Actress Hải Yến films Pao in 'Chuyện của Pao'. — Photo yxine.com

LONDON — Vietnamese film Chuyện Của Pao (Story of Pao) by director Ngô Quang Hải will be shown at the ASEAN Film Festival 2024, which has opened in London.

The festival, organised by the ASEAN London Committee (ALC), will take place from April 22 to 27 at the School of Oriental and American Studies (SOAS) University of London, drawing interest from British and international audiences.

It will show films from 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN): Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Việt Nam. Việt Nam’s Story of Pao will be screened on April 26.

Vietnamese Deputy Ambassador to the UK Tô Minh Thu said the ASEAN Film Festival 2024 is a joint effort of the 10 ASEAN diplomatic missions in London, including the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK, to promote the image of ASEAN countries, peoples, cultures, and tourism in the UK.

She said the Embassy of Việt Nam in the UK and the Việt Nam Film Institute under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, have jointly introduced at the festival Story of Pao, a film by director Ngô Quang Hải, which vividly portrays the life of people in the Northwest region, their aspiration for beauty, freedom and happiness, through which the beauty of the country, people and culture of Việt Nam is revealed.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in the UK at the opening ceremony, Chair of the Festival Organising Committee, Thai Ambassador to the UK Thani Thongphakdi said it is the second time ALC has organised the ASEAN Film Festival after the first in 2019. The festival is one of ALC’s activities to raise ASEAN's profile in the UK, introduce the Association’s creative industry, raise more awareness about ASEAN among the people in the UK, and promote closer people-to-people links.

Ambassador Thongphakdi was delighted that all ten member countries would be showing their very best films, which would highlight their countries' strengths and creativity. This will bring ASEAN closer to the UK public and show them what the regional grouping has to offer.

Deputy Head of the South East Asia Department, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Julia Sutherland, told VNA correspondent in the UK that the event is a great initiative by the ASEAN embassies in London, given that cultural diplomacy is an important part of what embassies do.

She said this is a great chance for the UK community to learn about ASEAN and its member countries through some great movies, adding that many people, including herself, love going to see all the films at this festival.

The opening ceremony was followed by a screening of Thailand’s film A Time to Fly. Films from other countries will also be shown throughout the week. — VNS