A Vietnam Film Festival will be held in July in the French coastal city of Saint Malo, representatives from the organising board said at a press conference in Paris on April 8.

The event will be organised by French company Iriscommsex in collaboration with the Cinema Department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the French Embassy in Vietnam.

Ngo Phuong Lan, Director of the department, said the festival will bring to French audiences films made during the past two decades which are deemed to reflect important historical events and the development of Vietnam-France relations as well as the growth of Vietnam’s film industry. Some of them have won prizes at international film festivals.

In addition, several films on the theme of Vietnam made by French directors or overseas Vietnamese in France will also be screened during the event, Lan said, adding that besides features, documentaries and cartoons are also on the programme.

Speaking at the press conference, the French Ambassador to Vietnam Jean Noel Poirier said cinema will be a window for the French audience to look at the Vietnamese culture. He said he had seen several Vietnamese films and through them, he felt the movements and aspirations of a country which is fast transforming itself.

The Vietnam Film Festival in Saint Malo is one of the most eagerly awaited events of the Vietnam Year in France, which is celebrating the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.-VNA