Artists Anh Đào and Nguyễn Văn Toàn in the movie Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ (Hồng Hà Lady of Letters). Photo danviet.vn

National Film Centre is showing two latest movies made by State-budget funding, Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ (Hồng Hà Lady of Letters) and Đào, Phở và Piano (Peach Blossoms, Phở and Piano), under a new decision approved by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The decision, signed by Deputy Minister Tạ Quang Đông, details the distribution of the movies which were produced with State money in 2023.

The two movies are being screened for one month from February 10 at the national film centre. Both are historical themed movies made by State-budget funding in 2023.

Hồng Hà Nữ Sĩ tells the story of female poet Đoàn Thị Điểm in the 18th century. She was born in 1705 at Giai Phạm Village, Văn Giang District in the northern province of Hưng Yên. She was skilled in Han-Chinese characters and Nôm (Vietnamese ideographic).

She is best known for her translation of Đặng Trần Côn's poem Chinh Phụ Ngâm (Lament of A Soldier's Wife) from Han-Chinese characters into Nôm (Vietnamese ideographic).

The movie crew are veterans, including script writer Hồng Ngát, director Nguyễn Đức Việt, and artists Lê Khanh and Trung Anh. Đoàn Thị Điểm was played by young actress Anh Đào.

"Making a historical movie featuring Đoàn Thị Điểm who lived 300 years ago is a big challenge for the movie crew with limited State-budget funding," said script writer Hồng Ngát.

"We tried our hardest to make the best movie possible. Costume and the movie background require a lot of money. I hope that audience will find it worth their time to watch the movie."

Đào, Phở và Piano by director Phi Tiến Sơn is about a young couple during the 60-day-and-night campaign in late 1946, when Hà Nội residents were responding to President Hồ Chí Minh's appeal for a national resistance war against the French reconquest.

It tells about the couple who overcame difficulties and dangers to find each other again on the last day of those 60 days and nights on February 17, 1947. At that time, Vietnamese troops withdrew to the Việt Bắc resistance zone, beginning the long-running resistance war.

Having met in the middle of a street battle, the lovers only had a few hours left to get married, in a situation between life and death. The plot focuses on their last moments - the moments of love for life, beauty and freedom.

These two motion pictures are among works invested by State-budget funding in 2023, including science movies, documentaries and animation movies. Over the past years, there have been a few movies funded by the State-budget to be produced, but they have not been distributed widely in the nation because of lack of money.

The movie distribution problems are also due to mechanisms and inconsistent legal system. To address these problems, the Cinema Law has added regulations to encourage distribution of State-budget funded movies through different ways such as on television, cinemas, and serving people in mountainous and border areas, islands and rural areas.

According to the newly-issued decision, State-budget funded movies aim to balance between propaganda and profit.

The decision also promotes effective State management and cinema development. Under the plan, distribution of State-budget funded movies is to be carried out until December 2025. VNS