UK Film Week to showcase British music

Vietnamese people will have the chance to learn about another aspect of the UK's music industry through a collection of seven movies, to be presented during the 2015 UK Film Week, which will be held next month in Hanoi, Da Nang and HCM City.

From The Beatles to Adele, musical artists from the British Isles have been ruling the world for decades. However, there are stories to tell behind all the glory and fame. This year's UK Film Week in Vietnam pays tribute to all the unsung heroes who have made music an integral part of Great Britain.

Organised by the British Council (BC) Vietnam to showcase the best of UK cinema, the film event will take place from November 4 to 12 at CGV cinemas in three major cities.

Audiences will be lost in a world where music helps heal a girl who suffers from anorexia (God Help the Girl) or where the citizens of a small town are revitalised and united through Pulp's songs for ‘common people', which is also the name of the band's biggest hit (Pulp: a Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets).

Loyal fans of The Beatles in Vietnam can watch Nowhere Boy, a film about John Lennon's early life as he started banjo lessons, bought his first guitar, formed the Quarrymen, gave himself an Elvis hairdo, switched to Buddy Holly-style horn-rims, met with Paul McCartney and was refused entry to the Cavern.

The tragic lives and deaths of many talented musicians will be featured in Control, a film about Ian Curtis, the frontman of Joy Division, an English rock band from Manchester. A dramatic portrayal of Curtis, the 2007 film takes audiences through Curtis's failing marriage and epilepsy, which worsened his mood swings and made performing live incredibly difficult for him.

For those who want some humour, Bugsy Malone is an excellent choice. It is a gangster movie with a cast composed entirely of children. The BAFTA-winning musical was directed by Sir Alan Parker whose films (including Evita) won 19 BAFTAs and 10 Oscars. The 1976 movie works as a ‘real' gangster movie, but with a sense of childlike innocence.

"According to Music Market's 2015 report, musicians from the UK represent half the names on last year's Top 10 list of world best-selling recording artists, and the UK accounted for one in seven of all albums sold worldwide," said Cherry Gough, director of BC Vietnam.

"This is real evidence of how much music from the UK is loved all over the world.

"We're delighted to celebrate British music in film in the 2015 UK Film Week. These films shed light on parts of the lives of musicians that are not always known to the general public – the sweat and tears of the creative process and the long hard journey to success."-VNA