This March, audiences in Hanoi and HCM City will have the chance to see a selection of films that reflect the diversity and vitality of the Francophonie around the world, as part of the 14th Francophone Film Festival.

The 14th  Francophone Film Festival of Vietnam will be held from 22 to 27 March in Hanoi (National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio, Hoang Hoa Tham Street) and HCM City (DCINE Ben Thanh, Mac Dinh Chi Street). Admission is free.

The festival is cosponsored by the International Organization of La Francophonie's Asia-Pacific Regional Office, the embassies of Canada, France, Switzerland and the Walloon-Brussels General Delegation in Vietnam.

A scene from the film Glorious Ashes. Photo courtesy of the director

The highlight of the festival is Glorious Ashes (Vietnam) by Vietnamese director Bui Thac Chuyen. The story revolves around three women living in the same small village in the Mekong region.

The film beat 27 other film projects from around the world to win the US$15,000 prize in the Asian Project Market category at the 2017 Busan Awards. It also won SG$250,000 from the Singapore Film Commission's Inaugural Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant and received support from Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua. In 2022, the film won the Montgolfière d'or or the Golden Hot Air Balloon Award at the Nantes Festival of Three Continents.

The film also bagged Best Feature Film and Best Director for Bui Thac Chuyen at the Golden Dragon 2023, the Vietnam Cinema Association's annual awards. It also represented Vietnam in the preliminary round of the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.

La Fiancée du poète (The Poet's Fiancée), a comedy from Wallonia-Brussels about Mireille Stockaert, a lonely and broken woman, is also a showpiece. In love with painting and poetry, she is content to work in the cafeteria of the Beaux-Arts in Namur. Her life changed when she decided to live in the large family house she had inherited. Not having the means to maintain it, she decides to take in three lodgers. Three men who will upset her routine.

Viking (Canada), directed by Stéphane Lafleur, is the story of a behavioral research team that observes and attempts to replicate the experiences of the first manned mission to Mars.

French film Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis (Welcome to the Sticks) is about  a French public servant from Provence who is banished to the far North. Strongly prejudiced against this cold and inhospitable place, he leaves his family behind to relocate temporarily there, with the firm intent to quickly come back.

The Path of Excellence (Switzerland) follows  Sophie, a brilliant student. Encouraged by her maths teacher, she leaves the family farm to attend a science preparatory class. Between new encounters, successes and failures, and in the face of fierce competition, Sophie realizes that her dream of joining the Polytechnique represents more than rivalry but a true challenge of social climbing.

White Building (Cambodia) is a drama film directed by Kavich Neang. It was selected as the Cambodian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. The film was also nominated for the New Talent Award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2021. In the plot, 20-year-old Samnang  faces the demolition of his lifelong home in Phnom Penh and the pressures from family, friends, and neighbors which arise and intersect at this moment of sudden change.

Cultural events to mark International Francophonie Day 2024  

International Francophonie Day, which falls on March 20, is an opportunity for French-speaking people around the world to celebrate the values of solidarity, cultural diversity and respect for cultural differences.

 According to the French Embassy in Vietnam, this year's celebration of the  International Francophonie Day will feature a rich cultural programme under the theme "Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in French".

This is also the theme of the Francophone Summit, which will highlight the diversity and vitality of the Francophone community worldwide, showcase the opportunities and dynamism of French-speaking regions, and encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship among young people.

To launch the month-long celebrations, an official ceremony will be held tonight (March 20) at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology with the participation of Vietnamese leaders, representatives of embassies, representatives of the Group of French-speaking delegations, organisations and institutions in Hanoi (GADIF) and others.

On this occasion, the GADIF Prize of Honour will be awarded to Hoang Nu Ngoc Tim or Tim Aline Rebeaud. She has Swiss and Vietnamese citizenship and is known for her charity work and the creation of the NGO Maison Chance, a social structure that helps street children, orphans, disadvantaged and disabled people in Vietnam. The award recognizes her contribution to promoting solidarity within the French-speaking community.

A program to celebrate International Francophone Day will be organized by universities and francophone schools in Ho Chi Minh City on March 23. It will include art performances, a French rhetoric contest, a documentary screening, and a lecture on the French language in Vietnam.

On March 24, Hanoi's Thong Nhat Park will host the Francophone Run or Course de la Francophonie, themed "Together," involving 1,800 professional and amateur athletes. A total of 37 individual and group prizes will be awarded to the best runners.

On March 28, an online seminar called "Piquons une petite Jasette" (Let's steal a little chat) will be held for Vietnamese students to introduce them to the French language in Canada.

The International Francophonie Day has been in existence since 1988. It's celebrated every year on March 20 and focuses on the sharing and appreciation of the French language and Francophone culture. Today, there are more than 300 million French-speaking people living on five continents.

The French language has always occupied an important place among languages. The celebration of La Francophonie is a recognition of the potential of language and culture to unite people, to create spaces of solidarity and mutual understanding, and to reflect together on the common future of the world. 

Hanoitimes