Vietnam will host its first ever international anthropological film festival, organisers have announced.
Tu Thi Thu Hang's Ong Lao Ban Chuoi chronicles the life
of an old man who cycles 10km daily to sell bananas
The theme of the festival is Modern Society and Sub-cultures, and filmmakers from around the world will arrive in HCM City to display their work from November 10-14.
Compared with other countries in the world, Vietnam has yet to fully embrace anthropological filmmaking and the genre is still in its infancy. It is hoped that the festival will successfully introduce and disseminate anthropological films for Vietnamese audiences, and to encourage people to attend as no ticket will be required.
Of the 62 films registered to participate so far, 55 will receive a main screening. More films will be shown on the sidelines of the festival as the subject of seminars focusing on film-making methods between filmmakers and Vietnamese students.
Eighteen Vietnamese films will be screened at the festival, including Ong Lao Ban Chuoi (The Old Banana Seller) by Tu Thi Thu Hang, and Tran Cau Bun (The Muddy Ball Games) by Vu Tu Quyen.
Ong Lao Ban Chuoi's central character is an 80-year-old man with a bent back. An introduction to the film explains the subject and the questions raised. "People always feel surprised when they see him; a very old man pedalling his bike for 10km every day to sell bananas to earn his living. The situation raises many questions. Is he alone? Is he homeless? Do his family take care of him? Does he continue because he has to earn money, or is it greed for more? Does he need work to attach meaning to his life?"
Tran Cau Bun tells a story of Van Village in the northern province of Bac Giang. Every year the villagers hold a traditional festival, an one of the main events is a very unique and traditional game. Several competitors fight to win and retain a large wooden ball in an extremely muddy arena.
This film centres on the enjoyment of the local people and their perceived responsibilities to the festival and to their village way of life. It addresses the changes in thinking and practice of the village elders and women regarding their roles in the traditional festival.
There are several categories of anthropological film, including ethnological films, community-based films and indigenous films.
"An anthropological film specifically reflects cultures of minorities. The more developed a society is, the more people desire to share," said Bui Quang Thang, a member of the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, and the head of the festival's management board.
"The government can be assisted by anthropology to understand what minorities want and how social relationships can be reconciled. Anthropological films often prioritise cultural conflicts, and these films respect their subject's voice through the filmmaking process and then on the screen at the end," Thang continued.
"Unfortunately we have a shortage of anthropological filmmakers. It is time to have a clearer awareness about the significance of these films in contemporary societies and find a new pathway for the discipline in Vietnam."
The event is co-organised by the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of HCM City, the HCM City College of Culture, and the Vietnam Film Research and Archive Centre.