It has been close to half a century since war stripped bare Vietnam.
The tiny South-East Asian nation bore the brunt of the strained relations between the U.S. and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) at the peak of the Cold War. Naturally, the cultural scene also bears strong influences of the events that unfolded over the latter half of the 20 century.
This year’s International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) will devote the ‘Country Focus’ category to Vietnamese films and will explore the transition that cinema there has undergone.
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Five films are being screened in the festival in support of the restructuring in the Vietnamese film industry, which is no longer a government tool for propaganda. It has left Vietnamese shores and reached a wider audience.
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‘Mother’s Soul,’ directed by Nhue Minh Pham is an adaptation of a short story written by Nguyen Huy, which explores the relationship between a mother and daughter. Released in 2011, the performances have been widely acclaimed.
Dang Di Phan’s film, ‘Don’t Be Afraid Bi,’ also looks into familial relationships, through the eyes of a six-year-old boy.
Effect of war
War and revolution do figure prominently, with two films ‘When the Tenth Month Comes’ by Nhat Minh Dang and ‘Ms. Tu Hau’ by Pham Ky Nam portraying the damaged homes left in the wake of war.
‘The Moon at the Bottom of the Well’ by Nguyen Vinh Son is the fifth film to be featured in the package.