ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 19/11 ? TalkVietnam

Exhibition on Long Bien Bridge

The legend of Long Bien Bridge is the major theme of an exhibition to be held in Hanoi from November 21-24.

International and Vietnamese artists will have many artworks presented with their passionate love for the bridge.

They will also propose solutions to preserve the bridge so that the capital city?s symbol will remain with the passage of time.

At the opening ceremony, painter Doan Son will provide a large-sized window into Hanoi?s different periods of history. In addition, there will be diverse activities such as a film show and accordion performances by the Vietnam National Academy of Music.

Indian light festival shines in Hanoi

The Diwali Festival of Lights, one of India?s biggest national festivals, was celebrated in Hanoi on November 17, drawing more than 1,500 visitors from government bodies, enterprises, cultural agencies, and the expat community.

The event, co-organised by the Indian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (INCHAM) and the Indian embassy in Hanoi, was part of activities marking the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties between India and Vietnam as well as the 5th year of Vietnam-India strategic partnership.

The festival was designed to help Vietnamese people broaden their understanding of the Indian people and land through a variety of cultural and art media including music and dance performances, fashion shows, and folk games. Pavilions featuring Indian culture, handicrafts, and culinary arts also entertained visitors.

Diwali roughly translates into the ?festival of light?, a symbol of India?s ancient culture and its focus on overcoming ignorance through seeking the light of knowledge. The festival traditionally sees rich and poor families alike ignite small colorful lamps to greet Lakshmi, a deity of wealth.

The Diwali Festival has become a popular cultural event in Hanoi over the past several years and its celebration continues to annually expand.

Germany supports Hue Imperial Citadel restoration

The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs will donate more than US$4.3 billion to a project restoring and preserving the interior decoration of the Ta Vu (Mandarins? House) in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

The donation will be funded through teams from the German Conservation, Restoration and Education Projects (GCREP) and the non-profit Society for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (GEKE). The project will run from now until April 2014.

The restoration of Ta Vu, a construction in the quintessential style of Hue?s Imperial Citadel, aims to make use of recent scientific and technological advancements in combination with original materials and traditional techniques to properly preserve the artifact?s intrinsic architectural, cultural, artistic, and historical value.

When it is finished, Ta Vu will also serve as an exhibition centre to display relics and artifacts from the Nguyen Dynasty.

This is fourth Germany funded project to help preserve the material history of the former Imperial City.

The previous three projects focused on the Khai Tuong Lau-An Dinh Palace, the tomb of King Tu Duc, the Toi Linh Tu (Highest Celestial) temple, and the Phu Noi Vu (Royal Treasury).

Heritage Day to feature Red River Delta culture

The unique traditions and culture of the Red River Delta will be on display in Ha Noi from November 21 to support Viet Nam Heritage Day.

The three-day event will support ?National Tourism Year 2013: Song Hong (Red River) Delta-Hai Phong?, showing off the tangible and intangible cultural values of the region.

An exhibition entitled Red River Civilisations: From Dong Son to Dai Viet will portray historical periods in what has been described as the cradle of Vietnamese culture.

An exhibition of Vietnamese woodcut paintings will include the Hang Trong genre of Ha Noi?s Old Quarter, Dong Ho and Kim Hoang traditional villages, and Vu Di worship painting. All are from the Museum of Ethnology.

Also on display will be 50 flute kites, including an 8m version created by 13 artisans from seven provinces in the region.

Displays such as straw-roof and mud-wall houses, agricultural tools and a rice mortar will be set up alongside farming activities, including transplanting rice seedlings, husking rice and bailing water.

Ca tru (ceremonial singing), quan ho (love duet), chau van (ritual singing), hat xoan (xoan singing), cheo (traditional opera) and water puppetry performances are planned.

During the three days, a workshop will be held on the theme ?Promote Folk Cultural Heritage: Facts and Development Requirements?.

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event will also involve the provinces Phu Tho, Ninh Binh and Bac Ninh.

Souvenir designers seal top awards

Three Vietnamese designers were awarded the top prize in a souvenir design contest sponsored by the Department of Exhibition Photography and Fine Arts yesterday.

The winning designs, by Nguyen Thuy Lien, Nguyen Huong Ly and Ly Tran Khanh Viet, feature elements of Vietnamese traditional culture and history.

Lien designed a bronze drum depicting the Temple of Literature. The design will be used for diplomatic purposes at the State level, according to Vi Kien Thanh, head of the department.

Viet drew inspiration from the curved line of the lotus petal for his xich lo design, which he intends to make from rattan or soft metal.

Ly will make rectangular silver jewellery with images of Vietnamese maps and lotuses.

The contest, which received 50 entries, was launched by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with the goal of promoting tourism development in Viet Nam by offering high quality souvenirs.

The winners will each receive a cash prize of VND10,000.

Dancers put best feet forward for Multi-Coloured Flower show

More than 250 dancers from art troupes across the country will gather to perform at a special art performance in Ha Noi next Friday.

Titled Hoa Muon Sac (Multi-Coloured Flower), the show, which is hosted by the Viet Nam Association of Dancing Artists, is aiming to honour the art form of dance.

Performance will present award-winning repertoires created by famous Vietnamese choreographers including Tran Ly Ly, Ngoc Anh, Lu Kieu Le, Hong Phong.

Artists from the Viet Nam Orchestra and Ballet Theatre will also stage a contemporary dance titled Dau Tru (The Minus Sign). The production was recently presented at the Europe Meets Viet Nam contemporary dance festival in September.

Other follow-up activities will include two workshops in HCM City and Ha Noi.

Vietnamese flick will be curtain-raiser for international film fest

Cat Nong (Hot Sand) ? the latest feature movie by Vietnamese director Le Hoang, will open the second Ha Noi International Film Festival (HANIFF) on November 25.

Produced by the Liberation Film Studio, the movie will be screened nationwide during the Lunar New Year Festival next February.

HANIFF will also introduce more than 100 feature films, documentaries and shorts during the five-day event. The movies will compete in different categories, including Best Feature Movie, Best Short Film, and the NETPAC (Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award.

In addition, 30 Vietnamese movies will be presented. The movies will be divided into three themes: films about Ha Noi, films about the doi moi (renewal process), and modern Vietnamese films produced between 2010-12.

Two ancient skeletons found in Quang Binh Province

The local residents in Tan Hoa Commune of Minh Hoa District in the central province of Quang Binh have by chance uncovered two ancient skeletons inside Ton Cave located deep within a forest, said Cao Thanh Binh, secretary of the Party Committee of Tan Hoa Commune on November 17.

Experts from the British Royal Cave Research Association have examined the skeletons and found them covered with stalactite residue, which leads them to believe that these could be very ancient skeletons of local Vietnamese people.

However, local residents are guessing that the skeletons could well be the remains of an insurgent army that was loyal to King Ham Nghi about a 100 years ago, and who followed the ?Can Vuong Edict? issued by the King to pledge allegiance to him and ward off the French colonialists .

According to historical documents available in Tan Hoa Commune, a loyal army of the King remained true to the Can Vuong Movement and had set up camps in caves around the Tu Lan Valley to fight the French colonialists.

Vietnamese films viewed in well-known US universities

Three Vietnamese films were selected for viewing in 13 well-known universities in the US in November as part of a project called ?We are Filmmakers? by the Center for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents under the Vietnam Cinematography Association.

First launched in 2009, the project aims to create a platform for young local filmmakers to connect and avail opportunities to make their own movies.

Three films ?Khi Ta 20? (When we are 20) by Nguyen Anh Thu; ?Cho Toi Mot Ve Ve Tuoi Tho? (Give Me a Ticket to Childhood) by Nguyen Minh Phuong; and ?Nhoc Nhan Than? (Difficult Lives of Miners) by Le My Cuong, were viewed in 13 prestigious universities in the US.

The 15-minute film ?When we are 20? looks at the lives of three 20-year-old girls. Even though they are the same age, they have different plans for the future. One girl wants to become a fashion model, another plans to study abroad and one plans to get married and have children. The film won the Golden Lotus Award in the documentary category in 2010.

The documentary film ?Cho Toi Mot Ve Ve Tuoi Tho? (Give Me a Ticket to Childhood), which describes the moving relationship between a brother, his sister and his parents, also won the Golden Lotus Award in the documentary category nominated by the audience this year.

The 10 minute documentary by Le My Cuong titled ?Difficult Life of Miners? portrays the real story of the lives of miners who come from various rural areas to work in sordid conditions in a mine, which won the Silver Lotus Award in 2010.

The Institute for Vietnamese Culture & Education, a New York-based non-profit organization to promote Vietnamese culture, will sponsor an exchange talk between the three filmmakers and American students and audiences, aimed to bring focus on the rich Vietnamese culture.

Source: http://talkvietnam.com/2012/11/art-entertainment-in-brief-1911-2/

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