UK film section - Imagine: Theatre of war – A film by BBC
An exciting gathering for Vietnamese doc-heads that turns nine this year, the European-Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival (organised by European Union National Institutes for Culture in partnership with the National Studio for Documentary and Scientific Film) returns this year from 8 to 16 June, in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
The European-Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival 2018 is a free – entrance event and open to the public. No registration is required.
As part of the festival, the British Council is pleased to present the Vietnam premieres for the BBC-produced Imagine: Theatre of war (Grierson Awards 2013’s Best Arts Documentary nominee).Imagine: Theatre of war
Director – Chris Terrill
Duration: 89 minutes
Languages – English, with Vietnamese subtitles
Hanoi
11 June 2018 – 19.00
National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio
465 Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Tay Ho District
Ho Chi Minh City
11 June 2013 – 19.00
Hoa Sen University
8 Nguyen Van Trang, District 1
From rehearsal room to triumphant performance, Theatre of war follows the extraordinary theatrical production of The Two Worlds of Charlie F. Professional front-line soldiers, all of whom have sustained injury ranging from amputation to post-traumatic stress, join forces with a professional theatre company to help write, rehearse and perform a play based on their experiences of war in the killing fields of Afghanistan. What happened when they swapped the theatre of war for the London stage?
“A wonderful film that concentrated on the process of creation as much as on the soldiers' stories and in doing so protected the dignity of everyone involved. Instead of taking the easy, emotionally manipulative route, it invited us in to wonder at the power of human beings to transform and transcend their suffering, and at the power and the refuge offered by art.” (The Guardian)
“How do you drag the shattered bone, flesh and pain of Afghanistan into a world untouched by the carnage of war? [The film] followed a group of ex-soldiers as they struggled to cope with dress rehearsals, angry producers and bodies and minds that had been smashed hard by Taliban IEDs.” (Disability Arts Online)
More information about the festival and list of films from other countries can be found at Brochure European-Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival 2018
Note: Regarding the decision number 113/QD-DA of the Cinema Department on the introduction of foreign movies to Vietnam, Imagine:Theatre of War is labelled C16 – Persons under the age 16 will not be admitted
The British Council has been working with Vietnam since 1993. In 2018, we are marking this 25th anniversary with a series of events celebrating cultural relations and exchange between the UK and Vietnam.