Late Palestinian President
film shown in Hanoi

Vietnamese viewers have been entertained with the film
“Arafat, my brother” that was screened in Hanoi
on May 10 on the occasion of the Palestinian Nakba Day.

Addressing the audience, Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam
Saadi Salama said he was happy at the time-honoured cooperative relationship
between Palestine and Vietnam with the signing of
cooperative agreements in economics, culture and education.

“Arafat, my brother” is a documentary film told by Fathi
Arafat, younger brother of the late Palestinian President Arafat, about his
life before he passed away./

ASEAN traditional
music festival promotes understanding

The ASEAN traditional music festival will take place in the
central coastal province
of Phu Yen from June
23-26.

Organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism, the event aims to promote exchanges and understanding of culture and
arts among ASEAN countries.

The festival is expected to draw the participation of a
variety of art troupes from ASEAN nations.

Nicolas Stavy to
delight HCMC audience

‘The artist of romantic music’ French pianist Nicolas Stavy
is sure to be a huge attraction for HCMC classical lovers when he performs at
the Opera House in District 1 on May 25.

The evening will be titled ‘Liszt-music inspiration sources’
for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the talented music composer Franz
Liszt in Hungary.

Stavy’s performance will include 6 consolations S. 172:
17’-Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude: 16’; Extraits des Harmonies poétiques
et religieuses-Sonnet de Pétrarque n°104: 5’ et Après une lecture de Dante:
16’; Fantasia quasi Sonata-Du berceau jusqu’à la tombe:  15’; Version pour piano de F. Liszt de son
dernier poème symphonique: Le Berceau, Le combat pour la vie, A la tombe:
berceau de la vie future.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show will be sold at the HCMC Opera
House, 7 Lam Son Square,
priced between VND100,000-VND200,000.

Sunwrae quintet joins
forces with Viet artists

The Australian Sunwrae String Quintet will perform at HCMC
Opera House on Thursday night, aided and abetted by Vietnamese artists Tuyet
Mai and Ha The Dung as part of the group’s Eavesdropping 2011 tour.

The troupe was initially called The Sunwrae Ensemble and was
founded in 2001 in Melbourne,
Australia. They
are famous for being a unique and flexible line-up who play the piano,
vibraphone, string quartet, harp, clarinets, alto flute, lap-steel guitar,
double bass, drum-set and percussion. The members of the troupe are pianist Rae
Howell, violinists Rachael Kim, Zachary Johnston and Phoebe Green and cellist
Tim Blake.

Sunwrae albums include Never Stops to Wait (2005), Autumn
Never Fall (2009), and Live at The Thornbury Theatre (2010). The gig starts at
7.30 p.m. at 7 Lam Son Square
in District 1.

Bat Trang’s ceramic
industry in spotlight at Idecaf

A movie and discussion night focusing on the revolutionary
changes of the ceramic industry in Bat Trang village near Hanoi over the pastdecade will be held at 6
p.m. on Friday at Idecaf in District 1.

The film ‘Vietnamese ceramists from tradition to
globalization’ is directed by Bernard Ganne and Paul Penard and sponsored by
the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Research Institute on
Contemporary Southeast Asian Studies (CNRS), and Region of Rhone-Alpes.

For centuries Bat Trang village near Hanoi has specialized in ceramic production.
In the last decade, though, the village has had to completely change its
manufacturing process.

The movie shows the production process of traditional hand-crafted
products to modern factories and the impact on the industry after Vietnam
joined the World Trade Organization.

After the free screening at 28 Thai Van Lung Street, there will be a
discussion with director Ganne who is also a research manager at CNRS.

PV