THE VIETNAMESE CINEMA 

By Annemieke Rodenburg

During the National Art Exhibition in 1951, President Ho Chi Minh urged
artists, writers, and film-makers to use their art as a weapon in the
struggle for independence. Ho Chi Minh was very aware of the strength of
film as an instrument in his propaganda policy, the number of people he
could reach,and the impact film could have on the population.
In North Vietnam film was used in the battle against the French and the
Americans, in the South against communism. Only after the departure of the
American army in 1975 did Vietnamese film really have chance to develop
itself artistically. And since 'Doi Moi' (the politics of reform in 1986),
he Vietnamese film has been given more liberty in chosing topics and
contents, although some subjects (violence, sex, and politics) must still
be avoided.
The Vietnamese Cinema can be divided in four periods:

1945-1954: THE RESISTANCE TO FRANCE
This period produced mainly war documentaries, dealing with military
activities, the battlefield, the heroic victory, and food transportation to
the front. These documentaries are now of historical value. In spite of the
technical failures, these propaganda films had a great influence on raising
the fightinh spirit of the Vietnamese people.

1954-1975: THE SEPARATION OF VIETNAM
In this period North Vietnam mainly produced revolutionary films. Every
film had to be a weapon for the revolution and had to carry the message of
social realism and represent the national spirit. The theme (again) was
war. Most films were not successful as they were too shallow and too
dogmatic. When it was all said and done they were not meant to entertain
the public.
At the same time, South Vietnam was producing commercial films, following
the example of Hong Kong.

1975-1987: THE POST-WAR CINEMA
New genres and themes were developed. The choice of social themes, such as
daily life during and after the war, was striking. More attention was paid
to the character's psychological developments. There was also a growing
interest in the form aspects of film. For the first time film was used as a
medium for emotional and artistic expression.

1987-PRESENT: THE CONTEMPORARY CINEMA
The Vietnamese governement now only subsidizes four films a year, therefore
the principal motive behind the contemporary cinema is to make a profit.
The film productions must be as economical as possible. These factors, in
combination with the unremitting censorship of the contents (no violence,
sex, or political criticism), the Vietnamese contemporary cinema seems to
be deadlocked.

In spite of these circumstances, a small group of Vietnamese film-makers is
doing its utmost to upgrade the artistic level of the Vietnamese cinema. In
1993 ten films were selected and shown in various cinemas in the
Netherlands as part of the Vietnam Festival which was organized by the Gate
Foundation in co-operation with the Medisch Comit‚e Nederland-Vietnam. The
organizers of the Hamburg Film Festival (Germany) were impressed by these
films and showed them at their festival in September 1994.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILMS SHOWN DURING THE VIETNAM FESTIVAL 1993 CAN
BE REQUESTED AT THE GATE FOUNDATION.