The Embassy of Italy in Hanoi is pleased to invite you to the Opening Night of the 15th European–Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival, which will take place on Friday, September 12, at the National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio (465 Hoang Hoa Tham, Ba Dinh, Hanoi).
The evening’s program is as follows:
6:00 PM – Welcome reception;
7:00 PM – Screening of “Journey of Love” (2024) by Vietnamese director Le Anh Tuan, in his presence;
7:50 PM – Screening of “Cartapesta: Carnival of Fano” (2024) by Italian director Andrea Lodovichetti, to whom we express our gratitude for kindly granting free screening rights.
The documentaries will be screened in their original language with English/Vietnamese subtitles.
Admission is free and no ticket or reservation is required.
***
Synopsis – “Journey of Love”
The film portrays charitable actions carried out by volunteers who provide transportation for disadvantaged patients from hospital to home and back. They were particularly active during the Covid-19 pandemic. This specific form of charity directly supports patients by sparing them travel expenses for each medical visit and offering psychological encouragement. Every day, hundreds of such trips are made throughout the country.
Synopsis – “Cartapesta: Carnival of Fano”
Italy’s oldest Carnival: memories, archive footage, and a powerful imagination rooted for centuries in one city – Fano. A tradition of papier-mâché and master float-makers who, generation after generation, have combined creativity, engineering, and craftsmanship to build the traveling stages known as allegorical floats. A mask, Vulón, meets a child. He knows nothing about the Carnival of Fano. And who better than a mask to guide him through parades, costumes, and sweets, and to tell him that Carnival is not just a festival but something more: a feeling, a state of mind that warms the heart of a city and its surrounding territory. And as the Carnival week draws to a close, someone is already ready for a new beginning…
