a renowned choreographer and a professional photo taken by a famous photographer.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hundreds of artists from various fields will participate in performances on the occasion of the 325th anniversary of Sai Gon – Cho Lon – Gia Dinh – Ho Chi Minh City (1698-2023) and 47 years since Sai Gon – Gia Dinh was officially named after President Ho Chi Minh (July 2, 1976 – 2023).

Cultural and artistic activities on this anniversary are planned by the People’s Committee of HCM City and will be carried out by the City Centre for Light Music.

According to Meritorious Artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, deputy director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports, the special art programme will be officially kicked off at 7pm on July 2 at the main stage area of District 1’s 23/9 Park and broadcasted live on television and radio.

Besides these performances, relevant authorities of HCM City will organise a wide range of activities, including water puppet shows, sports events, cooking contests, and a traditional costume show, among others, with an aim to tighten relationships among family members and celebrate the role of the family in social life.

On this occasion, the city will also hold a ceremony to announce and award OCOP products in HCM City with the theme “A new day in the countryside”, taking place at 7pm on June 30, at 23/9 Park./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The fireworks teams from France and Italy have been selected to compete in the final night of the Da Nang International Firework Festival (DIFF) 2023, the organisation board announced on June 25.

According to Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngo Thi Kim Yen, who is also head of the organisation board, the jury found it difficult to choose the two teams for the final as all the eight teams have shown endless creativity in their eye-catching fireworks performances which left a deep impression on the audience.

The French and Italian teams combined music and fireworks in an artistic and smooth form, and their fireworks displays are very consistent with the rhythm and the emotion of the music, said composer Nguyen Duc Trinh, Chairman of the Vietnam Musicians’ Association, a member of the jury.

According to the draw result, the Italian team will perform first, and the French team’s display will close the DIFF 2023.

This year, the organisation board of DIFF 2023 has decided to double the prize value. The champion will receive a prize of 20,000 USD, while the runner-up will receive 10,000 USD.

Additionally, two sub-prizes worth 3,000 USD each will be presented to the most creative team and the team that receives the most votes from the audience.

The final night will be broadcast live on VTV1 channel of Vietnam Television at 8:pm on July 8./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A Vietnamese street food festival entitled “Ici Vietnam Festival” was held on June 17 at Monge Square in District 5, Paris by the Vietnamese Association in France (UGVF) and the Vietnam Youth Association in France (UJVF).

This is the third year the festival has been organised, offering visitors opportunities to taste popular Vietnamese dishes and fruits. This year, visitors can also enjoy contemporary music, with the excitement of electronic music, pop and rap, performed by French-Vietnamese DJ-beatmakers.

They can also find books, meet with writers, and play Vietnamese folk games. On this occasion, Vinfast, a subsidiary carmaker of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, displayed its latest electric vehicles.

According to Jérôme Tham Vo My, a member of the festival’s organising committee, in 2022, the one-day festival attracted nearly 10,000 visitors.

He hopes that with the participation of about 30 businesses, this year’s event would attract more visitors than last year.

Ngo Minh Duong, owner of Thanh Binh Jeunes supermarket chain, said that the products he brought here were all from Vietnam, such as sugarcane juice, coconut water, lychee, mango, coffee, and tea.

The company also cooperates with the Graine de riz – Grain de vie Association to raise funds for disadvantaged children and families in Vietnam and Laos.

Ici Vietnam Festival is the idea of a group of young Vietnamese-French people who wish to organise festivals in various fields of film, art, painting and cuisine to promote Vietnamese culture./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee on June 17 exchanged Memoranda of Understanding with partners on building a film studio and making films in the south-central coastal province.

The committee and Sun Group signed an MoU on cooperation on film studio construction. It also inked another with VietinBank on investment and funding for suitable film projects to be implemented in the province.

Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa Tourism Association and Hoan Khue Film Production Joint Stock Company signed an MoU on investment, production and promotion of the film project “Ngay xua mot chuyen tinh” (Once upon a time – A love story) and another with Vietnamese Images Research and Promotion Joint Stock on investment, production and promotion of the film project “ Cham vao hanh phuc” (Touching Happiness).

The MoU exchange formed part of the conference on tourism brand development via cinema for Khanh Hoa province.

Speaking at the opening of the conference on June 17, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung emphasised that although Vietnam has diverse natural landscapes and cultural identities, it has not yet attracted many foreign film crews.

He said the promotion of destinations through cinematographic works is still modest with few films having been made.

He called on initiatives to combine tourism and cinema more effectively, strongly promoting the images of Vietnam in general and Khanh Hoa province in particular.

Minister Hung suggested Khanh Hoa province soon build, complete and effectively implement mechanisms and policies to attract investment in cinema and tourism.

Many delegates at the conference agreed that Khanh Hoa has a lot of potential to become an attractive destination for domestic and international investors to develop tourism combined with cinema.

Chairman of the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Tan Tuan said that the locality always welcomes and commits to creating favourable conditions for domestic and international filmmakers when investing in art activities in the province./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency