Vietnamese cinema has had many achievements, especially war films since 1975. This has been evaluated objectively and scientifically .
Notably, 22 films were screened at the 3rd Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF). This is an important milestone for the film industry in promoting the image of Vietnam to the world , especially films about war.
One of the highlights of this year’s DANAFF is the program “Half a Century of Vietnamese War Films.” The value of Vietnamese war films is recognized and honored, creating inspiration for young filmmakers and audiences on this topic.
The True Value of a War Movie
The imprint of Vietnam's war films after 1975 is both the mainstream of Vietnamese cinema and a typical contribution of the seventh art in the process of enriching the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people's souls.
The theme of revolutionary war in cinematographic works since the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country has clearly changed and innovated compared to films released during wartime.
Feature filmmakers have taken time to look back at the war, contemplate its great values, national pride and the value of sacrifices and losses.
Since then, Vietnamese cinema has shifted from epic themes and inspirations about heroic wars to post-war themes with strong worldly inspirations that bear many distinct and innovative marks compared to films produced during wartime.
Director Bui Tuan Dung shared that a valuable war film must first make viewers feel attracted, interested and captivated by a story with enough weight and profound, impressive characters.
After watching, the film makes viewers think again, question, and even change their perception of something seemingly ordinary in life.
It can be a lesson in humanity, a story of loss and overcoming, a reminder of a heroic historical event, or simply a story of kindness in a chaotic world.
Vietnamese revolutionary cinema has developed in parallel with the nation's history. With feature films, the first films released such as: "Chung mot dong song", "Chim vang", "Chi Tu Hau..." recreated the heroic epic of our people's resistance war for independence and that is also the guiding principle throughout the creation of Vietnamese cinema.
War films have always been at the center, not only for entertainment purposes but also to record and reflect the war and the heroic and tragic historical periods of the nation.
Through many diverse forms of activities, the cultural and historical values of many Vietnamese cinematographic works on the theme of revolutionary war have been widely introduced to domestic and international audiences.
Ms. Le Thi Ha, Director of the Vietnam Film Institute, said that 18/22 outstanding war films produced from 1977 to present, archived at the Vietnam Film Institute, were selected by the Organizing Committee of the 3rd Da Nang Asian Film Festival to be screened at many cinema systems in Da Nang city, receiving sympathy from a large audience, both proving the lasting vitality of the works and adding rich, attractive colors to the series of activities of DANAFF III.
Vietnam Film Institute is ready to connect and cooperate with organizations and individuals to more strongly spread the value of national moving image heritage, especially war films of Vietnamese cinema, on the international stage in the era of the country's rise.
In terms of art, the war-themed film genre has many works of lasting value both domestically and internationally, such as: "The Wild Field" (special prize at the 1980 Moscow International Film Festival), "Don't Burn" (audience award at the Fukuoka Film Festival), "When Will October Come" was rated by the American Film Institute as one of the best films in Asia.
According to Meritorious Artist and Director Dang Thai Huyen, from being able to talk about war in only one way, cinema has been able to talk about war in many different ways.
Film is no longer a one-way propaganda tool but has become a space for society to dialogue about the past. War films can be considered a “mirror” for the social mindset, from the spirit of resistance to post-war nostalgia, from collectivization to individualization.
This is the film genre that most clearly demonstrates the development of historical awareness and aesthetic sense of modern Vietnamese society.
War themes attract young filmmakers and audiences
The theme of war has always attracted filmmakers.
War films in Vietnam are gradually becoming a cinematic space for directors to create art as a new dialogue with the past, where filmmakers not only inherit but also increasingly develop revolutionary war films from a completely new, modern and liberal perspective and way of feeling.
At the workshop “Imprints of Vietnam’s war films since the country’s reunification,” director Dao Duy Phuc shared that war is a collective memory and a special cultural asset of the nation.
The fact that young directors are participating in war films with creative and different thinking, while maintaining realistic materials and being humanistic in the times, is a positive sign.
When filmmakers have passion and patriotism, the resulting works not only have artistic value but also have the ability to create widespread social effects and financial success.
From a researcher's perspective, screenwriter Trinh Thanh Nha analyzes the increasingly clear role of private filmmakers in the subject of war.
Through a survey of the films "Dong mau anh hung", "Ao lua Ha Dong" or most recently "Tunnel: Mat troi trong bang doc", Ms. Trinh Thanh Nha believes that the active participation of private filmmakers is a manifestation of the desire to recreate history, arouse national consciousness and help Vietnamese cinema approach international standards and it is also time to have appropriate behavioral mechanisms and worthy awards for bold and brave directors pursuing this historical film genre.
Director Bui Thac Chuyen's cinematic thinking has had a profound influence on the younger generation of directors. The combination of personal narrative and social depth in his works suggests an approach to history from an inner, psychological perspective instead of just stopping at events.
And on the occasion of April 30, the brilliant success in terms of political significance, art and revenue of the film "Tunnel: Sun in the Dark" is a great encouragement not only for directors and screenwriters writing about the revolutionary war theme, but also for producers, investors, management agencies, and the general audience to have more faith and hope in the effectiveness of revolutionary war films.
In the context of Vietnamese cinema seeking to innovate traditional themes, the influence of director Bui Thac Chuyen is an important premise for the courageous commitment of many young directors to the theme of revolutionary war.
As society becomes more open, it allows filmmakers to explore different aspects of war films. From there, they create works of artistic value, touching the emotions of the audience and attracting viewers to the cinema, especially young audiences.
Director Dinh Tuan Vu shared: "For a young director like me, who has never experienced war, when encountering difficult yet interesting topics like this, I really want to express it.
The important thing is to create trust for the audience, create habits for the audience and make the audience feel many emotions when watching war movies. From there, they will be proud and understand that war movies can bring more than other themed movies."
However, the biggest difficulty currently facing war film production is capital. This genre of film requires large investments in all aspects.
Therefore, when the budget is limited, it will greatly affect the creativity of filmmakers. Therefore, films about revolutionary war in Vietnam need to continue to receive proper investment attention.
War with all its losses, sacrifices and aspirations for peace has always been a great theme in art, especially cinema.
Since the country's reunification, Vietnamese filmmakers have continuously sought to innovate ways of expressing war, not only as an epic but also as a humane and profound journey about people, memories and reconciliation.
The 50-year journey of formation and development of the war film genre after 1975 with many outstanding achievements, this is also the time to evaluate and orient the future of this film genre in the context of cinema becoming an important cultural industry./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phim-chien-tranh-cach-mang-viet-nam-sau-1975-cuoc-doi-thoai-moi-voi-qua-khu-post1047808.vnp
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