Belgian award-winning film 'Sous le nom de Tania' (By the Name of Tania) will be shown at the 13th Europe-Việt Nam Document Film Festival. Photo clindoeilfilms.be

HÀ NỘI - Seven European countries will show their documentaries at the 13th European-Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival taking place in Hà Nội and HCM City from September 22 to 28.

The countries include the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy, Finland, Belgium, and the host country of Việt Nam.

"This is an annual cultural event leaving a good impression over the years," said Nguyễn Quang Tuấn, chairman of the National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio.

"The festival is a unique cultural exchange activity and the highlight of the journey of cooperation with Việt Nam in the field of cinematography. Each film attending this year’s festival has its own message, but in general, the audience who love cinema will have the opportunity to explore more about the country, people and different cultures."

The festival will be held at the national studio in Hà Nội and HCM City's Dcine Bến Thành at the same time.

At each show, the festival goers will enjoy a documentary from Việt Nam and then a European one. Among them are independent documentary films by Vietnamese filmmakers.

Vietnamese Bí Ẩn Từ Lòng Đất (Secrets from The Underground) and Italian Vesuvio or How They Learn to Live Between the Volcanoes will open the festival on September 22.

The festival will be highlighted by the award-winning films including Belgian Sous le nom de Tania (By the Name of Tania); German Die Unbeugsamen (Femocracy) and three Vietnamese films: White Pollution, Storm Eye, and Children of the Mist.

Directed by Bénédicte Liénard and Mary Jimenez, By the Name of Tania tells the story of a young woman who ends up in the clutches of forced prostitution when her initially hopeful attempt to escape the confines of her village goes awry.

It won numerous best film awards at Festival de Cine de Trujillo 2020, the Latin American Studies Association 2020, Semana del Cine 2019, and secured both the Special Jury Prize and Award for Best Photography at FIFF Namur 2019, as well as the Jury Award at FIDADOC 2019.

It will be screened on September 25 with French and Vietnamese subtitles at 7.50pm.

Femocracy narrates the story of women in the Bonn Republic who, like true pioneers, had to literally fight for their participation in democratic decision-making processes against success-driven men.

The documentary won the Gilde Film Award for Best Documentary in 2021 and was nominated as a German candidate for the Academy Award 2022 in the category of Best International Film. It will be shown on September 26 at 7.30pm with English and Vietnamese subtitles.

Children of The Mist was crafted by Hà Lệ Diễm in 2021. It delves into the life of a 12-year-old girl living in a village shrouded in the mist of the northwest Vietnamese mountains. She is part of the Mông ethnic group, where women often marry very young, adhering to the controversial tradition of “bride-kidnapping”.

The film was distinguished in the Best Directing category at the 2021 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. It was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards and listed among the 20 Best Documentaries of 2022 by Paste Magazine.

This documentary will be screened exclusively in Hà Nội at 2pm on September 24 with English subtitles.

The festival is a joint venture between the National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio and the European National Institutes for Culture in Việt Nam. VNS