Future Shorts Festival back with short film screenings  

The global pop-up festival called Future Shorts will be back on December 11 and 14 with screenings at local coffee shops with five award-winning shorts.

The festival, which introduces and promotes short films around the world, has taken place in more than 50 cities and 17 countries, and has attracted millions of  viewers.

The screening list includes: “God of Love,” which won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short in 2011; “Incidence By A Bank” featuring a humorous account of a real life bank robbery; and Sundance winner “Deeper Than Yesterday,” which was filmed with 35-millimeter cameras.

Attendees also can enjoy two local directors’ works: “The Rip” by Le Binh Giang and documentary “Limbo” by Huy Le Khac.

Ticket prices range from VND 30,000 to VND 60,000, and are free for filmmakers, who must bring a copy of their works.

The screenings will kick-off at Lit Café (8 Le Quy Don, Ward 6, Dist. 3, HCMC) and Snap Café (32 Tran Ngoc Dien, Thao Dien, Dist. 2, HCMC) at 7 p.m.

Hanoi to host attractive New Year programs

‘Hanoi – city rendezvous of flowers’ will be hosted by Hanoi’s People’s Committee in response to the national tourism year and to welcome in the western new year.

The program will be held along Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Ly Thai To Garden and other main spots on Le Thai To-Le Thac-Nha Ken streets as well as at city attractions such as Hoan Kiem Lake, But Tower, The Huc Bridge, Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc Square, Giong Temple and Temple of Literature.

Each place will be a venue for typical folk cultural programs such as displaying artworks made of flowers, bamboo trees, lotus flowers exhibit, ethnic musical instruments, photos and paintings. Visitors also have a chance to get lost in an area of flowers such as peach, daisy, yellow-apricot, bonsai trees and kumquat.

There will be a flower-arranging contest, music shows, a lantern garlands festival on Hoan Kiem Lake, dragon dance performances and folk games.

The program will be open from December 30 to January 2.

Vintage Vespa on show in Hanoi

Piaggio Vietnam announced there will be an exhibition of Vespa motorbikes in the Thang Long Royal Citadel from December 8-10.

Forty vintage and modern Vespa models will be showcased at the exhibition along with photographs illustrating the development of the well-known trademark over the years.

Visitors will also enjoy short films, showing that Vespas have always been associated with the world’s famous movie stars.

The event, which aims to strengthen cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Italy, is free to visitors.

Relic’s restoration raises debate

The central province of Khanh Hoa has just given its approval to the Hanoi-based Lac Hong Investment Joint Stock Company to restore Swiss – French Professor Alexandre Émile Jean Yersin’s grave relic in Cam Lam District, raising concers that such effort could instead bring to the historical object harm.

The restoration, which will cost around VND 2billion (US$100,000), has met opposition from the “Hoi nhung nguoi ai mo Yersin” (Association of Yersin’s fan) and leaders of Nha Trang’s Pasteur Health & Medicine Institute, who are managing the relic. They claim the project will deform the relic.

According to the association’s petition submitted to the province’s People Committee last month, Yersin’s fans said that, in the project’s design, the most important parts of the relic are going to be rebuilt with new structures or even dismantled.

“We agree that it’s necessary to reconstruct the entrance or to build guest houses and souvenir shops on the road leading to the area”, Le Thanh Xuan, standing vice president of the association said. “However, the relic needs to remain in its original structure.”

Responding to the petition, the province’s People Committee held a meeting with relevant sides to hear opinions.

Le Xuan Than, Vice Chairman of the committee, says he will listen to all opinions and conduct research to find the best plan for the restoration.

"The restoration needs to follow the Law on Cultural Heritage,” he emphasized.

For his part, To Van Dong, spokesman of the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, said the Ministry has not approved the relic’s restoration.

“The Ministry agrees that a restoration is necessary, since all relics need to be repaired after they have stood for such a long time,” he said.

“However, restoration only has meaning when the relic’s original value is retained. Restoration is not comprehensive reconstruction,” he added.

Eight artists on show at Bui in Hanoi

The Bui Gallery has opened the group exhibition ‘1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8’ presenting the work by eight Vietnamese contemporary artists.

The artists - Le Tran Quynh Giang, Truong Tan, Nguyen Thai Tuan, Le Huy Hoang, Nguyen Minh Thanh, Nguyen Quang Huy, Pham Ngoc Duong and Nguyen Manh Hung – promise that enthusiasts have a chance to learn more about art due to the various styles on offer.

The numbers may trigger differing associations and thoughts in everyone but that aside the artists are just offering their work with themes ranging from the joy of love, sorrow of life, loneliness of the soul, childhood memories and beauty of motherhood.

The show runs to December 15.
 
Family fest to raise donations for HCMC street children  
 
Poussieres De Vie will hold a family-day festival at the Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens in Ho Chi Minh City on December 11 to raise donations for street children.  

The HCMC-based non-profit organization, whose name literally means “dust of life”, will host sports activities, games, shows and performances during its third annual Kermesse (festival) in the city.  

Children and adults will enjoy many activities and games that are traditionally played during family days in France, such as funny races, collective games and agility games to win numerous prizes.

These include wall climbing and the popular “pétanque”, the organization said in a statement.  

Last year, over 10,000 visitors turned up at the Kermesse, making it one of the most popular charity events in HCMC.

“Dedicated to the little ones, this event is a great opportunity for all families to have fun with great food, on and off-stage shows and popular games in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere,” said Catherine Nam-Hee of Poussieres De Vie.

During the day long event, there will be regular shows on the main stage like dance performances with Capoeira demo and shows from Dancenter Dance School, sideshow by the HCMC circus, live concerts, two big lucky draws and many other activities, the organization said.

Several popular restaurants in HCMC will have booths serving French and Vietnamese food along the main alley and all of the proceeds will be given to the charity organization Poussières de Vie to help street children in HCMC.  

The event will be held at the Saigon Zoo, Saigon Zoo & Botanical Gardens at 2B Nguyen Binh Khiem Street in District 1 from 9am to 4pm, December 11. Fees include VND12,000 for Zoo entrance and VND10,000 per coupon for food/game.

Created in 2003, Poussières de Vie is a charity organization helping street children in HCMC and in Kon Tum Province. The organization has worked with over 500 children, from 6 to 18 years old, teaching them Vietnamese, English and how to use computers in an effort to get the out of poverty through education and professional integration.

Hanoi to host contemporary exhibition  

A group exhibition “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8” showing recent works by eight Vietnamese contemporary artists will open in Hanoi’s Bui Gallery on December 3.

According to a press release by the Bui Gallery, the prominent artists -- Ly Tran Quynh Giang, Truong Tan, Nguyen Thai Tuan, Le Huy Hoang, Nguyen Minh Thanh, Nguyen Quang Huy, Pham Ngoc Duong and Nguyen Manh Hung -- feature different characteristics.

“Maybe this exhibition is the start of the ‘8 collective,’ and surely this is a good omen for Vietnamese contemporary art, which deserves great attention at the moment,” said Betty Bui, managing director of the Bui Gallery, in the release.

“1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8” started as an initiative from artists Pham Ngoc Duong and Truong Tan to hold an exhibition of very particular and attention-seeking art in the form of a one-off collaboration between eight artist friends.

The exhibition has no curator, no specific title and no hierarchy. The title "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8" is nothing more than a consecutive series of numbers, thus clearly referring to a group that consists of individuals that are distinct from but connected with one another, according to the release.

“In this exhibition, the artists’ collective decides to explore nothing in particular. Rather, viewers will have chance to experience a broad variety of artistic expression, from the lonely inner world of Ly Tran Quynh Giang, the gentle depiction of love in the paintings of Nguyen Minh Thanh, Nguyen Quang Huy and Pham Ngoc Duong, to the strong sense of humor in the surrealistic world of Nguyen Manh Hung, the tragic feeling in Le Huy Hoang’s paintings, the emptiness in the Black Paintings series by Nguyen Thai Tuan, and last but not least, childhood nostalgia and beautiful motherhood in Truong Tan’s artwork marking the return of this enfant terrible of the '90s to the art scene of Hanoi,” Bui said.

“However, every single artwork and its story has a viewer with yet another story. Story one and story two – or artwork one and artwork two – become a new one: the third story.”

At this exhibition, which will conclude on January 15, the viewer will complete a work of art, as said by French artist Marcel Duchamp, considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century.

“1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8” will include an artist talk on December 4 at 3 p.m.

The Bui Gallery is located on 23 Ngo Van So Street, Hanoi.

HCMC prepares for Spring Flower Festival 2012  

Ho Chi Minh City Spring Flower Festival 2012 will be held at the International Square in District 3 and Tao Dan Park in District 1 from January 18 to 28, 2012.

The annual festival will feature around 6,000 exhibits of bonsai trees, ornamental plants, orchids, cacti, apricots and peach blossoms, ornamental birds and fishes, fruit arrangements and rock gardens contributed by hundreds of local and foreign artisans from flower clubs.

Visitors will have a chance to enjoy other cultural activities as well such as, don ca tai tu performance (southern amateur traditional music), folk games, a painting and calligraphy exhibition.

The annual festival is a traditional, cultural activity in Ho Chi Minh City. It is held on the occasion of Lunar New Year and attracts many visitors to the city.

In addition, the city will also open 56 Tet flower markets from January 16-22, 2012.
 
Seminar emphasizes restoration of cultural heritage sites  

A seminar on the restoration and development of historical and cultural heritage sites from the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan to the Mekong Delta region was held in the southern province of An Giang on December 3.
 
Thoai Ngoc Hau Mausoleum in Chau Doc Town, An Giang Province has just been restored at a cost of VND14 billion (US$630,000). (Photo: Sggp)

Thousands of historical sites were recognized as national, provincial, or municipal heritage sites and a large number of others were still being apprised in the area.

The historical sites have an important significance in the spiritual lives of the local people, and propagandizing and educating the younger generation to preserve tradition, culture and old social values, besides promoting tourism must be stressed.

Although the government has been interested in restoring, preserving, managing and promoting historical and cultural sites for several years, action was lacking and now many old sites have been severely damaged and denigrated.

Some have fallen into oblivion because of urban development, poor awareness of local people about preservation and restoration of historical sites and ineffective activities on propagandizing and educating.

Experts at the seminar said that the authorities should open training courses and launch orientation programs on restoration of historical sites while keeping close to tradition and culture.