“Vietnam still has more interesting stories to tell the world”, Mark Francis, Discovery Networks’ AP Director Production & Development said on a series of four Vietnamese documentaries shown on the network during May.

The films, winners of the network’s Vietnam First Time Film Makers project, have won a US$ 20,000 production grant from the Ford Foundation and four slots on the network’s show time.

Supported with technical advice from Discovery Channel, winning filmmakers are expected to bring stories of Vietnam’s urban transition to the world through their works.

“Jam busters”, a film about a group of Hanoi’s youngsters who fight to change the city’s chaotic traffic scene is the first to hit the small screen on Thursday.

Mark Francis talked about the documentaries with Saigon Tiep Thi

What do you think about these four documentaries?

These are very outstanding films and have passed our strict evaluations. Their own unique features reflect the reality of Vietnamese society during a transition period. Not only audiences from Southeast Asia but all over the world will know more about your country.

Which film impresses you the most?

To me, all are very good, and have their own perspective.

I like “Mr Long’s Travelling Cinema” because of the unusual way the director depicts his main character.

“Digging the dead” is different; it shows audiences a Vietnamese traditional custom that is very rare around the world. Vietnamese believe that exhumation will help dead people to live in another world.

“Jam busters” touches upon current traffic problems in Vietnam. What do you feel after watching the film?

Traffic is the first problem that foreigners like us face when we go to Vietnam.

In “Jam busters”, the audience will realize that they are also the film’s characters.

Director Phan Duy Linh has managed to capture the reality of traffic problems in Hanoi and in Vietnam.

I highly evaluate this one because our channel wants local filmmakers to reflect reality which encourages viewers’ discussions and feedbacks.

Will there be more chances for Vietnamese filmmakers to work with Discovery Channel in near future?

Through this project, four Vietnamese filmmakers have gained a lot of experiences from our channel. This is not only a big chance for them but also for other filmmakers as well.

We will have to wait for feedbacks from international audiences after the first film was screened on Thursday for future planning. But I think filmmakers will have many chances to come because there are a lot of interesting stories that can be filmed in your country.

SGTT/Tuoi Tre