Hanoi (VNA)𝓡 – The UNESCO, in coordination with Canadian and Swiss Embassies in Vietnam as well as cultural-creative spaces such as Hanoi Grapevine and O Kia Hanoi, will hold the webinar “IN HER VOICE” in October to discuss measures to promote gender equality and support for female filmmakers in Vietnam.

IN HER VOICE is part of the “E-MOTIONS project: Mobilising film professionals for regional cooperation”, which is being conducted by UNESCO and cooperative partners with the support from the Trust Fund of Japan. The project aims to enhance the capacity and empowerment of filmmakers, as well as organise activities to connect domestic ones with their peers in the region. The event is to analyse and discuss the opportunities and challenges of female filmmakers in the film industry. It will also allow them to share stories about their journeys to international film festivals, gain access to cinema support funds, and give priority prizes for female filmmakers. The webinar is expected to see the participation of filmmakers and experts at home and abroad. Director Nhue Giang, producer and director Nguyen Hoang Diep and director Thanh Van will represent Vietnam at the event. International speakers at the webinar will include Yoonhyun Jeon - an education expert from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), filmmaker Anne Koizumi - a member of the National Film Board of Canada, and Swiss director and writer Petra Volpe. Women are inherently a minority in the film industry, especially in Vietnam. In the framework of the previous E-Motions project, Vietnamese-American director Kathy Uyen, who directed the movie “Chi Chi Em Em” (Sister Sister), talked about the pressure she endured and the difficulties she faced during the production of the film. “I can confirm that there was still some doubt in their eyes. They weren't sure if a former actor, now director, could convey the message of the film well.” Kathy said. Speaker and director Nguyen Hoang Diep once questioned the artistic director of the Critics Week at the Venice Film Festival because she suspected that her movie “Dap canh giua khong trung” (Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere) was chosen because she was female director. Her films always have a female character as the lead who has a strong advantage over men. "I have always thought that filmmaking has never been easy for anyone, whether female, male or LGBT people. But it's true that female filmmakers usually meet many difficulties and challenges,” Diep said. Vietnamese movie lovers are familiar with the “Thung lung hoang vang” (The Deserted Valley) and “Tam hon me” (Mother's Soul) by director Pham Nhue Giang. Insiders said that although the subject of Giang’s films is thorny, there is always gentleness, coolness and femininity in her works. Meanwhile, speakers from Canada, Switzerland, and the Republic of Korea, who are working in various positions such as writers, directors, and members of national film councils, are expected to share their diverse perspectives on the film industry in general, as well as the difficulties that female filmmakers in particular have to face. The event will be held online via the Zoom application. Participants can register at the link: //bit.ly/2ZqltdM. Registration will close on Friday, October 15, 2021. The discussion will take place from 14:00 to 15:30 on October 19, 2021. The project E-MOTIONS is being implemented by UNESCO within the framework of promoting the Convention 2005 Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. This project aims to promote Vietnamese film professionals and the development of the domestic film sector. In parallel to country-specific activities, the project forms support a network of filmmakers and film professionals across Southeast Asia in order to encourage peer-to-peer learning. It will focus on Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia to vitalise the region’s cinematic expressions as a whole./.