Film brings aboriginal life to rural provinces

Way outback: Bran Nue Dae features aboriginal actors as well as top Australian stars. — File Photo

HA NOI — The award-winning musical film Bran Nue Dae (Brand New Day), showcasing Australia's indigenous heritage and spectacular scenery, will be screened in northwestern provinces from July 12 to 18.

Bran Nue Dae, telling the comic story of the romantic adventures of a young aboriginal couple, was released in 2010 and has garnered many awards, including the Melbourne International Film Festival Award.

The film stars Phillip Rocky McKenzie and other aboriginal actors, as well as some top Australian stars like musician Missy Higgins, Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush, and Magda Szubanski, one of Australian most celebrated comic actors.

This story is full of life and celebration and joy, things that often aren't shown in depictions of the Aboriginal experience, said the film's director, Rachel Perkins.

The film will be shown by the Australian embassy in the provinces of Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau, Lao Cai and Ha Giang, with an aim to provide remote Vietnamese areas a greater understanding of Australian indigenous culture.

The screenings will also mark National Aborigines and Islanders Day and Observance Committee Week 2012 (NAIDOC Week), which celebrates the rich and distinct history, culture and achievements of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

"NAIDOC Week is an important celebration of Australia's indigenous heritage. I'm very pleased that the Australian Embassy is marking NAIDOC Week this year by sharing Bran Nue Dae to Vietnamese audiences in remote areas," said Australian ambassador to Viet Nam Hugh Borrowman. — VNS