VietNamNet Bridge – The fourth Mini DocFest 2015, co-organised by the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and Hanoi DocLab, will officially open at the Goethe Institute in Hanoi on October 30.

The filmmakers from all around the world, such as Vietnam, Republic of Korea, Thailand, Germany and Central Asia, will present their short films, documentaries and video art during the festival.

The films capture not only universal social issues but also the personal perspective of the filmmakers.

The festival kicks off on October 30, with a selection of short films produced during the DocLab Workshop “Neighbourhood”. This new production reflect the filmmakers’ perspectives on their homes, their neighbourhoods and the people close to them.

The second day starts with the screening of South Korean filmmaker Kim So Young’s documentary “Heart of Snow, Heart of Blood”. Additionally, an artist talk on the genre Found Footage featuring Hanoi-based Truong Que Chi will take place, and DocLab will introduce a selection of films from Basic Workshop 2014. On the evening of the second day, curator Wiwat Lertwiwatwongsa and director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke will present the Thai programme “Filmvirus Wildtype - A brief history of the age of anxiety” in two parts.

The third day of the festival starts with a presentation of the Vietnamese documentary project “Zone 9” and an online discussion together with director Nguyen Anh Thu. Doclab will also introduce a series of films which were born in the Haiku Happens workshop last year. After the screening will be a talk with director Pham Thi Hao about Haiku films, which are inspired by the art of Japanese Haiku-poetry.

On the same day, German filmmaker and video artist Michael Brynntrup will present his own experimental short film under the title “Portrait Michael Brynntrup”. In addition, the movie “The trip to my hometown with my parents” and a discussion with the director Duong Mong Thu will be held. Her film deals with the life story of her father and the fulfillment of his last wish.

The Mini DocFest 2015 ends with the Mini-Workshop “Jesus – A collective film project“ by Michael Brynntrup, where filmmakers will discuss the possibilities and chances of collaboration, on the basis of the collective film project “Jesus – The Film”, and share ideas.

A Documentary Script Writing workshop with the French filmmaker Jacques Deschamps will also be organised.

The festival’s program offers audience discussions, film screenings and artist talks, but also plenty of opportunities to connect and talk with those who share interests in film.

The festival, highlighting new trends in creative documentaries by young Vietnamese filmmakers, will conclude on November 4.

Nhan Dan