PARIS — Viet Nam is taking part in the second Francophone film festival in Paris this week.

The festival, entitled Voyages Through Films, will feature two Vietnamese films, Sinh Menh (The Destiny), and Chuyen Cua Pao (The Story of Pao), both produced in 2006.

Sinh Menh, directed by Dao Duy Phuc from a screenplay by Nguyen Manh Tuan, tells a story of the sacrifices of revolutionary fighters who laid down their lives for national independence.

Chuyen Cua Pao, written and directed by Ngo Quang Hai, depicts the life of a beautiful Mong girl named Pao and stars Hai Yen (who also played in The Quiet American). It won Viet Nam's Golden Kite award in 2005 and was presented at the Cannes Festival in 2007.

The Francophone film festival features 37 films, documentaries and animations from 25 countries. The event is being held on the occasion of the International Day of Francophonie on March 20, under the initiative of the Francophone section of the Permanent Mission of Viet Nam to UNESCO in France. UNESCO director general Irina Bokova and the general secretary of the Francophone International Organisation, Abdou