Tran Van Thuy
Encyclopedia
Trần Văn Thủy is an acclaimed Vietnam
ese documentary film director
. He has directed over 20 short documentary films.
His work has often proven controversial; his 1987 film The Story of Kindness or How to Behave, which dealt with the legacy of the Vietnam War
and the suffering of the Vietnamese and American people in that conflict, was banned for a time by the Vietnamese government. Nonetheless, his reputation as a gifted filmmaker resulted in the Vietnamese government commissioning him a decade later to create a followup to the film, The Sound of the Violin in My Lai
.
, Vietnam. He was educated in cinematography at Vietnam Film School. For five years thereafter he lived as an anthropologist with the nomadic Khu Sung people, until the war broke out.
After a stint as a combat cameraman, Tran Van Thuy proceed in 1972 to further his cinematographic education at the Moscow Film College under Roman Karmen
. Since 1977 he has worked for the Vietnam Central Documentary Film Unit and Vietnam Cinema Association. He has also worked with Britain's Channel Four Television and Japan's NHK
.
Tran Van Thuy's films have received widespread acclaim. The honors he has received include the Golden Dove Prize and the Silver Dove Prize at the Leipzig International Film Festival and the Silver Lotus Prize and Best Director Prize at the Vietnam Film Festival
. He was awarded the Best Documentary Prize at the Asia Pacific Film Festival
in year 2000 for The Sound of the Violin in My Lai
. His other films include My People, My Village (1970), Betrayal (1979), Hanoi in One’s Eye (1982), The Blind Masters Examining The Elephant (1990), and Tolerance for the Dead (1994).
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese documentary film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He has directed over 20 short documentary films.
His work has often proven controversial; his 1987 film The Story of Kindness or How to Behave, which dealt with the legacy of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and the suffering of the Vietnamese and American people in that conflict, was banned for a time by the Vietnamese government. Nonetheless, his reputation as a gifted filmmaker resulted in the Vietnamese government commissioning him a decade later to create a followup to the film, The Sound of the Violin in My Lai
The Sound of the Violin in My Lai
The Sound of the Violin in My Lai is a short film that examines the history and legacy of the My Lai massacre, an incident of the Vietnam War in which hundreds of Vietnamese civilians were massacred by U.S. Army soldiers...
.
Biography
Tran Van Thuy was born in 1940 in Nam DinhNam Dinh
Nam Định is a big city in the Red River Delta of northern Vietnam. It is the capital of Nam Dinh Province and capital of the South of Red River Delta. Nam Dinh province was, at one time, part of Ha Nam Ninh province until it was split up again in 1996 to return to being two separate provinces,...
, Vietnam. He was educated in cinematography at Vietnam Film School. For five years thereafter he lived as an anthropologist with the nomadic Khu Sung people, until the war broke out.
After a stint as a combat cameraman, Tran Van Thuy proceed in 1972 to further his cinematographic education at the Moscow Film College under Roman Karmen
Roman Karmen
Roman Lazarevich Karmen was a Soviet war camera-man and film director and one of the most influential figures in documentary film making; insofar as his propaganda is concerned he could be considered USSR's answer to Leni Riefenstahl, though the comparison is by no means absolute.-Communist...
. Since 1977 he has worked for the Vietnam Central Documentary Film Unit and Vietnam Cinema Association. He has also worked with Britain's Channel Four Television and Japan's NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
.
Tran Van Thuy's films have received widespread acclaim. The honors he has received include the Golden Dove Prize and the Silver Dove Prize at the Leipzig International Film Festival and the Silver Lotus Prize and Best Director Prize at the Vietnam Film Festival
Vietnam Film Festival
The Vietnam Film Festival , founded in 1970, is a film festival of Vietnam. It is considered as the major event of Cinema of Vietnam with awards for numerous categories ranging from feature film, direct-to-video to documentary film...
. He was awarded the Best Documentary Prize at the Asia Pacific Film Festival
Asia Pacific Film Festival
The Asia Pacific Film Festival, first held in 1954, is film festival held annually in an Asian country designated by the Board of Directors of the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific.Awards are handed out for:*Best Film*Best Director...
in year 2000 for The Sound of the Violin in My Lai
The Sound of the Violin in My Lai
The Sound of the Violin in My Lai is a short film that examines the history and legacy of the My Lai massacre, an incident of the Vietnam War in which hundreds of Vietnamese civilians were massacred by U.S. Army soldiers...
. His other films include My People, My Village (1970), Betrayal (1979), Hanoi in One’s Eye (1982), The Blind Masters Examining The Elephant (1990), and Tolerance for the Dead (1994).