Cinemagoers will have a chance to understand more about Vietnamese soldiers’ life, their concerns and inner feelings when the wars are over but the mental and physical wounds remain.
The screenings are part of the celebrations of the 78th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam People’s Army and 33rd anniversary of the National Defence Day (December 22). It is organised by the People’s Army Cinema and Cinema Department, in collaboration with many state film production units.
The week aims to express gratitude and honour the glorious history and the tradition of patriotism of the Vietnam People’s Army.
The series of movies will be shown at either 2pm or 8pm from December 18-21 at Ly Nam De Cinema, located on No.17 Ly Nam De street, Hoan Kiem district.
Binh Minh Do (Red Dawn) by directors Nguyen Thanh Van and Tran Chi Thanh will open the event at 8pm on December 18. The film, produced by the Vietnam Film Association, won the 22nd Vietnam Film Festival jury award in Hue city in 2021.
Film shown in the following days include Dung Dot (Don’t Burn) by internationally-famed director Dang Nhat Minh, Truyen Thuyet Ve Quan Tien (The Legend of Quan Tien) by director Dinh Tuan Vu, Nhung Nguoi Viet Huyen Thoai (The Legend Makers) by director Bui Tuan Dung, Mui Co Chay (The Scent of Burning Grass) by director Nguyen Huu Muoi, Linh Chien (Soldiers) by director Nguyen Manh Ha and Nguoi Tro Ve (The Returner) by director Dang Thai Huyen.
Among them, Soldiers and The Returner share the same theme of soldiers in peacetime. The first is the story about the friendship and comradeship of soldiers from wartime to peacetime, implying many valuable lessons to the young generation. The second tells about the life of a female soldier returning from the war facing many difficulties.
All the veterans depicted in both films reveal their concerns and confidants when the war is over, but their mental and physical wounds remain forever.
The rest of the series are all set in the years of the American war in Vietnam, told through the perspective of women.
Specifically, Red Dawn reflects the view of the first female truck drivers to transfer arms, food and medicines to battlefields along the Truong Son Trail during the Tet Offensive Campaign in 1968.
Meanwhile, Don’t Burn is adapted from the war diary of female doctor-martyr Dang Thuy Tram, which she wrote from 1968 until two days before sacrificing in 1970, and The Legend of Quan Tien are the narratives of three beautiful young female militias who are torn between mission and instinct, patriotism and personal affection, sacrifice and personal life.
Both exploiting the theme of soldiers in the brutal 1960s, The Legend Makers reveals the numerous hardships and dangers that Vietnamese soldiers had to overcome to build an oil pipeline all the way from the north to supply the fighters in the south, and The Scent of Burning Grass weaves together the diaries and memories of North Vietnamese soldiers who fought in the ferocious 1972 battle of Quang Tri.
The film week is open for free. Ly Nam De Cinema has a capacity of 210 people and will accept guests until all seats are occupied.
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