A ETHNIC CULTURE:A scene from the film. Photo courtesy of the producer

QUẢNG NAM — The Cơ Tu ethnic group, their culture and lifestyle are featured in a new documentary film released recently in the city and Quảng Nam Province.

The movie celebrates National Tourism Year - Quảng Nam Province 2022 and Cơ Tu Cultural Day activities by Quảng Nam authorities this month.

The film, Mẹ Rừng (Mother Jungle), features Cơ Tu people’s daily life. The stories, challenges, dreams and hopes of Cơ Tu women are highlighted.

Cơ Tu villages near the Bà Nà-Núi Chúa nature reserve - which have developed as eco-tourism sites by Quảng Nam authorities - are also included.

The 22-minute film includes beautiful scenes capturing wild animals and natural forests with pơ mu trees (Fujian Cypress) of mountainous districts in Quảng Nam.

Pơ mu trees were recognised as Heritage Trees by the Việt Nam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment (VACNE) in 2018.

The Cơ Tu are also know as Cà Tu, Hạ Phương or Cà Tăng. They live mostly in central Việt Nam and the southern regions of Laos. At present, the group has a population of around 76,000 people.

In recent years, Quảng Nam, in co-operation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has been supporting the Cơ Tu community to build a community-based tourism pilot project with the aim of reviving the traditional culture of the people.

Quảng Nam is home to two UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites, Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and Hội An, and the world Biosphere Reserve Chàm Island-Hội An. It plans to host 4.4 million tourists this year.

“Our film, Mẹ Rừng, is produced in Cơ Tu language with Vietnamese subtitles. It will help young generations of Cơ Tu people recall their ancestors and thousand of years of culture of the ethic group,” said the film’s director, Hoàng Linh.

Mẹ Rừng can be seen on YouTube. — VNS