Veteran film director Dang Nhat Minh receives French honour

French ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery, on behalf of the French Ministry, presented the Order of the Arts and the Letters to the film director at a ceremony held in Hanoi on March 31.

Mr. Nicolas Warnery reviewed the milestones in the career of the veteran director who was born in Hue considered the cradle of culture. He spoke of Minh’s major humanistic works premiered in France, as well as collaborative films directed by him such as Guava Season that connects the two cultures.

He revealed that Minh has been restoring two of his popular films produced in the 1980s in collaboration with French and Italian colleagues.

If the project is successful, this will be great pleasure, and international film festivals will certainly eye these works, said the diplomat.

For his part, Minh said it’s a great honour for him to receive the award, and that he loves France where he has many good memories and many friends.

“In 1986, I received a scholarship for an internship course in France to improve my skills….. After that, I went back to France many times to screen movies, and attend film festivals... I love France,” said the People’s Artist.

Dang Nhat Minh is one of Vietnam’s leading film makers. Many of his works have won prizes locally and internationally. His feature film “When the Tenth Months Comes” was voted by world news agencies as one of the best Asian films.

He was personally conferred the title of People’s Artist by the State of Vietnam, along with the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts. He was recently honored by the International Film Festival in the Republic of Korea with a lifetime achievements award.