A Vietnamese film festival and photography exhibition introducing the nation and people of Vietnam were held in Film City centre in Noida city of India’s Uttar Pradesh state during August 30-31, as part of the celebrations of the 73rd National Day.
The event drew hundreds of audience members, notably including Vietnamese Ambassador to India Ton Sinh Thanh and India’s President of the International Chamber of Media and Entertainment (ICME) Sandeep Marwah.
Addressing the opening of the event, Ambassador Thanh said that the film festival and photo exhibition were taking place in the context of strong growth across many fields in the Vietnam-India relationship, especially after ties were raised to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Bilateral cooperation in culture has also received adequate attention, he noted.
The diplomat said that through this event, Vietnam excellently displayed the pressing themes of national integration and development, drawing attention to Vietnamese trade villages, festivals, cuisine, cultural heritage, and overall beauty.
A series of famous Vietnamese films, many of which have received domestic and international awards, were screened, giving Indian audiences a deeper understanding of the nation and people of Vietnam, in turn fostering the long-standing friendship between the two nations over the past 46 years.
Thanh affirmed that cultural exchange plays a significant role in strengthening mutual understanding among people of both nations, expressing his belief that the event will be a good start for further cooperation in film production between the two countries.
Speaking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents in New Delhi on the sidelines of the event, ICMEI President Sandeep Marwah said that the chamber had previously held a Vietnam-India film festival and will work harder to strengthen cooperation in the field.
He said that India, proud owners of the world’s largest film sector, has strived to access markets in all countries around the world.
Next month, he and an Indian delegation will join a Vietnamese film festival as part of efforts to strengthen cultural partnership.
ICMEI is a group of media and entertainment enterprises from India and many other countries. According to the chamber, India’s media and entertainment sector earns over 1 trillion rupee (about 14.1 billion USD) each year, with growth of around 12.5 percent year-on-year.
A report from the PHD Chamber and BnBNation of India said their cinema sector will enjoy a revenue of 238 billion rupee (about 3.35 billion USD) in 2020. India’s film industry, often referred to as Bollywood, is the biggest in the world, producing some 1,500-2,000 films each year. –VNA/VNP
