VietNamNet Bridge – Work on a Vietnamese documentary about the possible legalisation of same-sex marriage in Viet Nam has received funding from Amsterdam's International Documentary Festival (IDFA).

A scene from the documentary film Give Me a Ticket to Childhood (2012) by Nguyen Thi Minh Phuong, which was screened at the Yxine film festival. – Photo yxineff.com

The Vietnamese documentary Mieng Trau La Dau Cau Chuyen (The Betel Begins the Conversation) recently won the funding support from the IDFA, which will also help fund Viet Nam's online short film festival Yxine.

Directed by Duong Xuan and Bao Nguyen, Mieng Trau La Dau Cau Chuyen is a feature length documentary that follows the potential legalisation of same-sex marriage in V iet Nam through the lives of several gay, lesbian and trans-gender people and their families.

The Yxine festival has also been in the spotlight for creating new opportunities for Vietnamese filmmakers.

"This is the first time Yxine has been supported by a prestigious organisation like the IDFA Bertha Fund," said Vu Quynh Ha, representative of YxineFF. "The support is precious to us since we're launching a new project focusing on documentaries."

The festival was created in Viet Nam in 2010 and has been dedicated to short films made in Viet Nam and abroad.

This year, the IDFA Bertha Fund considered about 330 projects from more than 40 countries. A total of US$300,000 was granted to 13 documentary projects and five documentary festivals.

The IDFA Bertha Fund was founded in 1988 with the goal to support both documentary filmmakers and organisations that promote documentaries in developing countries to help local filmmakers find their own unique voice. Over the past 15 years the IDFA Bertha Fund has supported more than 500 projects.

Source: VNS