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Dear colleagues,
On a very informal basis, at the East Asian Legal Studies program at Harvard Law School we're planning to show several recent films made in Vietnam that are very broadly on legal and social themes in Vietnam, and in several cases by filmmakers associated with the law school.
Two that we hope and plan to show are Karen Turner's Hidden Warriors, and John Ta's Ballsdeep, both shot in Vietnam. (We're also aware of Luoi Troi (Heaven's Net) - the film about a Nam Cam-"like" figure - does anyone have that movie?; Mai's America; and a couple of others.)
Do list members have any other suggestions? I apologize for the breadth of this query but would appreciate any suggestions, on or off list, particularly where the films (and even filmmakers) may be available in the U.S.
Best wishes and thanks.
Mark
Mark Sidel
Professor of Law and International Affairs, University of Iowa
Visiting Professor of Law, Harvard Law School and Vermont Law School (2005-06)
mark-sidel@uiowa.edu
_______________________________________________
Mark, women make movies distributes Mai's America.
http://www.wmm.com/catalog/pages/c575.htm
dan
Daniel C. Tsang
What about "Ghosts", by is it Victor Vu? I haven't seen it, and am not
sure where it is made, so it might not fit your criteria. But I've
hear lots of good about it.
And...please let us know the schedule of your showings, if they are
open to people roughly in the area.
best,
Diane
Dear Mark and VSG-ers,
I don't know whether it is possible to share these films yet or not, but the Ford Foundation in Hanoi provided support for a number of young film makers to make some short films. I have seen seven that were produced and several would be quite interesting both for what they show about contemporary life (mainly in Hanoi) and about what young VN filmmakers think make interesting films. The films have English subtitles. Mike DiGregorio at FF/Hanoi (who I now reads the VSG list) was responsible for making the grants for these and perhaps he could comment on whether these would available for public showing.
Biff (Charles Keyes)
Biff's comment reminds me of a very powerful short (20 min) set in
Hanoi, "Thang Keo", done by a group of young artists working with Tran
Van Thuy.
dnf
Dear Mark and Group,
At least two movies are about property situations in the Doi Moi era:
Viet Linh's "The Aparment (The Collective Flat)" and Dang Nhat Minh's
"Guava Season." Another, Pham Nhue Giang's "Deserted Valley," has to
do with teachers obliged to remain in a remote Sapa village
indefinitely. Nguyen Than Van's "Sandy Lives" deals with a man with
two wives in the same house. Do Minh Tuan's "Foul King (King of the
Rubbish Dumps)" relates the story of disenfranchised junk peddlers
that live in an urban dumpsite. Le Hoang's two movies about
prostitutes (a third is coming soon) reveal elements of the Saigon
underworld in melodramatic comedy. Vuong Duc's "The Sawyers" (based
on two Nguyen Huy Thiep stories) involves a nutty guy who leads a
group of kids into the forest to illegally produce lumber. Phi Tien
Son's "Heaven's Net" presents a corruption trial. Le Huynh (a
heartthrob asskicker in the pre-75 Saigon era) made "International
Criminal Hunt," a martial arts movie (lol) about Vietnam Security
forces cooperating with Hong Kong Interpol to round up bad-guy
traffickers.
Quite a few legal issues can be addressed in the official studio
movies, especially by looking at their ommissions. How many films,
what periods, and what kind of programming are you looking for? It's
going to be hard to get much of a selection unless you go through a
long formal (legal) procedure. There is a small Viet film festival in
DC coming this December. Maybe you could negotiate to have the prints
visit your venue. Contact the VN Embassy to find out.
Cheers,
Dean Wilson
Dear Catharin and Friends: The following info has just been passed to me for VSG posting by Tom Vick, Film Coordinator, at Freer/Sackler, Smithsonian:
Freer Gallery of Art Vietnam Film Festival, 2-18 December 2005
Glorious Time in Me Thao Hamlet
Friday, December 2, 7 PM
At the dawn of the 20th century, Nguyen, a wealthy nobleman, loses his
lover in a car accident and, in the madness of his grief, forces his
employees and servants to rid his vast estate of all modern technology. When the authorities begin to move in, Tam, a musician Nguyen is sheltering from the police, comes up with a desperate plan to cure his friend. Featuring intricate period detail and mesmerizing performances of traditional Vietnamese music, this film by Nguyen Viet Linh, one of Vietnam's foremost female directors, blends history, legend and fantasy into a haunting tale of love and loss. (2002, 90 min.)
Sandy Lives
Sunday, December 4, 2 PM
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, a man returns to his seaside village after a twenty year absence. But while his wife has remained faithful, he has remarried and fathered a daughter. Together, this unconventional family must find a way to get along while picking up the pieces of their war torn lives in this poetic and beautifully realized film by Nguyen Thanh Van.
(1999, 90 min.) Preceded by Ceramic Traders, a compelling documentary by Nguyen Truing Giang that provides a rarely-seen glimpse into the daily life of Vietnamese craftspeople. (2004, 36 min., video)
King of Rubbish Dumps
Sunday, December 11, 2 PM
Mixing gentle humor with gripping realism, this film from Do Minh Tuan
follows the exploits of Trong, self-appointed ruler over a community of poor people who scavenge a garbage dump for things to sell. When he falls in love with a pretty florist, his tough-guy attitude starts to melt, and they collaborate on a scheme to turn the junk around them into art. (2002, 100 min.) Preceded by Night Cyclo Trip, a delightful short from by Bui Thac Chuyen about a young man from the country whose first night on the job as a bicycle taxi driver has got to be one of the worst ever. (2000, 27 min.)
Lost and Found
Friday, December 16, 7 PM
This well-crafted tragicomedy tells the story of an eccentric mathematician whose decision to pretend to be the father of his student's unborn child throws his personal and professional life into turmoil. Director Vuong Duc brilliantly captures the contradictions of contemporary Vietnam, in which the cultural changes and explosive economic growth often clashes with time-honored traditions. (2003, 97 min.)
Deserted Valley
Sunday, December 18, 2 PM
Guests: Pham Nhue Giang, director; Nguyen Thi Hong Thai, Deputy General Director, Vietnam Cinema Department
Set in a remote village, among one of Vietnam's many ethnic minorities,
this breathtakingly beautiful film follows three teachers whose personal
lives threaten to pull them away from the pupils they have grown to love. A moving, deeply humanist work, this is one of the truly great contemporary Vietnamese films. Please join director Pham Nhue Giang for a discussion following the film. (2002, 90 min.)
All films are shown in the Meyer Auditorium of the Freer Gallery of Art, Smisthsonian Institution, 11th and Jefferson Drive, SW.
Free Tickets are required for films. Two tickets per person are distributed at the Meyer Auditorium one hour before showtimes, first come/first served.
More information will be on the Gallery web-site <www.asia.si.edu> shortly and published in the Freer+Sackler Event Schedule.
Diane et al: Apparent bootleg copies of Deserted Valley are on sale in
Little Saigon for as little as 4 DVDs for $10!
Here's my interview with Do Minh Tuan, director of Foul King (or King of
the Garbage Dumps): http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/03/31/2003-tsang.php
Me Thao (Glorious Time in Me Thao...) had its opening in Orange County a
few weeks ago to packed audiences.
dan
Daniel C. Tsang
Many thanks!
Is there, by any chance, a way for those of us who can't be there in
person to get copies of some of these films for ourselves or our
classrooms?
Diane
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