Ha Noi (VNA) - Viet Nam's nascent film industry has been given a shot in the arm by the US Ford Foundation, which is stumping up 350,000 USD for a new film studies course at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities in Ha Noi.
The goal of the 10-month programme, which is now in its third year, is to bring international filmmaking standards to Viet Nam.
To get on the course, students (who must be graduates) must pass a rigorous entrance exam. In addition, they must submit examples of their work to a selection panel and pass an interview.
The course, which will have about 20 students, has five full-time lecturers - all with a proven track record in filmmaking. They are: Dang Nhat Minh, Pham Nhue Giang, Doan Minh Tuan, Ngo Tu Lap, Phan Dang Di and Dr Dean Wilson.
Aside from general filmmaking skills, the course focuses heavily on improving script-writing skills, and even carries the slogan: writing to learn and learning to write.
Another important part of the course is networking - particularly in East Asia.
Helping to bring an international element to the course, Thai director Aprichatpong Weerasekathul (who won two prizes at the Cannes film festival), Phoebe Huang from Chinese Taipei (a leading journalist and top screen writer), and Park Kwangsu (director of the Pusan Asian Film Market and chairman of the Pusan Film Commission) will also be involved in lecturing course students for a month.
Students will also have access to the latest filmmaking equipment and a modern multi-media library.
The course is full-time, and the best graduates will get the chance to win scholarships to study in the US.-Enditem
|
|