ART & ENTERTAINMENT IN BRIEF 20/2 ? Talk Vietnam

Painter Hoang Tich Chu commemorated

A ceremony to celebrate the 100th birthday of one of the founders of Vietnamese traditional lacquer painting Hoang Tich Chu (18-2-1912 ? 2012) was held in Hanoi on February 17 by the Vietnam Fine Art Association on February 17.

At the ceremony, fine art critics and researchers affirmed the great contributions Hoang Tich Chu made to Vietnamese art.

Painter Chu was born in the northern province of Bac Ninh. He studied at the Indochina Art School in Hanoi from 1936 to 1941, then joined in the revolution and was assigned to establish the first art school in Vietnam.

He laid the foundation for Vietnamese lacquer painting and created colours and layouts to develop the art form. His works depict Uncle Ho, the nation?s wars and the beauty of the country?s landscape.

Chu was presented various national and international awards during his lifetime, most notably the Ho Chi Minh Award for Art and Literature in 2000.

He passed away on October 22, 2003 at the age of 93.

Hanoi artists ?Love You Long Time? in US

Hanoi artists Nguyen Phuong Linh and Gabby Quynh-Anh Miller are co-presenting their works with several international artists at a US gallery February 16 to April 14.

Entitled Me Love You Long Time, the exhibition is a group show of contemporary art and video made since the 1990s by artists from North America and particularly those working in and descendent from Southeast Asia, said Gabby Quynh-Anh Miller in a press release this week.

The exhibition is taking place at the Aljira contemporary art center and gallery in Newark, New Jersey.

The artists use various media and complicated visual strategies to upend or explore gender expression, sexuality, sex work, and new subjectivities.

Nguyen Phuong Linh and Gabby Quynh-Anh Miller, both 25, have curated and exhibited together with international artists, including Maren Abromowitz, Lauren Anderson, Allie Furlotti, Ramona Gonzalez, Scott Grenfell, Sara Lafleur-Vetter, and Erin McElroy.

Last year, the duo presented their twork at the group exhibition Anyt?ing You Want, which included contemporary artists from Hanoi, Los Angeles, and New York.

Me Love You Long Time, curated by Edwin Ramoran, is supported by a grant from the Lambent Foundation.

For more information visit www.aljira.com.

Xoan singing preservationists honoured

Twelve groups and 59 individuals who have contributed to the preservation of hat Xoan (Xoan singing) were honoured at a ceremony in the northern province of Phu Tho on February 18.

The event was part of the ?Return to the Roots? tourism programme and honouring Xoan singing in 2012, which is being jointly held by three northern provinces: Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai.

Ha Ke San, Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho provincial People?s Committee, said Xoan singing is a traditional rite commemorating the Hung Kings and was recorded by Confucian scholars, especially those in the Later Le dynasty.

Phu Tho originally had only four Xoan singing theatrical companies namely Kim Dai, Phu Duc, Thet and An Thai, but now there are 18 across Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc provinces, he added.

San said that UNESCO recognition of Xoan singing as a world intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent protection was mainly due to the great efforts and contributions of generations of Xoan singers.

Deputy Head of the Phu Tho Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Pham Ba Khiem, said local people should become more active in the national programme action to preserve and develop Xoan singing and popularize it in the province and across the country.

Also on the occasion, it was announced that a dossier on the Hung Kings Prayer Ritual will soon be completed to submit to UNESCO for recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Awards for Japan ? Vietnam haiku contest winners

The Japanese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities held an awards ceremony for the winners of the third Japan ? Vietnam haiku contest on February 17.

The contest received 1,675 Vietnamese haikus and 110 Japanese haikus from 608 poets across the country.

The organisers presented one first prize, two second prizes, three third prizes and five consolation prizes in the Vietnamese category and one first prize, one second prize, one third prize and two consolation prizes in the Japanese category.

Haiku is a short, 400 year old form of traditional Japanese poetry.

A traditional haiku consists of 17 syllables arranged in three lines of five, seven and five syllables. The theme of haikus is usually nature or the four seasons, commonly characterised by a kigo, the Japanese word for a seasonal reference.

Website of National Tourism Year launched

A website on the 2012 National Tourism Year for the North Central Coastal region in Vietnamese, English and French has been launched at www.dulich.thuathienhue.gov.vn.

The Thua Thien-Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is co-ordinating with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to develop the Japanese version.

Throughout the tourism year, Thua Thien-Hue province will host 20 events, including 11 organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The province has allocated VND49 trillion for 43 tourism projects in the hope of attracting as many as 2.5 million tourists to Hue this year.

Celebrities to be punished for distasteful conduct

The Performing Arts Department under the Ministry of Culture will mete out severe punishment to all celebrities who generate public controversy by wearing provocative and revealing outfits, get distasteful pictures taken and indulge in cheap actions, said Vuong Duy Bien, head of the department.

Documents submitted to the department for acquiring a performing licence by the artists are clear and explicit as to the content and subject of the performance. However, the problem arises at the time of performance itself, said Bien.

The most effective solution is to suspend their licence and ban appearances on any public media. A football player is suspended for violent behaviour and dishonesty in 1-2 matches a year. This not only hits his pocket, but also affects his reputation, Bien added.

New regulations for performing artists should be created and applied this year, he said.

In related news, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced they would assign the task of deciding whether or not to strip the title and crown of Miss Vietnam 2006, who recently generated public controversy on her leaked photos on the Internet. She wore a traditional costume but posed provocatively.

Hue architecture gets 3D look

The Hue Relics Preservation Centre and its partners have completed a project to produce 3D images that feature historic architecture of the former imperial city.

The images use real-time rendering technology to depict Vo Thanh Temple, one of the city?s most popular ancient relics, built in 1835 under the Minh Mang reign.

Designed by architect Nguyen Phuoc Thien and his staff at the HCM City University of Architecture, in-co-operation with the centre?s cultural researchers, all of the images contain sound and light effects.

Touch screens on computers are used to sketch highlights or list feedback points that can be immediately duplicated on the screens during real-time discussions among users.

?Our project can help restore historic works in Hue,? said Thien.

According to the Hue Relic Preservation Centre, the project is part of the centre?s long-term programme to preserve and expand the values of Hue?s history, culture and architecture.

?We will work with Thien and his staff to use the technology in our restoration projects,? said Phan Thanh Hai, the centre?s deputy director.

OV student becomes youngest Jeopardy winner

Thieu Kim Ngan (Monica Thieu), an 18 year-old student from the University of North Texas, has become the youngest winner of Jeopardy!, a popular US television quiz show.

She has passed through many rounds of the quiz and beat 14 others from across the country to receive a cash prize of US$100,000.

Ngan said she was quite nervous during the first round of the competition but soon calmed down in the following next rounds to give the correct answers to a series of questions. She said she was also delighted to meet Jeopardy!?s famous MC, Alex Trebek.

Ngan told the Star-Telegram newspaper that she will spend a small amount of her prize money to go shopping and use the rest to pay her tuition fees.

Jeopardy! has enjoyed a decades-long broadcast history in the US since it was created by Merv Griffin in 1964.

Horror flick reaps billions of VND after first day?s screening

TV announced Sunday that their newest horror work ?Ngoi nha trong hem? (House in the alley) reaped a box office record of VND 2.4 billion (USD 115,301) on Tuesday alone, the first day the film hit cinemas nationwide, The Thao Van Hoa Newspaper reported.

Although there is yet to be an official ranking film premiere ticket revenue in the history of local cinema, The Thao Van Hoa said the number set by ?House in the alley?, by director Le Van Kiet could very well be a new record.

The 2011 comedy ?Long Ruoi? by Charlie Nguyen, which has been established as Vietnam?s all-time biggest blockbuster, earned VND 42 billion (USD 2 million) in the month after its release.

Impressed by the first day?s number, most of the biggest cinemas in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh have decided to dedicate more screens to show the film. While Megastar Cineplex has 15 screenings a day with both digital and normal versions, Thang 8 Cinema in Hanoi dedicated 8 slots, making it the only domestic film still shown at the cinema.

Featuring a top star cast including actress Ngo Thanh Van and businessman-turned-star-actor Tran Bao Son, ?House in the alley? tells of the psychological struggle of a young couple who have lost their child.

The film has caused divided opinion among local cinema fans and critics, who complimented the acting, its post-production in America, while some said the storyline and script were weak and unpersuasive.

In addition to ?House in the alley?, Kiet directed ?Bay cap 3?, an adventure movie which has yet to be released domestically and ?Cuoi duong bang?, a TV drama about the fashion industry.

Born in 1978 in Bien Hoa, Kiet later moved to America and studied at the University of California, Los Angeles with a full scholarship. His early works in America included ?Sau ngu? (Sad fish), ?Bui doi? (Dust of life) and a number of other short films.

?Bai choi? singing to be proposed for UNESCO recognition

The Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts is researching for the submission of a dossier on Vietnamese traditional music ?bai choi?(Bingo-in-huts) to UNESCO for world intangible heritage listing.

Originating in the central region of Vietnam, ?bai choi? singing has often been performed at local festivals. However, this kind of art faces the risk of being lost since the youth seem to be uninterested in it.

In related news, northern Vietnam?s traditional Xoan Singing has just officially become one of UNESCO?s intangible heritages on February 18 after its dossier was submitted to the intergovernmental agency for recognition last April.

The certification was conferred by Katherine Muller Marin, head of UNESCO?s office in Vietnam, at the opening ceremony of the cultural event titled ?Back to The Lands of Traditional Festival? to promote the tourism potential of the three northern provinces of Phu Tho, Yen Bai and Lao Cai.

Vietnamese models stun top designers

Vietnamese models Hoang Thuy (Hoang Thi Thuy) and Nguyen Thi Tuyet Lan impressed audiences, fashion designers and stylists with their figures and confidence on the catwalk during the recent New York Fashion Week.

After they modelled during fashion shows of American fashion designers Korto Momolu and Laurel DeWitt on Feb. 13, the two were invited to be models for leading fashion magazines in New York.

After the show, they took part in the Emerge fashion show featuring collections of designers Terry Stevens, Michael Alan Stain, Jahi Fitzerrald, Barbara Bates and Elie Kuame at the New York-based Broad Street Ballroom.

The winner of Vietnam?s Next Top Model 2011 and champion of Asian Model Search 2011 were asked by top designers Adrian Alicea, whose designs are the favourite of New York?s leading stars and Elena Vasilevsky, a winner of the 2011 Best Designer Award in the US, to wear their clothes.

Experts from IMG New York, a major publicist which represents elite athletes and other stars, said that Thuy?s strong character and impressive face could help her further her career in New York. They have also proposed cooperation with the two Vietnamese models in the future.

Thuy and Lan will appear on the catwalk wearing collections by Korto Momolu and Laurel DeWitt on Feb. 19.

BeU Model agency will send the two models to Paris to seek opportunities in one of the world?s leading fashion markets, according to Le Thi Quynh Trang, director of Vietnam?s Next Top Model.

As scheduled, Thuy and Lan performed at two shows on Feb. 13 and 19. They received so many bookings to model that they will have little free time until they return to Vietnam on Feb. 21.

The semi-annual New York Fashion Week is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world, along with those in Paris, London and Milan.

89-year-old grandma joins singing contest

89-year-old Tran Thi Tuy from Nha Trang is among the eldest contestants of ?Tieng hat mai xanh?, held for middle-aged and elderly singer-wannabes since early February in Ho Chi Minh City.

Once a singer who performed on radio programs during the 1940s, Tuy still impresses the audience with her vitality, vigor health and young spirit, ?she can still sing 10 songs at a stretch,? one of her family members said.

Accompanied by relatives to Ho Chi Minh City for the contest, the senior singer took this chance to have a heart check-up.

Singing ?Trang mo ben suoi? by songwriter Le Mong Nguyen, Tuy?s voice was deemed ?clear and very strong compared with others of her age? by the show?s judges.

Organized by Ho Chi Minh Television HTV, the show ?Tieng hat mai xanh? featuring music lovers above 35-year-olds is now in its second season and considered the first singing contest of its kind in Vietnam.

In early February, 3,525 contestants from Ho Chi Minh and provinces like Can Tho, Tra Vinh, or Ca Mau have signed up to compete at the show, up 1,000 people on its last year?s number. They were later divided into three categories according to their age.

Not surprisingly, the B group (for 51- 65-year-olds) outnumbered the rest with 1,743 contestants, while the eldest A group (over 66-year-old) has only 300.

After the first preliminary round which was held from February 13-17, 100 most promising contestants of each category made it to the next round, which will be held at the Ho Chi Minh Conservatory of Music.

Veteran singer and music lecturer Tran Hieu, who judged the show?s first season last year said at this age, contestants often sing better as their life experiences helped them convey their songs more persuasively.

The show is broadcast at 22pm30 every Thursday on the local HTV7.

Canh Dieu Vang 2012 reveals film nominations

The Vietnam Cinema Association on Friday revealed a nomination list for Best Pictures for the national film award Canh Dieu Vang 2012 to be held this March in Hanoi.

Apart from ?Mui co chay? (The smell of burning grass), ?Tam hon me? (The Mother?s Heart) and ?Hot boy noi loan?? (Lost in paradise) which are the early comers, three other Tet movies including ?Le phi tinh yeu? (Fee of love), ?Hello co Ba? and ?Vu dieu duong cong? (The dance of curves) have been signed up to compete for the title.

The 2011 blockbuster ?Long Ruoi? which reaped a box office record of VND 40 billion (USD 2 million) in the domestic market and the controversial action film ?Lenh xoa so? are also among the nominees.

?Do hay day? (Here? or There?), a film which competed for New Currents award at 2011 Busan International Film Festival by overseas Vietnamese director Siu Pham completes the nomination list.

However, newly released films that have caught press and audience attention recently such as ?Thien menh anh hung? (Blood letter) or ?Loi nguyen huyet ngai? (The Curse of Blood Wormwood) are not in the list.

Thus, Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, deputy head of the Vietnam Cinema Association said although the official deadline for film producers to register their works closed on Wednesday, they will wait for more applications to come until early March.

However organizers have yet to unveil their judges? names, saying they were considering a few names and would announce the panel soon.

The event?s official press conference is held on March 1, followed by a film seminar for industry professionals on March 10. Free screenings of nominated movies will also be organized this year, as side activities of the event.

First held in 2003 by the Vietnam Cinema Association, besides big screen movies, Canh Dieu Vang also grant awards to outstanding television dramas, documentaries and scientific documentaries and animations.

The 2012 Canh Dieu Vang Awards will be held at Vietnam ? Russian Cultural Center on March 17 and directed by journalist Trinh Le Van.

Berlin film fest?s director to visit Vietnam

Heinz Hermanns, director of the Berlin International Short Film Festival (Berlin Interfilm Festival), will visit Ho Chi Minh City on his teaching tour to 6 Southeast Asian countries.

Under the plan, Hermanns will arrive in HCMC on February 23 and have a meeting titled ?The Art of Short films? with local media, cineastes, students and filmmakers in the next morning.

The event will also showcase some winning works made by local filmmakers from several short filmmaking contests such as The 48 Hour Film and Yxine.

Born in West Germany, Heinz Hermanns founded the annual Berlin Interfilm Festival in 1982 and has run it ever since. The festival has become one of the biggest short film festivals in the world and the second leading film festival in Germany after the Berlin International Film Festival.

In 1986, Hermanns also headed the Berlin International Documentaries Festival. In 2011, he co-founded and headed the ?Going Underground? super short film festival held in the Berlin subways.

Hermanns has also held workshops on short films in many countries, produced and directed several short films as well as written scripts and articles about short movies in different languages including German, English, Italian and Spanish.

The meeting will take place at 10 am on February 24 at Hoa Sen University at 93 Cao Thang Street in District 3.

Hanoi screens 48h filmmaking contest?s best movies

An outdoor screening featuring best movies from last year?s 48 Hour Film Project international filmmaking contest in Hanoi is taking place in the capital city in 2 days from 6pm today.

The event will showcase 30 short films selected from 100 participating movies of the contest held last October.

The movies include the first prize winner ?The Safe? and other films like ?Late Puzzle,? ?The Patch,? ?Cold,? ?The Precious Ordinary Things,? ?When You Find Nothing At All,? ?Revival and Black Marbles,? ?The 1st Day of Autumn,? and ?Through The Rainbow.?

The winning movie ?Turtle Soup? from Ho Chi Minh City will also be featured at the event.
?Turtle Soup? and ?The Safe? will attend the Filmapolooza 2012, the finale festival for the 2011 48 Hour Film project festivals around the world, to be held on March 2-5 in New Mexico, America.

?A Good Day To Die,? the 2010 festival?s winning entry, was selected to be screened in Cannes in May that year after impressing audiences and experts at the Filmapolooza festival.

Last year?s 48 Hour Film Project, whose jury included America renowned director Phillip Noyce and Vietnamese directors Vinh Son and Nguyen Quang Dung, attracted around 500 young filmmakers in HCMC and Hanoi.

Instituted in the US in 2001 by Mark Ruppert and Liz Langston, the 48 Hour Film Project requires contestants to write, shoot, edit, and complete a short film within two days. It saw the participation of nearly 3,500 shorts in 84 cities around the world in 2010.

The screening is being held at the Pico Mall at 229 Tay Son Street.

Last December, an outdoor screening featuring best movies from the HCMC?s contest also successfully concluded in the city.

Overseas director back with third romantic comedy

The official poster of ?Love puzzle?Chanh Phuong Films and Galaxy Studio have just released the official trailer and pictures of ?Cuoi ngay keo lo? or ?Love puzzle?, the newest work of Vietnamese-American director Charlie Nguyen.

Charlie is most known internationally for his 2007 martial film ?The Rebel?, which was picked up for distribution by The Weinstein Company. It has won audiences and grand jury awards at film festivals and broken box office records in Vietnam.

?Love puzzle?, Charlie?s third rom-com after ?The Rebel?, is expected to surpass the box office records of his earlier movies like ?De mai tinh? (Fool for love) or the 2011 blockbuster ?Long Ruoi?, which reaped USD 2 million in the domestic market.

The film features an all-star cast including Charlie?s brother, actor and producer Johnny Tri Nguyen, model and actress Dinh Ngoc Diep and the sensational comedian Thai Hoa.

Hoa is a theatre actor and director who rose to national fame after portraying Huong Hoi, a rich homosexual businessman in ?Fool for love?. It earned him the leading role in the subsequent movie ?Long Ruoi?.

?Love puzzle? tells the love story of Khanh Linh, a young and successful fashion editor with Son, 30-year-old handsome photographer, also a womanizer and Bich Tram, a flamboyant stylist played by Hoa.

The film secures a top production team including director of cinematography Trinh Hoan, music composer Christopher Wong and designer Tran Trung Linh.

It is scheduled to hit nationwide screens on April 20.

Hanoi exhibits Vietnamese landscapes by Polish artist

An exhibition of Vietnamese landscape paintings organised by the Embassy of Poland in Vietnam will be held in Hanoi from March 3-10.

Painter Franciszek Ryszard Mazurek will exhibit 33 landscape paintings that will portray the beauty of Vietnam, a country he travelled through in October 2011.

Franciszek was born in 1951 and graduated in fine arts from the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun. Since 1979 he has held more than 30 solo exhibitions in Poland, Ukraine, Germany, France, United Arab Emirates, Moldavia, Romania and Belgium and participated in more than 11 group exhibitions in Poland, Italy, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Russia, Romania and Hungary.

His works present an awareness of irreversible change in nature?s rhythm and in civilization. They preserve and hold on to the characteristics of a particular place in an ever changing landscape.
The exhibition will be on view at Exhibition House, 29 Hang Bai Street, Hanoi

Eclectic Australian band to perform in northern Vietnam

The Australian band, Visions of A Nomad, will be performing in Hanoi on February 23 and 24.

The concerts are part of Australian Culture and Education Week (February 17-25), a series of events organized by the Australian Embassy in Hanoi.

Vision of A Nomad ?likes to make music with ?substance,? a cohesion of art and music accessible to the masses, covering all genres and drawing on all the world?s musical influences,? according to the band?s website.

In 1990, Michael Cuming founded the group, seeking to fuse old and new traditions to form a new genre. The group?s highly original repertoire, accompanied by the didgeridoo, is energetic and evocative.

During the trip to Hanoi, Vision of A Nomad will perform at the University of Foreign Trade and the University of Commerce on February 23 and 24 respectively. Admission is free.

Vietnam archeology conference set for Hanoi

The Goethe-Institut Hanoi will host an international scientific conference from February 29th until March 2 focusing on preparations for an archaeological exhibition on the Thang Long citadel in Germany.

An archaological exhibition on the city of Thang Long?s early days will take place in Germany in 2014-2015 as the first exhibition of artifacts from the country?s 1,000 year-old capital (now Hanoi) outside Vietnam.

The Goethe conference will host 20 lectures and will give an overview of Vietnam?s rich culture, ranging from the Stone Age, Dong Son culture as well as the current research on the citadel of Thang Long.
During this conference, famous experts will also comment on a number of archaeological as well as historical questions from various fields.

For more detail, contact Mrs. Daniela Schrudde at vietnam2014@hotmail.de

Source: http://talkvietnam.com/2012/02/art-entertainment-202/

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