A documentary about Hoang Sa (Paracel), an archipelago in the East Sea, directed by André Menras, a French film-maker who holds Vietnamese citizenship, was screened at the Vietnamese Cultural Center in Paris, France on May 11.

The film screening, organized by the Vietnamese Students Association in France, attracted nearly 100 viewers from the Vietnamese expat community and French friends who are interested in the Southeast Asian country.

Entitled “Hoang Sa: the pain of loss”, the film depicts the lives of fishermen in Binh Son district and Ly Son island district in the central province of Quang Ngai.

As depicted in the documentary, despite a great deal of difficulty, many local fishermen have shown strong determination to continue their job of catching fish in Hoang Sa while also protecting national soverignity over the archipelago.

It also offers a glimpse into the lives of widows, children and parents left behind by men who went missing and died while fishing near Hoang Sa, moving viewers to tears.

Menras told a correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency in France that he has devoted a part of his life to the struggle and support for the indepdence and freedom of Vietnam.

The Frenchman emphasized that the film comes from his heart for Vietnam. To produce the documentary, he visited the country several times and received general support from the local government and people for his documentary.

Menras said he will continue to feature the film in more countries and raise funds to help fishermen in need.

The documentary has been aired in other French cities like Toulose and Beziers, as well as in other European countries like Germany, the Cezch Republic and Poland.