At the event, 600 students of the High School for the Gifted and students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, along with many audiences outside the school, had a meaningful meeting and exchange with Director Bui Thac Chuyen, a creative director whose name is associated with many famous films, most recently the film Tunnels: Sun in the Dark. The discussion and exchange also had the participation of veteran teachers - living witnesses of the resistance war against the US; teachers from the Faculty of Literature, the Faculty of History, the High School for the Gifted of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and teachers from the University of Theatre and Cinema in Hanoi. In particular, the discussion was also welcomed by Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, along with leaders from the Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Education and Training.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Secretary of the Youth Union - Student Association of the University - Dr. Duong Tat Thanh - emphasized that the discussion was an extremely meaningful event, aiming to connect the young generation of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities with the generations of fathers and grandfathers who did not hesitate to sacrifice their blood and bones for a peaceful and unified future of Vietnam.
The short film introducing the excellent works of Director Bui Thac Chuyen and the trailer of the film "Tunnel - Sun in the Dark" have given the audience a fairly complete picture of one of the most creative directors of Vietnamese cinema.
With a natural, engaging and intellectual presentation style, Associate Professor Dr. Hoang Cam Giang, Head of the Department of Art Studies, gave Director Bui Thac Chuyen the opportunity to share his touching stories about the journey to find “The Sun in the Dark”; and for speakers GVC. Tran Hinh and Associate Professor Dr. Pham Gia Lam to share their insights and thorough assessments of the film.
“Cu Chi chose me, that topic chose me. I was lucky to be chosen, so I have to try my best to do...”
That was the Director's sincere confession when asked: Why did you choose Cu Chi Tunnels as the subject for your latest work? He confided: “The resistance war for national liberation and reunification of the Vietnamese people and the post-war life had many miracles that artists like us only hope to be able to recreate a part of. From the first days of knowing the story of the steel land of Cu Chi, I was strongly attracted. I have cherished this topic since 2014, in 2016 I finished writing the script, and started looking for a way to make it happen. It was an extremely arduous process, even with crisis and depression, but I was always haunted by a thought, it seemed that Cu Chi Tunnels had chosen me and I had to do it. And I did it with all my love and admiration for the unknown but great people who lived and fought in the dark and stuffy underground but shone with bravery and tenacity. The journey to complete the film was also the journey for me to heal myself.”
Director Bui Thac Chuyen said: many names of characters in the film such as Bay Theo, Tu Dap, Luc Tac, Ba Hieu... were inspired by him or are also the real names of the guerrillas who sacrificed. He said: "The film is like a way for Vietnamese people today to always remember them - the heroes of a heroic nation".
For researcher Tran Hinh, "Tunnels - the sun in the dark" has brought a new slice, by recreating one of the most fierce wars of the nation, under the tunnels, with a hauntingly realistic depiction. He emphasized: "It can be seen that director Bui Thac Chuyen has taken a separate path when making films about war. He did not choose to make a film with a heroic and heroic tone, with the main character converging all the noble elements to make the audience cry when they leave. He chose to make a film in the style of a documentary - a slice of life, with a meticulous and thorough description of the life and fighting of the guerrilla team under the Cu Chi tunnels, and above all, with love and pride for the Vietnamese people. "Tunnels are people's war" is an important message that director Bui Thac Chuyen incorporated through the proud departure of a rather important character in the story's chain".
Although he had already seen the film, when watching the excerpt of the film again in the cozy space of the hall of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Associate Professor Dr. Pham Gia Lam - a veteran, an expert on war literature and cinema - could not help but be moved: "There are bombs falling, bullets exploding, there are sacrifices and deaths, but the film does not bring any tragic emotions but is an epic about the comradeship, love and desire to live of the soldiers, but above all, the spirit of sacrifice for the Fatherland. It has the effect of purifying the soul, touching the hearts of the audience. Watching the film, we cannot help but feel sympathy and admiration for the very ordinary people, the heroes and also feel that the peace, freedom and independence we enjoy today have been exchanged for the blood and sacrifice of many generations".
He added: Bui Thac Chuyen chose to make the film in a post-cinematic style with a plot without a climax, without a main character, and a combination of many genres... The film may therefore be difficult to follow for some audiences who are used to the traditional Hollywood film style, but it is a valuable creation. The way the characters are created is very delicate, the camera angles are very smart, especially in life-and-death situations, creating very strong artistic emotions, making the viewer immersed in a realistic, haunting cinematic experience, both tragic and heroic. The characters are built with the most genuine, natural and life-like emotions, but still depict the theme and message of the whole film.
“Tunnels - Sun in the Dark” inspires and connects the young generation with the heroic history of the nation
That is the desire that urged Director Bui Thac Chuyen to complete the film with all his love and passion, and it is also the feeling that the young people shared at the Discussion.
Phuong Anh – a first-year student majoring in Cinema & Popular Arts, shared that the experience of watching the movie at the theater, then listening to the teachers analyze the movie, and especially today listening to the director's confession, she truly felt that The Tunnels had "touched" her own strong emotions, allowing her to fully feel the power and beauty of war cinema.
Feeling the film in a very unique way, Hai Anh - a blind student of the Institute of Journalism and Communication shared: "The film has brought me deep emotions about a historical site and the heroic struggle of the nation. I hope that director Bui Thac Chuyen as well as many Vietnamese film directors can also have some form of transmission so that a disabled person like me and 7 million other disabled people can feel more fully Vietnamese cinematographic works."
Phuong Chi, another blind student from the Faculty of Literature, shared that she really likes watching historical films, such as “17th Parallel Day and Night”, “The Ringed Bird”, “When Will October Come”… When “Tunnels” came, the film gave her a very different feeling, gentle, simple, yet profound and vivid. Watching the film, the audience felt their hearts tighten, to the point of suffocation when witnessing scenes of sawing bombs, or the stuffy atmosphere in the narrow, flooded tunnels that were ready to collapse at any moment. The narrow and dark underground of the tunnels became a fierce battlefield, but there was always a burning flame of loyalty from patriotic hearts. I watched the film 3 times and every time I cried.”
The presence of a large number of students, the hall with more than 600 seats of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities was full, with the sharing and feelings about the film brought director Bui Thac Chuyen deep emotions. Director Bui Thac Chuyen shared: “I really did not imagine that the film would be received so well by young people. And I must say that I was very moved. Listening to your sharing made me very surprised, because you understand, really understand the history and a very deep artistic emotion. I believe that with this support, it will be a great encouragement for me personally and filmmakers to continue to seek good topics, new ways of expression, to bring Vietnamese cinema to develop more and more”.
The success of the discussion was not simply introducing a film about war, but also creating a strong emotional bridge, linking the arduous but heroic fighting memories of the previous generation with the hearts and deep awareness of the value of peace of today's young generation, inspiring a desire to create and contribute.
The event is one of many meaningful activities on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country on April 30, 1975. This is also one of the activities that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the Faculty of Literature, and the Department of Art Studies pay great attention to and regularly organize to create an academic forum for students to meet experts with in-depth analysis of the film industry and contemporary art; listen to direct sharing from producers to have a clearer picture of the career they will pursue in the future.
>>>>>>> Press reported:
People's Newspaper:The film "Tunnels" and the re-enactment of war memories in contemporary cinema
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