Saigon-born Pham Linh Dan is still celebrating her most recent movie Choi Voi’s (Adrift) success after it received an award at the recent Venice Film Festival.

Do Hai Yen and Pham Linh Dan (right) in a scene from “Choi Voi”.

Pham Linh Dan, who played the part of Catherine Deneuve’s daughter in the Oscar-winning movie ’Indochine’, is delighted to be appearing in another Vietnam-based film that is impressing both audience and critics alike.

Still promoting the movie, this time at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), she found time to talk to VietNamNet.

VietNamNet: This is the first time a Vietnamese movie has been selected to show at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival. How did it feel to be there and to be able to share your work?

Pham Linh Dan: This 66th Venice Film Festival was very special to me as I had two films screening there: Mr Nobody directed by Jaco van Dormael and Choi Voi by Bui Thac Chuyen in the New Horizons section. I am very glad I got to spend some time with Mr Chuyen and to support Choi Voi at the festival, as my schedule was very busy because of the promotion of my other film too. It was all very moving and special to me.

VNNet: How did the film critics and audience react to Choi Voi at the official screening in Venice?

Dan: I was very nervous watching Choi Voi for the first time at the official screening. Mr Chuyen had asked me if I wanted to see the movie on DVD but I refused because I think it is much better to see a film on a big screen with a public audience. It was screened in a 1300-seater theatre and it was full. So I was very emotional and nervous. But, I loved it and at the end of the screening, people clapped for 10 minutes! It was amazing. I said to Mr Chuyen that the film is beautiful and that I was very very proud to be part of it. He said he should make another film very soon and that he would have me in any of his films anytime. A lot of people congratulated us and praised the film.

VNNet: Choi Voi received the FIPRESCI (International Film Critics) prize at the Venice Film. Congratulations. So how did you feel when you heard the good news? How did the critics react to this film from Viet Nam?

Pham Linh Dan

Dan: I was thrilled and very proud. This is a very important and prestigious award as the jury is composed of professional critics from around the world. The FRIPESCI jury was impressed by the emotion and cinematography as well as the richness of Choi Voi. They said it focused with great subtlety on the individual sexual and emotional development of its characters in a country that first and foremost values traditional family ties.

VNNet: You are now promoting Choi Voi at the Toronto international Film Festival. Could you tell Vietnamese readers what the reaction has been and the significance of the event?

Dan: This is a very important festival, especially in terms of exposure in North America. I know that all the screenings for Choi Voi are sold out, which is great. I am very excited because it has a lot of good reviews and I have met a lot of people both in the media and the audience who have told me how much they love the film.

VNNet: After TIFF, you and the director will travel to yet more film festivals. Are there plans to return to Viet Nam? what about the Viet Nam premiere for Choi Voi?

Dan: There is no specific release date yet but I will of course make sure that I am available to attend when the time comes. I am really very proud of Choi Voi and I think that Bui Thac Chuyen is a very talented director. It was a pleasure to work with him, Do Hai Yen, Johnny Tri Nguyen and the rest of the Vietnamese crew.

VNNet: Do you have the plan for promoting Choi Voi at other international film festivals. London, Bangkok, Vancouver, Pusan?

Dan: It is good that Choi Voi has been selected for so many festivals but it is even more important for it to be distributed world-wide. I think it is also very important for the Government to support the arts and, in this case, film production in Viet Nam. In France, for example, without the help of the Ministry of Culture, many films could not exist. In the case of Choi Voi, from what I understood from Chuyen, resources were limited for promoting the film in Venice. They lacked time and money to prepare film copies and subtitles.

Also for the promotion of films, US or French companies bring professional teams to the festival. In France, Unifrance help films in the financing of publicity of films abroad. I wish Choi Voi had such a solid and strong support at the festival. It is difficult to produce and shoot a beautiful film so it is even more important to promote it afterwards so that the film can get an audience. What is the point of having a film if no one can see it?

Bich Hanh