Director Vo Anh Can (R) poses with Vy, the transsexual subject of Hanh trinh cai mu (The journey to live true to oneself) that won a Canh dieu vang (Golden Kite) award earlier this month

Some bold new filmmakers including a young disabled scriptwriter are set to have their work broadcast in Vietnam this year.

Many young independent documentary makers are having their work broadcast for the first time in March as Vietnam Television’s VTV6 channel holds its Thang phim tai lieu (month of documentaries) program, while the filming of a TV series by a young scriptwriter with cerebral palsy starts in May.

New breed of documentary makers

Most of the filmmakers screened on VTV6 this month are young and lack the technical know-how of veteran documentary makers, but their work offers insight into the lives of people on society’s fringe.

The riveting, touching films candidly portray subjects such as HIV sufferers and transsexuals, calling for understanding and expressing hope for the future.

The film Neu con co ngay mai (If there is tomorrow) by young director Duong Mong Thu, aired earlier this month, portrays the lives of HIV/AIDS patients and those affected by the deadly disease.

Ngoc dies of AIDS after transmitting the disease to his wife and children who now suffer constant discrimination; 65- year-old Phan, whose children have all died of the disease, is the only family her sick orphaned five-year-old grandson has to cling to; and Sa Le contracted HIV when he was working in Cambodia one unlucky night.

Hanh trinh cai mu (The journey to live true to oneself), broadcast last Sunday, provides a poignant close-up of the lives of transsexuals.

Through his film, director Vo Anh Can wants people to accept transsexuals as they are and treat them fairly and with respect.

As a child, Vy felt he wasn’t meant to be a male and increasingly yearned to be a woman, but he was tortured by thoughts of becoming a social outcast if he revealed his sexual orientation.

Finally, he decided to be true to himself and underwent painful, expensive gender reassignment surgery.

Despite harsh discrimination, Vy is determined to lead a good life and support herself as a model.

The gripping, deeply moving documentary received instant acceptance and won a Certificate of

Recognition in the short film category at the 2008 Canh dieu vang (Golden Kite) awards earlier this month.

Uoc mo cua Thuy (Thuy’s dreams), directed by duo Minh Thuy and Thi Ngon captures the last days of Le Thanh Thuy, a strong teenage girl who battled cancer while she completed high school in Ho Chi Minh City.

Phan Huynh Trang’s P.A portrays an ambitious art student named Phan Phuong Anh in a documentary about breaking away from conventional thinking to be successful.

Chuyen ke duoi mai chua (The story about a pagoda) directed by Nguyen Tan Hoang tells about a monk named Thien Chieu, who takes care of neglected, disabled children at the Ky Quang Pagoda in HCMC’s Go Vap District.

“Happiness is hard-earned” is the film’s message.

The film will be broadcast on VTV6 on March 29.

Young TV scriptwriter

Dang Dinh Quy, a senior in Tourism Management at the Yersin Da Lat University was born with cerebral palsy and has difficulty walking and talking. Filming of some of his scripts will start this year.

He said he was first inspired to write when he read the work of a Vietnamese director. “At 19, I read the script of the award-winning film Bao gio cho den thang muoi (When the tenth month comes) by acclaimed director Dang Nhat Minh.”

“Along with doing my studies, I began writing the script called Nhung mua he da qua (Long past summers) which will be made into a film soon.”

The aspiring student is finishing a script for a 19- episode series Con duong moi (The new road) - a story about how faith breaks down barriers.

According to Quy, the Vietnam Television Series Co. will begin filming Con duong moi in May.

Quy is also working on another 30-episode script Mua hoa anh dao (The cherry blossom season) as a thank-you to the highland resort of Da Lat where he lives.

Reported by Ngoc Bi - Lam Vien