Vietnam attends Asian film festival in Nigeria

(VNF) - The beautiful scenery of Ninh Thuan province, the beauty and diligence of the Cham people portrayed in the film “On the Peaceful Peak” along with silk paintings, water puppets and Vietnamese dishes left strong impression on audience at the Asian film festival in Nigeria.

The first Asian film festival in Nigeria opened in the capital Abuja on July 3^rd-8^th, aiming to promote interaction between Nigeria's film industry, the largest in Africa, and its Asian peers.

The five-day festival, organized by the Asian Cultural Committee, was also put together to exhibit the culture of the various Asian countries through movies.

At the display area of Vietnam at the festival.

Ten Asian countries, including Vietnam, China, Pakistan, Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines and Iran, participated in the film festival.

Among those in attendance was Vietnamese Ambassador to Nigeria Pham Anh Tuan and RoK Ambassador Noh Kyu duk, amongst others.

Also, the representative of the Minister of Information and Culture, Hussaini W. Dayar, who is the Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry was present at the event.

The Vietnamese film titled Trên Đỉnh Bình Yên (On the Peaceful Peak) screened at festival, evoked applause from the international and Nigerian audiences.

Film tells story of a traditional ceramic village in Ninh Thuan province. The artist, the lads and girls of Cham minority who have been experienced many ups and downs, realize that they can not live forever in poverty. Yet, along with the changes to develop, they must respect and conserve the cultural quintessence of Cham minority.

A scene from Trên Đỉnh Bình Yên (On the Peaceful Peak) screened at the Asian film festival in Nigeria on July 6^th.

Speaking at the first Asian Film Festival in Abuja, the Charge D’affairs of the Embassy of Pakistan, Asim Ali Khan, said the festival was geared towards promoting cultures be­tween Nigeria and Asia.

It also said that the event would help to bring the Asian countries together.

“This event is to introduce Asian films to Nigeria and Nigerian films to Asian countries. It aims to bring the nations together. It is also to introduce the perse culture of Asia to Nige­ria. Asia has perse cultures. We can get a good picture of other cultures. We shall be having this festival every year. We shall feature drama and dance between the two countries,” he said.

Throughout the festival, each participating country had screened a movie to showcase its art, people, and culture. Artworks depicting the participating countries' cultures were also on display./.

Chau Pham