HÀ NỘI — Viet Nam Film Week will take place at the Expo 2020 Dubai from December 30, 2021, to January 5, 2022, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

This is an event to celebrate Viet Nam Day (December 30) within the framework of the exhibition.

The film week is directed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and is implemented by Department of International Co-operation, Department of Cinema, Vietnam Association for Cinema Promotion and Development, Netflix, Inc. and some Vietnamese film enterprises.

The main events of the film week include screenings of selected films of Vietnamese cinema, outdoor film screenings combining ao dai (traditional costumes of Viet Nam) and ethnic music performances, artist exchanges with audiences, visiting the Viet Nam Exhibition House for moviegoers, and visiting the EXPO complex for delegates and guests of the organising board.

Vietnam Film Week Expo 2020 Dubai aims to introduce to the international public the unique works of Vietnamese cinema; promoting the modernity and rich national identity of the Vietnamese film industry; creating opportunities to introduce, contact and exchange between artists, filmmakers and audiences, contributing to understanding the needs and opportunities of cooperation in the field of cinema with potential international partners.

The film week introduces the country and people of Viet Nam with diverse cultural features.

This international event also promotes Viet Nam as a peace-loving, stable country with open policies, a safe, friendly tourist destination, rich in opportunities and potential for foreign investors; conveying the message that Viet Nam holds many opportunities for cooperation and development.

Films are shown at two main venues in the EXPO 2020 Dubai complex, including the Terra Auditorium with up to 200 seats and the Dubai Millennium Amphitheater with over 1,000 seats.

The opening ceremony of Film Week will take place on December 30, 2021.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the selection criteria are unique and humane films of Vietnamese cinema, produced within the last five years.

In addition, the selected film must also have content consistent with the general theme of Expo 2020 Dubai which is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.

Films shown at Expo 2020 should not have sensitive topics about politics, sovereignty, defence - security, religion; no content that conflicts with the cultural values, religion, lifestyle and laws of the UAE; and meet other specific criteria of the licensing authorities in the UAE.

The organisers will select 5-7 films which will be subtitled in English and Arabic to send for evaluation in the UAE.

The organisers also plan to invite two delegates who are directors/artists with films to attend Film Week and representatives of related associations.

The World Expo is a long-standing event that dates back to the 19th century and is considered one of the three biggest events on the planet, along with the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

About 200 countries and international organisations are expected to join the Expo 2020.

Held once every five years, this is the first-ever World Expo to be held in the Middle-East, Africa, and South Asia region since its inception in 1851.

This year, the activities of the Viet Nam Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai will focus on the theme of “Viet Nam - Distilling the Past, Shaping the future”. VNS