The remark was made by Almuth Meyer-Zollitsch, director of the Hanoi Goethe Institute and chairwoman of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), at a press conference in Hanoi on June 3.

The festival’s theme, ‘A Country without Documentaries is like a Family with no Photo Albums’, was inspired by a statement from famous Chilean director Patricio Guzman.

The event will screen eight films from European countries and nine Vietnamese films produced between 2009 and 2011 by the National Documentary and Scientific Film Studio (NDSFS). Each screening will show one Vietnamese film and one European work. The European films come from Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

The selected films focus on major cultural and social issues in contemporary life such as the family, disaster, migration and the lives of immigrants, urban planning, traffic, and the preservation of traditional products.

This year’s event will dedicate one day to feature a series of documentaries from Southeast Asian countries, including Where I Go from Cambodia, Behind the Screen from Myanmar and Another Color TV from Indonesia.

“The participation of young filmmakers and their works will enrich the festival and stimulate the exchange”, said Director Meyer-Zollitsch.

Within the framework of the festival, workshops on documentary filmmaking are to take place at the Goethe Institut in Hanoi.

This year’s festival will be held in Hanoi from June 4–12 at the NDSFS building at 465 Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Ba Dinh District, and in Ho Chi Minh City from June 21–29 at Hoa Sen University at 8 Nguyen Van Trang Street, District 1.

According to Pham Thi Tuyet, Director of the NDSFS, the 6th European – Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival provides an opportunity for Vietnamese documentary filmmakers and audiences to explore and discuss the reality of life as well as filmmaking styles and perspectives.

Free tickets for the screenings can be acquired at the NDSFS in Hanoi and at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France at 31 Thai Van Lung Street, District 1, in Ho Chi Minh City.