Critically recognised but little-known outside of Vietnam, Việt Linh crafts allegorical films about the history and changing social situations of her country. Often drawing inspiration from literature, Việt Linh treats the fate of her characters in a sensitive and realistic manner. A student at the prestigious National Cinematography School in Moscow during the 1980s, Việt Linh draws from Soviet cinema and the work of Italian neo-realist filmmaker Federico Fellini. Graduating in 1985, she began working for the state-owned Giai Phong Film Studio in Ho Chi Minh City and has completed seven features since 1986. Việt Linh’s inclusion in APT5 marks the first major survey of her work internationally and a rare opportunity to see her work screened in Australia.
Travelling Circus (Gánh Xiếc Rong) (1988) / Ages 15+
Devil’s Mark (Dấu Ấn Của Quỷ) (1992) / Ages 15+
Collective Flat (Chung Cu’) (1999) / Ages 15+
Me Thao, Once upon a Time (Mê Thảo, Thời Vang Bóng) (2002)
12 noon Saturday 2 December, introduced by Viet Linh / Cinema A
Screening weekly from 8 December 2.30pm Fridays and 1.30pm
Sundays / Cinema B
35MM, COLOUR, 74 MINS, VIETNAM, VIETNAMESE (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: VIệT LINH / PRODUCER: TRAN KHAI HOANG / SCRIPT: PHAM THUY NHAN / CINEMATOGRAPHY: DINH ANH DUNG / EDITOR: THIEN HUONG / ART DIRECTION: PHAM NGUYEN CAN / MUSIC: HOANG HIEP / CAST: THE ANH, THAI NGAN, BAC SON, VIET MINH / PRODUCTION CO + RIGHTS: GIAI PHONG FILM STUDIO / PRINT SOURCE: DISCOVERY COMMUNICATION / SCREENING FORMAT: DIGITAL BETACAM
Set in the central highlands of Vietnam, Travelling Circus is a bittersweet story of famine-ridden villagers, who are tricked by an illusion of food into helping a circus that is secretly searching for gold in their region. Through the eyes of a young villager, we witness how their naive hope has tragic consequences. Banned for two years in Vietnam because officials considered its themes potentially subversive, Việt Linh was required to change the title of the film from The Conjurer’s Tricks to There Was Once a Man Who Was Greedy for Gold to its final title. One of the most internationally acclaimed Vietnamese movies from the 1980s, it is rarely shown in Vietnam or abroad.
2.00pm Tuesday 5 December, introduced by Viet Linh / Cinema A
2.00pm Thursday 14 December / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, 90 MINS, VIETNAM, VIETNAMESE (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: VIệT LINH / PRODUCER: DUONG MINH HOANG / SCRIPT: PHAM THUY NHAN / CINEMATOGRAPHY: DOAN QUOC / EDITOR: THIEN HUONG / ART DIRECTION: PHAM HONG PHONG / SOUND: QUANG DAO / MUSIC: PHU QUANG / CAST: DON DUONG, NGOC HIEP, LE CUNG BAC / PRODUCTION CO + RIGHTS: GIAI PHONG FILM STUDIO / PRINT SOURCE: FUKUOKA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY FILM ARCHIVE
A fable about social prejudice, Devil’s Mark tells the story of a young girl who is accused of witchcraft and banished from society. The film was shot in the remote mountainous region of Ganh Son — a gruelling production location that involved transporting cameras and equipment by cattle carts. Rich in mythological associations and striking desolate landscapes, Devil’s Mark also features the first scene of complete nudity in a Vietnamese film.
2.00pm Thursday 7 December, introduced by Viet Linh / Cinema A
2.00pm Saturday 16 December / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, 90 MINS, VIETNAM/FRANCE, VIETNAMESE (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: VIệT LINH / PRODUCER: DUONG MINH HOANG / SCRIPT: VIệT LINH FROM THE SHORT STORY THE BUILDING BY NGUYễN Hồ / CINEMATOGRAPHY: HAI BAO / EDITOR: THIEN HUONG / ART DIRECTION: PHAM HONG PHONG / SOUND: LE NGU NGHIA / CAST MUSIC: PHU QUANG /: MAI THANH, HONG ANH, DON DUONG, MINH TRANG, QUYEN LINH, KIM XUAN / PRODUCTION CO: GIAI PHONG FILMS STUDIO, LE BUREAU / PRINT SOURCE: FUKUOKA CITY PUBLIC LIBRARY FILM ARCHIVE / RIGHTS: GIAI PHONG FILM STUDIO
Opening with the 1975 reunification of Vietnam, Collective Flat is a simple and moving drama about the idealism of Vietnamese communism. It follows a decade of economic and social change, where the growing market economy and policy of Đổi mới (Renovation) have profound effects on the residents of an abandoned hotel. Drawing from a short story by dissident writer Nguyễn Hồ, the film’s narrative was also inspired by the director’s own experiences of communal living after participating in the 1975 North Vietnamese entry into Saigon. Filmed in a month, using only one set and with a modest budget, Collective Flat was originally shelved by Giai Phong Film Studio. It was later rediscovered and became the first Vietnamese film to be commercially distributed in France.
7.00pm Monday 4 December, introduced by Viet Linh / Cinema A
2.00pm Monday 9 December / Cinema A
35MM, COLOUR, 107 MINS, VIETNAM, VIETNAMESE (ENGLISH SUBTITLES) / DIRECTOR: VIệT LINH / PRODUCER: DUONG MINH HOANG / SCRIPT: PHAM THUY NHAN, VIệT LINH, SERGE LE PERON / CINEMATOGRAPHY: PHAM HOANG NAM / EDITOR: CAM VAN, THUY CHUNG I ART DIRECTION: PHAM HONG PHONG / SOUND: HOANG ANH, TRONG TUNG, MINH KHANA, DANG KHOA / MUSIC: VAN DUNG / CAST: DUNG NHI, DON DUONG, MINH TRANG, THUY NGA, HONG CHUONG / PRODUCTION CO: GIAI PHONG FILM STUDIO, LES FILMS D’ICI / PRINT SOURCE: GOLDEN VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT / RIGHTS: GIAI PHONG FILM STUDIO
Adapted from Nguyễn Tuấn’s novel Chùa Đàn (Dan Pagoda), Me Thao, Once upon a Time explores the question of modernity in early twentieth-century Vietnam. After the death of his fiancée, Nguyen turns his back on everything modern, linking her death in a car accident to the advances of industrial civilisation. The music of the thousand-year-old ca trù folk tradition is used in the film as a counterpoint to the onset of progress. Described by Việt Linh as an attempt at making ‘a Vietnamese identity movie’, Me Thao, Once Upon a Time is superbly filmed and rich in theatre and melodrama.
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Street address
Stanley Place
South Bank
Brisbane
Australia
Postal address
PO Box 3686
South Brisbane
Queensland 4101
Australia
Telephone
+ 61 (0)7 3840 7303
Fax
+ 61 (0)7 3844 8865
Opening hours
Monday to Friday 10.00am - 5.00pm
Saturday and Sunday 9.00am - 5.00pm
ABN
66 758 806 810
