‘Boyhood’ to be screened at TPD

Ellar Coltrane (as Mason) and Ethan Hawke (as Mason’s father) star in the movie Boyhood. — Photo independent.co.uk

The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) will continue its “Family Movie Month” with a screening of Boyhood by Richard Linklater on the night of Friday, December 28.

Filmed over 12 years with the same cast, Boyhood is a groundbreaking story of growing up as seen through the eyes of a child named Mason (played by Ellar Coltrane), who literally grows up on screen before our eyes. Starring Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette as Mason’s parents and Lorelei Linklater as his sister Samantha, Boyhood charts the rocky terrain of childhood like no other film has before.

Snapshots of adolescence from road trips and family dinners to birthdays and graduations and all the moments in between become transcendent, set to a soundtrack spanning the years from Coldplay’s Yellow to Arcade Fire’s Deep Blue. The movie is both a nostalgic time capsule of the recent past and an ode to growing up and parenting.

Boyhood premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and was released in theatres on July 11, 2014. The film won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. It also received three Golden Globe Awards, five BAFTAs, and six Oscars Awards.

The 165-minute movie will be presented in English with Vietnamese subtitles. The screening will start at 7pm. Donation (at door): VNĐ20,000/person. TPD is at 51 Trần Hưng Đạo Street (4th floor). Tel: (024) 39366559. 

Siedl/Cao present sound installations

Siedl/Cao will present a new series of sound installations tonight at Manzi Art Space.

A new series of installations showing the physical nature of sound and the inherent link between visual and audio elements will be presented tonight at Manzi Art Space by the Siedl/Cao duo.

Cao Thanh Lan and Gregor Siedl have set up several interactive installations which enable everyone to play with sounds. Some of the elements are inspired by the special sonic environment of Hà Nội. They give visitors a chance to touch, see, feel and understand the sounds around them.

The performance, which is part of Manzi’s Art Programme supported by the Embassy of Denmark, will start at 8pm. Manzi Art Space is at 14 Phan Huy Ích Street. Surcharge: VNĐ50,000. 

’Under Construction’ dance in HCMC

The dance event ’Under Construction’ will be held from 7pm to 10pm on January 12 and from 5pm to 8pm on January 13 at Dancenter Việt Nam, 53 Nguyễn Đăng Giai Street, District 2. — Photo ticketbox.vn

The ‘Under Construction’ dance event will be held from 7pm to 10pm on January 12 and from 5pm to 8pm on January 13 at Dancenter Việt Nam, 53 Nguyễn Đăng Giai Street, District 2.

The young dancers of the HCM City-based Urban Dance Group (UDG) will present ’Under Construction’, a sneak peak of their current works in progress.

UDG is developing and exploring new ideas and concepts and are excited to share them with an audience of supporters. The audience will be seated on the floor, so please wear comfortable clothing. 

The tickets are VNĐ350,000 per person for standard level and VNĐ600,000 per person for gold level. 

Saigon Startup Party 2019 in January

The Saigon Startup Party 2019 will be held from 5pm to late on January 26 at New ZumWhere on 11 Nguyễn Thành Ý Street, District 1.

The Saigon Startup Party 2019 will be held from 5pm to late on January 26 at New ZumWhere Restaurant on 11 Nguyễn Thành Ý Street in District 1.

Join the Saigon Startup Party 2019 to take a look back at what we have accomplished in 2018. And together, let’s celebrate 2019 and look forward to a new year full of fruitful ventures and success.

First organised in 2017, Saigon Startup Party is a special occasion for the startup community to gather in one big celebration at the end of a year.

Tickets are VNĐ400,000 including beer and food. 

Photo exhibition snaps up the beauty of Việt Nam’s and China

Gobi Desert in Gansu Province, north-central China. 

A photo exhibition has opened in Hà Nội featuring the beauty of culture, nature and social life of China and Việt Nam - two neighbouring countries with a long tradition of friendship and diplomatic relations.

The exhibition called Ấn Tượng Việt Nam-Trung Quốc 2018 (Việt Nam-China Impression 2018) is co-organised by the Vietnam Pictorial (VNP) under the Vietnam News Agency and the Lotus Magazine under the Guangxi Television and Radio, Zhuang autonomous region in Guangxi of China.

About 100 photographs selected from thousands by professional photographers from the Vietnam Pictorial and the Lotus Magazine of China are on display.

The work reflect the beauty of nature and peoples of the two countries particularly the two provinces of Quảng Ninh in Việt Nam and Guangxi in China as well as their socio-economic development.

The exhibition was aimed to convey the values of development, depict the beauty of nature and people in the implementation of the open-door policy.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyễn Thắng, editor-in-chief of the VNP, highlighted the traditional friendship and co-operation, saying how it had been crystallised over the years.

"The peoples of the two countries have stood side by side in the struggle for national independence in the past and today, they continue to be close together in the construction of their countries. We are pleased to see our relations have reached a higher step of positive development,” said Thắng.

“Press agencies of the two countries entrusted by the two Parties and the two States and Governments, have always been in close co-operation to help each others to fulfill their task of promoting for such development,” said the official.

Thắng said the exhibition was regarded as a proof of the effective cooperation between the VNP and the Guangxi Radio and Television.

Meanwhile, Cultural Counselor of China’s Embassy to Việt Nam, Peng Shi Tuan, said it is hoped the exhibition boosts the co-operation in culture as well as media organisation.

The photos aim to promote the image of the two countries in their tourism development, particularly their natural and cultural beauty and success in socio-economic development, said Peng.

This year marks 10th anniversary of the establishment of a comprehensive strategic co-operation between Việt Nam and China.

Việt Nam has selected this year as the year of national tourism in Quảng Ninh, said Thắng.

Meanwhile, 2018 is also the year China marks the 40th anniversary of the implementation of its open policy and 60 years of establishing the Zhuang Autonomous Region.

The exhibition opened yesterday and will end on December 31 at 93 Đinh Tiên Hoàng Street, Hà Nội.

Photography contest raises awareness about environmental protection

A photography contest has been launched to raise awareness about the importance of environmental protection. — Photo courtesy of CHANGE

The Centre of Hands-on Action and Networking for Growth and Environment (CHANGE) in co-operation with 350.org, a non-profit organisation, have launched a photography contest called “Portray Air, Expose Pollution”. 

The contest, which is open to everyone, was launched to raise awareness about the importance of environmental protection.

The submitted photos will show the causes of pollution and how it can damage health.

Contestants can register at http://bit.ly/photocontestdangky and send photos to airpollution_contest@changevn.org.

The top 11 photos and the others will be exhibited at the end of March in HCM City.

Hoàng Thị Minh Hồng, executive director of CHANGE, said that air pollution had become worse in Hà Nội and HCM City and was affecting people’s health, especially children.

“Photography is a powerful tool to send a message to the community about environmental protection,” Hồng said. 

Ministry honours songs about ethnic minority culture

A song about ethnic culture being performed at the award ceremony. 

The best recently composed songs about ethnic minorities received awards from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism during a ceremony on Tuesday in Hà Nội.

The ministry kicked off the competition in May for composers who come from ethnic minority groups nationwide. It is aimed to honour songs about national solidarity and ethnic culture.

These songs will be performed at ethnic culture festivals and events, said Trần Mạnh Hùng, Deputy Director of Department of Ethnic Culture.

Điểu Được, Linh Nga Niek Đam and Vi Mộng Hoàng won the top prizes.

The organisers received entries from more than 100 composers. Among them, 22 songs received prizes. The winners highlight the diverse culture of Việt Nam’s ethnic groups, praise the beautiful landscape of the mountainous regions and strengthen national solidarity. 

Fair presents Hà Nội’s traditional craft villages

Sophisticated carved bird cages seen at the fair. — Photo courtesy of organiser

Craftspeople from traditional villages in Hà Nội’s suburban district of Thanh Oai have gathered to present their unique handicraft products at a Christmas Fair at the 118-year-old Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel.

The artisans, who are masters of their guilds, hail from the Canh Hoạch bird cage making village, the Dư Dụ wood carving village and the Chuông conical hat making village. They demonstrated their amazing skills at the fair.  

Under their “golden hands”, natural materials such as palm leaves, bamboo trees or a block of wood are turned into a charming conical hat, a refined wood statue, or a sophisticated carved bird cage.

Speaking at the opening of the fair on Monday evening, the hotel’s General Director William Haandrikman said: “The fair aims to introduce to our guests and other tourists the quintessence of folk villages, thus to contribute partly to promoting Vietnamese traditional handicrafts. Visitors will have a chance to witness the amazing skills of the craftsmen, to talk with them about their works and to purchase beautiful handicraft products.”

According to Lê Thị Hà, chairwoman of the Thanh Oai District People’s Committee, the district, which is located only 20km from Hà Nội, has more than 50 traditional villages.

“Alongside the folk villages of handicraft products, there are many villages making edible products including Ước Lễ (specialists in giò chả – Vietnamese traditional sausage making) and Cự Đà (specialists in vermicelli making),” she said. “So we hope we will have chance to introduce our local specialties to tourists.”

Standing in his booth at the fair, Lê Văn Tuy from Chuông Village proudly tells visitors about his homemade conical hats. He says they are not only a headwear product, but also a “typical Vietnamese image.”

“Come to my workshop in Chuông Village,” he said. “Visitors will have chance to see a mini museum” displaying conical hats from different regions in Việt Nam.

“Although each region has some specific techniques in making the hats, it doesn’t matter as long as foreign tourists can realise it is a Vietnamese conical hat,” he said.     

The fair, which is taking place next to the hotel’s garden, is open daily from 3pm to 7pm until December 31.