HANDICAM AESTHETICS: A screening from Quỳnh Chi

Featuring works by Maya Deren, Charles Henri Ford, Haile Gerima, Jonas Mekas, Carrie Mae Weems

When it comes to experimental films, the unique genre of ‘handicam’ cannot be overlooked—the technique that originated the American avant-garde film. ‘Handicam’ is an immediate, personal and intimate medium; but the early applications of the device produced footage that transcends space-time. The series of six experimental films ‘handicam’ introduces viewers to theoretical practices, examining the use of handheld camcorders as a tool to capture memories, and to link spirituality with reality.

OUT THERE AND UP HERE: A screening from Nguyễn Vũ Trụ and Dan Nguyễn

A video series from Đan Nguyễn and Nguyễn Vũ Trụ

Out There: Dan’s documentary/reportal video series about local Skate Scene culture.

Up There: Dream Series by Nguyễn Vũ Trụ invites the audience to travel deep into the subconscious of a Vietnamese artist born in the internet age.

Youth is a time for passions and hopes to blossom. Youth is the time for new discoveries, rebellion and daring. Youth is also a time for doubts and worries to be resolved.

Dan, a skate filmmaker, and Universe, an experimental artist, may differ in their shooting methods in their own practices. But they all have a common feature in describing and building the worldview through the lens of youth.

Whether it’s the interactions of skaters in daily life skating in or the abstract thoughts of a young artist wandering on Instagram. We hope the audience will have a new perspective on what young people are seeing and caring about in recent years.

THERE ARE  SITUATIONS THAT MAKE US FORGET ABOUT THE CONDITION: A screening from Vũ Đức Toàn 

Featuring works by Sapphire Hồng Sen, Quỳnh Đông, Nguyễn Văn Thuỷ, Phụ Lục, 500 brothers from IN:ACT 2022 Bến Ngọc Thuỵ, Vũ Đức Toàn

A collection of video documentations of some artists’ performances or some (un)published video elements of art projects.

POETIC REALITIES – A SERIES OF SHORT DOCUMENTARIES: A screening from Hà Lan 

Featuring works by Phạm Thị Hảo, Nguyễn Phương Thảo, Nguyễn Hồng Quân, Nguyễn Duy Anh, Linh San, Đỗ Hà Lan

Is reality singular? Or, are there separate worlds within a shared reality? How are they parallel and contradictory?

We live together in a common reality, regulated by societal norms and chronic habits. But, documentaries have the magical ability to lead viewers to countless private spaces, where we can see reality through the personal and poetic lenses of the artist. On the silver screen, the line between what is “real” and what is “poetic” start to blurs, blends and overlaps.

Poetic Realities – A series of short Vietnamese Documentaries is an invitation, opening the way to colorful shards of reality – over 10 works by 6 talented Vietnamese filmmakers. With the theme of two screenings, respectively, Me – Them, the series transverse from internal worlds, expands outwards to vast external scenes, all the while retaining the unique and close perspective of the artist.

ALMOST PERSONAL (SOME SHORT, THEN VERY SHORT CHAPTERS) –VIDEOS AND FILMS BY Städelschule STUDENTS: A screening from Nguyễn Thuỷ Tiên

Featuring works by Dudu Quintanilha, Kim Hee Jae, Alicja Wysocka, Wei Yang, Gasper Kunsic, Juliet Carpenter, Valentin Noujaim, Vera Varlamova, Nooshin Askari, Amalie Lorentzen

The first screening of Almost Personal (some short, then very short chapters) called No Deckel, at a small, quiet and familiar bar in Frankfurt, is a series of very short debut films by my friends that they only showed for a few times before or never showed because of their shyness. 

Almost Personal (some short, then very short chapters) is a slightly more grown-up version of No Deckel, including films by my 10 artist friends that I love and adore very much. To me, their films all have very personal elements, very individualistic yet sometimes foreign ways of expression. This series of films has debut films, and many films I saw at their graduation exhibitions. I hope that the screening also sends back to everyone something both almost vague but nearly defined like the way I love my friends. 

A COLLECTION OF SHORT FILMS BY STUDENTS FROM HANOI ACADEMY OF THEATRE AND CINEMA: A screening from Nguyễn Hồng Quân

Featuring works by Nguyễn Phạm Thành Đạt, Trần Thị Hà Trang, Phạm Quang Linh, Trần Hoàng Hà, Đào Thu Uyên

A series of 5 short films from graduates/undergraduates at Hanoi University of Theater and Cinema, produced in the last 4 years (2019 – 2023)

HÀ NỘI COMPILATION – 35: A screening from a blur cinema 

Featuring works from a blur cinema

The childhood world has faded, why the longing look back.

A SERIES OF SPECIAL VIETNAMESE MUSIC VIDEOS FROM LATE 1990S TO EARLY 2000S SELECTED BY VJ VUDIEUNONGSAY (HOA QUỲNH CINEMA)

Set 1: Flower Floor Bud Floor (“Children’s songs from HCM CIty’s Youth Musical Performing Team” – “Những ca khúc thiếu nhi từ đội ca múa nhà thiếu nhi thành phố Hồ Chí Minh”)

Rắc rối – Diễm Quyên / Vì bé ngoan – Anh Tuấn / Ông trăng ơi – Xuân An / Em tập đàn – Tốp Ca / Bố là tất cả – Duy Uyên / Chiếc đồng hồ – Tóc Tiên / Đừng quấy rầy tôi – Tốp ca / Khúc nhạc vui – Nhóm Mắt Ngọc

Set 2: Love Fruit – Love Machine – V-pop Y2K

Vô Tình – nhóm Mắt Ngọc / Giận hờn – Minh Thuận /  Ai Ai Ai – Mây Trắng / Sài gòn cô tiên năm 2000 – Phương Thanh, Hoàng Kim, Tam ca Áo Trắng / Trái thơm tình yêu / Cỗ máy tình yêu – Mắt Ngọc / Thế giới trò chơi – NTV Virus / Ngày gió và cánh diều – Trio666

IT’S JUST MOSQUITOES! A screening from Linh Lê

Featuring works by Trương Công Tùng, Lê Hoàng Phương Linh, VTV2, Chaindrite, Kênh Thiếu Nhi – BH Media

Despite having a smaller body and brain size compared to other animals, insects have always been considered a threat to the lives of other inhabitants, including humans. They became a fear that is named — entomophobia or the feeling of insecurity one sees or thinks about. People are always inventing new technologies to kill or avoid insects. Many types of insects are also used as metaphors, most of which have negative and pejorative connotations such as mosquitoes – trifles, flies – bullshit, or bees, butterflies – playboys, flirting with women.

IT’S JUST MOSQUITOES! series was a crude attempt to recreate a time in a TV show’s schedule when the plot revolved around insects.

LABYRINTHE AND FAIRYLAND 

A screening by Đỗ Văn Hoàng and Síu Phạm

Featuring works by Síu Phạm, Jean-Luc Mello, Đỗ Văn Hoàng, Nguyễn Phương Linh

Having observed the prolapsing hinges of time, one day, the artists stepped in and ventured. On and on they went, sharing no particular destination, but they all came to realise that it was a maze they were travelling through, and it was exactly what the divine Nghệ has promised about paradise.

This paradise was not blissful but strenuous, and all there was were the promises of a faraway elysium. The turns they went through only opened up to boundless immensity, just like the labyrinth game of the childhood days, and the reward is happiness at the end of the road – escape.

Happiness has escaped.

A series of animations from Soviet/Russia by Yuri Norstein and Francheska Yarbusova: A (pop-up) screening from Lê Xuân Tiến

There were supposed to be only 10 screenings planned for the mini moving image week: Tương tương ngộ ngộ cá kho tộ, ngộ ngộ tương tương đậu kho tương. However, on the second day of the week, Lê Xuân Tiến decided to arrange another screening taking place on the second to last day of the week, inviting friends near and far to come and enjoy the series of animations by a Soviet/Russian couple: director Yuri Norstein and art director Francheska Yarbusova.