by Miriam Glass
 |
|
Scripted: Loan and Quan discuss their documentary on climate change. — VNS Photo Miriam Glass |
HA NOI — Young documentary film-makers in Viet Nam have been invited by the German cultural institute Goethe Institut Viet Nam to submit short films on climate change for a competition named Vietdocs.
The contest aims to provide a platform for young documentary makers and to interest a wider audience in the genre.
"Young students learning documentary film making in Ha Noi are not aware of the difference between journalistic reports and the arts of documentary film making," said film director Zin Myoe Sett from Myanmar, who teaches documentary film-making for the Vietdoc competition.
"A documentary film is not just reporting facts, it can also approach a topic in artistic, poetic or experimental ways and open new perspectives on it."
One documentary maker named Thanh, 23, and her team intend to enter. They have not started filming yet, but they know what their documentary is going to be like.
They want to show in a poetic way how people in Ha Noi have to live with polluted air and water and how their lives are affected by this pollution. A short time ago, Thanh did not know much about handling a camera, but having participated in a workshop lead by Sett, she is amazed by the possibilities. "Previously, I only knew how to approach topics by research," Thanh said, "but now I learn how I can transport an emotional message and hopefully reach the heart of an audience."
Two other workshop participants, Loan and Quan, have chosen another format to deal with climate change. While they plan to interview three protagonists, they are not going to take part in the competition since it is limited to those under 30. "There are not many young Vietnamese documentary film-makers," explains Thai Mai Lan, project co-ordinator at the Goethe Institute. "We would like to encourage young people to explore the medium of documentary films in depth, since it is a very interesting way to show different and new perspectives on Viet Nam and on the opinions and feelings of the people who live here."
The Goethe Institute has opened "Doclab", where young film-makers can register to borrow cameras, use computers to cut their films and take part in workshops. The competition is also open to those not attending the workshop. Any film-maker between 18 and 30 can hand in a short film on the subject. Entries close on May 15.
The competition is financially supported by the Dutch Embassy and the German Society for International Co-operation. The best films will be shown in public at the Goethe Institute on May 22. The winners will also be screened at the European Documentary Film Festival in June in Ha Noi.
Winners will receive US$500 to $1,000 and extra support if they are working on longer documentary. — VNS