Tintin entertains the poor

The 3D cartoon The Adventures of Tintin will be presented for children from orphanages in Ha Noi, Hai Phong and HCM City as a gift from the Belgian Embassy to mark 40 years relationship between Belgium and Viet Nam.

The 107-minute animated film directed by Steven Spielberg in 2011, is based on comics by Belgian cartoonist Herge (1907-83). It won an award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 69th Golden Globe Awards.

Poster of the 3D cartoon The Adventures of Tintin, which will be presented for children from orphanages in Ha Noi, Hai Phong and HCM City.

The cartoon reviews an adventure by journalist Tintin and his dog Snowy to find treasure from the Unicorn ship which sank in the 17th century.

Tintin wins the heart of audiences everywhere as he's modest, brave and always fights for reason and equality.

The film will be screened at Megastar cinemas in the three cities on May 19 and May 26.

European films premier in HCM City

Belgium’s “The Fairy” was screened in Ho Chi Minh City on May 15, kick-starting European Film Festival 2013.

The humorous film, directed by Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy, has won several international prizes at the 2nd Magritte Awards held in February 2012 honouring the best films between 2010 and 2011.

A total of 16 films, including some blockbusters, of 14 European countries will be shown at cinemas in HCM City, Danang and Hanoi.

They are Eat Sleep Die (Sweden), Crossing Boundaries (Austria), Le Tableau (France), The Fairy (Belgium), Fimfarum (the Czech Republic), Le Havre (Finland), Vincent Wants To Sea (Germany), Glass Tiger 3 (Hungary), Dreamtime Revisited (Ireland), My Father’s Bike (Poland), Uncle Marin-The Billionaire (Romania), Cherry Boy (Slovakia), Wuthering Heights (the UK), Even The Rain (Spain), The Dacians (Romania) and Palme (Sweden).

Genres vary from children’s cartoons to drama, romance, comedies and documentaries.

Tickets are free.  

Multi-instrumentalist joins composer for show

This month, live music show Sound Affect continues with a performance tonight featuring composer and sound artist Vu Nhat Tan and multi-instrumentalist Nguyen Van Thao.

Called a "one-man band" due to his ability to improvise across a variety of instruments, Thao will add a modern rock piece using the traditional dan bau (monochord) and dan nguyet (moon-shaped two-string guitar) to Tan's electronic compositions.

Sound Affect will take place from 8.30pm until 11.30pm at CAMA ATK, 73A Mai Hac De Street. Cost: VND100,000 (free entry before 7pm).

Young artists promoted at showcase

PechaKucha Night, an event for young artists and designers to exchange ideas and show their work, will be held at the Goc Pho Cafe today.

Created in Tokyo in 2003, PechaKucha is a presentation format in which 20 images are shown for 20 seconds each, featuring various topics such as photography, music, architecture and design, yoga and leaving the corporate the world.

It will feature photographer Nikki Bisenieks, yoga teacher Danphe Chua and music teacher Kevin Weingarten.

The presentation will begin at 7pm. The venue is at 48 Hoa Hong Street in Phu Nhuan Street. Admission is free.

Concert features forgotten masterpieces

The International Choir and Orchestra of HCM City will perform in the Forgotten Gems concert at the Conservatory of Music on May 24 and 25.

The concert will present masterpieces from classical composers including Franz Joseph Haydn's Great Organ Mass; Randall Thompson's Frostiana, a setting of seven poems by Robert Frost; John Rutter's Gloria; and the final movement of Alessandro Scarlatti's Dixit Dominus.

All proceeds from two shows will be donated to two children's charities, the Loreto Vietnam-Australia Programme and Poussieres de Vie (Dust of Life). Tickets are VND490,000 (US$23.5). The shows will begin at 7:30pm at the conservatory at 112 Nguyen Du Street in District 1.

Book published to mark Vietnam-Netherlands ties

The Dutch Embassy in Vietnam has published the book “People make the difference”, to mark the 40th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

The book tells the stories of 18 Vietnamese and Dutch people, who have made important contributions to the bilateral relationship over the past 40 years, painting a vivid picture of bilateral cooperation in politics, economy and education.

The relationship between Vietnam and the Netherlands, originally based on development aid, has now become a commercial and sustainable investment partnership through opportunities for the two countries’ business communities, aiming to build a healthy investment environment.

The Netherlands is currently the third largest market of Vietnam in the European Union (EU), after Germany and the UK.

VNN/VOV/VNS