Film about Vietnam screened at UK international arts festival

ABO/NDO- “Once upon a bridge in Vietnam” by French-Vietnamese director François Bibonne has been screened at the Ruthin International Arts Festival (RIAF) 2024 held in the historic North Wales town of Ruthin.

The film is about a young French music reporter who decides to discover Vietnam through investigations into classical music and get enrolled in an epic journey after his Vietnamese grandmother died. It features beautiful natural images, unique traditional dances and costumes plus the sound and image of a symphony orchestra and unique ethnic musical instruments of Vietnam.

French-Vietnamese director François Bibonne (left) meets a native woman in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang when making the movie "Once upon a bridge in Vietnam”. (Photo: François Bibonne's Facebook).

Director Bibonne said that the film screening at the festival is an opportunity for him to connect with UK and international audiences and introduce Vietnam to international friends through music – a bridge that connects people regardless of their origins.

It is the first documentary about Vietnam by Bibonne. He planned to return Vietnam in October this year to continue his Vietnamese cultural projects with the second one being a musical film that introduces Vietnamese football, the king sport in Vietnam.

RIAF 2024 themed Elsewhere running from June 28 to July 28 seeks to explore the fertile intersection of cultural diversity and human connection.

The festival includes direct performance of over 50 international artists along with film screening, poetry readings, art exhibitions and workshops.

(Source: NDO)