Hanoi Int’l Film Festival opens today

The third Hanoi International Film Festival scheduled for November 23-27 in Hanoi will be a chance for filmmakers to sound out and approach films projects while the audience will also enjoy many movies.

Themed “Cinema – Integration and Sustainable Development”, the event aims to honor outstanding films of high artistic value and encourage new talent.

Many great films will be screened such as The Red Violin of Canada, The Patient Stone of Afghanistan, Me, Myself and Mum of France and Missing Picture of Cambodia, among others.

This year’s judging panel will feature some new faces including Kirill Razlogov, director of the Russian Institute for Cultural Research, and Niv Fichman, who was named the Canadian Producer of the Year by the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) in 2007.

Two Vietnamese representatives participating in the judging panel are director Bui Thac Chuyen and actress Hong Anh.

In terms of the feature film award, there will be 11 nominations including two Vietnamese films Dap Canh Giua Khong Trung (Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere) directed by Nguyen Hoang Diep and Nhung Dua Con Cua Lang (Children of the Village) by Nguyen Duc Viet.

Meanwhile, other noticeable foreign feature films are Fish and Cat of Iran, The Coffin Maker of the Philippines, Way Back Home of South Korea, The Voiding Soul of India and Two Women of Russia.

As for the short film award, there will be 30 nominations including 12 local films.

Khmer Culture Museum reopens to the public

The Khmer Culture Museum in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Tra Vinh has welcomed more than 10,000 visitors after resuming operation a month ago. The museum suspended services for two years for a restoration.

Located in Tra Vinh City's Ward 8, the museum is an interesting place for tourists who want to study about the culture, materials and spiritual life of the Khmer people in the Delta.

The museum has many photos and more than 800 valuable items, including musical instruments and traditional farming tools. It also contains small replicas of Tra Vinh's 141 Khmer pagodas and statues more than 300 years old.

Built in 1995, the spacious area is surrounded by many flowers and ornamental trees. The museum is one of only two Khmer cultural museums in Viet Nam.

Dong Thap holds festival at historic Xeo Quyt site

The Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Dong Thap today will open a festival to celebrate Xeo Quyt's 20 years as a nationally recognised cultural and historic site.

The three-day festival at the Xeo Quyt historic site in Cao Lanh District will include a photo exhibition about Xeo Quyt and Dong Thap, as well as a goods fair and art performances.

Covering more than 70ha in My Hiep and My Long communes, Xeo Quyt was once a revolutionary base of the Party Committee of Kien Luong Province (now Dong Thap Province) during the resistance war against the US.

Xeo Quyt is now an attractive historical and ecological tourism site. The site has a zigzagging trench network and a 20-ha primitive cajeput forest. The site's quiet setting, birds, underground tunnels, shelters and historic houses are popular with tourists.

Model Le Hang to compete in China

The 2014 MAX Elite Model Look Vietnam finale recently held in Ho Chi Minh City selected the charming and talented Dang Thi Le Hang, 21, from Danang city the first place winner.

Hang now has the opportunity to compete in China against 60 other contestants for the Max Elite Model Look world title and a chance to work in the international modelling world at the competition set for November 20-December 5.

Max has become a worldwide leading fashion brand offering customers clothing, accessories and footwear needs for the entire family and has offered the winner of the contest a three-year contract to work as a model for it.

Created in 1983, the Elite Model Look has become one of the most prestigious international modelling contests, which has propelled many aspiring and up-and-coming talents to become international top models.

Famous models Alessandra Ambrosio, Ana Beatriz Barros, Cindy Crawford, Dayana Mendoza, Diane Kruger, Fernanda Tavares and Gisele Bündchen have all been winners of the contest.

Vietnam – Korea Food festival to attract 80,000 visitors

Around 80,000 visitors are expected to visit the Vietnam - Korea Culture and Food Festival 2014, taking place at the Calidas Landmark 72 Keangnam Hotel, Hanoi on November 29 and 30.

Park Noh Wah, the Korean Embassy’s Minister Counselor, made the announcement at a press conference held in Hanoi on November 20.

“Last year this annual event attracted 60,000 visitors but this year, the number of visitors is expected higher as we offer free entrance while there are more cultural and entertainment activities are taking place at the same time,” said the Minister Counselor.

The festival will showcase specialties and typical agricultural products from various Korean enterprises taking part in the event such as Namyang diary, Paldo noodle, K-Mart, Star Korea among others.

Visitors will also have the chance to learn how to make Korean traditional Korean dishes during the event.

On the sidelines of the event, many activities such as film screening, traditional Vietnamese Ao Dai and Korean Hanbok show are also organised. Kids can also enjoy a children’s corner.

Last year’s event generated US$7,000 from tickets and contribution from businesses. Revenues were donated to support victims of natural disasters (US$5,000) and provide scholarships for disadvantaged pupils (US$2,000).

The event is jointly held by the Embassy of Korea in Vietnam, Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Korea Project on International Agriculture (KOPIA), the Korea Agricultural Products Distribution Corporation (AT), the Korea Foundation and the Korea Tourism Administration.

All proceeds from voucher sales (VND20,000/voucher) and other donations will go to the victims of flooding in the Central region.

Hanoi photographer wins Innovative Sweden photo contest

Photographer Vu Quang Ngoc from the capital city of Hanoi yesterday won the first prize of the national photo contest “Swedish Innovations Through Vietnamese Lenses” at an award ceremony at Hoa Sen University in HCMC’s District 1.

Ngoc, member of Hanoi Photography Association, won a trip to discover Sweden for his photo named “Tho sua xe luu dong” (a mobile mechanic) highlighting the use of spanner, an innovation originated from Sweden.

“I saw an old mechanic by chance when driving on Yen Phu Street in Hanoi. I asked him to be my model and gave him some money but he refused to receive. Then, I intended to invite him to smoke but forgot my cigarettes at home. I was moved as this man then took a wrinkled cigarette from his old wallet bathed in sweat to invite me. I had lots of emotion to take this winning shot as it featured a beautiful image of a true laborer,” Ngoc told the Daily.

Ngoc also shared that it was not easy to turn such a tough theme of the contest into artworks but he found that good photos must be closely attached to real life.

Second prize of round tickets to Thailand’s Phuket  went to Hua Tat Dat, a businessman in HCMC with his photo featuring the use of ball bearing of vehicles. Doctor Vu Quang Hung from the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Hanoi received round tickets to Bangkok, Thailand for winning the highest votes from 9,800 Facebook users for his photo of a refrigerator to keep blood in good condition.

“Each photo has the same meaning to thousands of words and I’m impressed to witness the creativity of Vietnamese photographers. During the two-month long contest we received over 600 photos from artists nationwide. These people have played important roles in enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries,” said Camilla Mellander, ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam.

The contest was among scientific, economic and cultural activities to mark the 45th anniversary of Vietnam – Sweden diplomatic relations. The best 27 works are on display at Hoa Sen University, 8 Nguyen Van Trang in HCMC’s District 1 until November 30.