The British Council in Viet Nam is pleased to introduce Dust & Metal, a creative documentary feature film by British director Esther Johnson, produced by Johnson and Live Cinema UK and funded by the British Council.
Created by a unique partnership between Hanoi-based Vietnam Film Institute, and TPD: The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents, Dust & Metal has participated in many international film festivals, after a successful UK premiere at Sheffield Docfest in 2022. The Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city events are the two first cine-concerts with Xo Xinh’s live performance in Viet Nam this October and also part of the British Council’s UK/Viet Nam Season 2023, which commemorates 50 years of diplomatic relations between the UK and Viet Nam and the 30th anniversary of the British Council’s presence in Viet Nam.
Donna McGowan, Director Viet Nam, British Council, said: ‘The British Council is excited to continue to contribute to the development of Viet Nam’s arts and culture by bringing together the most accomplished creative leaders from both countries, to co-create innovative and thought-provoking projects across our two themes of Climate and the Environment and Shared Heritage. . The UK/ Viet Nam Season offers a platform for cultural exchange and creative collaborations and provides a foundation for the creation of lasting partnerships for long-term impact and mutual benefit.’
Presenting stories of ‘freedom’ in Viet Nam’s past and present, told through the lens of the country’s ubiquitous mode of transport: the motorbike, Dust & Metal celebrates, and shares UK-Viet Nam cultural heritage while presenting to the audience a unique archive work illuminating a history of the country. The script integrates extracts from oral history interviews Johnson made with eminent Vietnamese filmmaker Trần Văn Thủy; and with visual artist Đặng Ái Việt. The sound design is by Nhung Nguyen, a Hanoi-based artist.
With a population of almost 99 million people, and 45 million registered motorbikes (amongst the highest in Southeast Asia) that’s almost one bike for every two people. The country’s urban roads are awash with the transportation of goods of all types and sizes on the back of motorbikes, including washing machines, entire families, and chickens. The sounds of engines and horns create a symphony of Vietnamese life. A symbol of Viet Nam and its history, motorbikes encompass notions of work, class, travel, technology, and escape.
Looking back at history, in the 1960-1970s, motorbikes replaced the mass bicycle use - which was crucial for the transportation of supplies during the war in Viet Nam to become the transport of choice nowadays. At present, the country’s urban roads are filled with various forms of two-wheel vehicles which help the people to navigate the “hẻm” alleys that are too narrow for cars. With urban planners aiming to ban petrol/diesel motorbikes by 2030, the waves of traffic of today will become the past.
Details of Dust & Metal cine-concerts in Viet Nam:
Hanoi
20:00 - October 17, 2023
Nguy Nhu Kon Tum Auditorium – 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
Link for registration here
Ho Chi Minh City
19:30 - October 20, 2023
Nam Thi House, 152 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC
Link for registration here