UK International Arts Festival to Screen Films About Vietnam

RIAF 2024 takes place from 28 June to 28 July in the historic town of Ruthin in North Wales, bringing together artists, poets, directors and creators from over 40 countries. The festival showcases contemporary performance, installation, sound, film, theatre, poetry, literature and social engagement.

Themed “Elsewhere”, the event highlights cultural diversity and human connection with live performances by over 50 international artists, film screenings, poetry readings, art exhibitions and workshops. In particular, RIAF 2024 creates an open art space, connecting artists with viewers through art experiences with the participation of local people and festival attendees.

RIAF 2024 selected “Once upon a bridge in Vietnam” to screen at the recommendation of Goldsmiths, University of London, after the film made an impression at its screening at the university last year. Before coming to the UK, the film premiered at prestigious American universities such as Harvard and Columbia and won the award for Best Short Documentary at the 2022 Los Angeles Film Awards.

Director François Bibonne shared that he felt fortunate that the film was introduced at an international film festival in the UK, which was an opportunity for the director to connect with British audiences as well as British and international artists, and at the same time introduce Vietnam and its national cultural identity to the world through music - a bridge that can connect everyone regardless of origin.

With beautiful natural images, unique dances and national costumes combined with the sounds and images of a symphony orchestra and unique Vietnamese national musical instruments, the film impressed the audience at RIAF.

Ms. Tu Pham, a Vietnamese expatriate living in the UK for nearly 10 years, shared that it was a special feeling to watch a film about Vietnam in Wales with familiar images of Northern Vietnam and her hometown Hanoi. The film made her feel like she was returning home and proud because the beautiful images and culture of Vietnam were introduced to international audiences.

Xiaohang Chen, a Chinese viewer, said he was impressed by the beautiful scenes of the Vietnamese countryside, which reminded him of his grandparents living in the countryside, and said the film helped connect viewers with Vietnam.

“Once upon a bridge in Vietnam” is the first documentary about Vietnam by director Bibonne, with the desire to connect France and Vietnam through music in the journey to find the roots of the young director whose grandmother is Vietnamese.

Director Bibonne shared that his late grandmother was the one who inspired him to deeply understand his Vietnamese roots. The director said he will devote his life to creative projects that connect his two homelands, Vietnam and France. In October, he will return to Vietnam to continue Vietnamese cultural projects. Bibonne's second project is a musical film introducing Vietnamese football, the king sport in Vietnam and helping to unite the country, according to the director.

François Bibonne was born in Fontainebleau, France. He holds a master's degree in History from Sorbonne University and worked as a communications manager at the Fontainebleau School of Music and Fine Arts.