Online German-Vietnamese experimental film series fosters LGBTQ understanding

Goethe Institut in Vietnam introduces an experimental film series themed LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) called ‘Lung chung’ or ‘In the Middle of Nowhere’ by Vietnamese filmmakers.

The poster of the ‘In the Middle of Nowhere’ short-film screening program Photo courtesy of Goethe Institut Vietnam

This project combines the production of an experimental film by Pham Nguyen Anh Tu and a short film screening organized by Nai Cinema.

The short films will be on screen at 12am on August 13 at the fan page of Goethe Institut in Ho Chi Minh City at https://www.facebook.com/goetheinstitut.hcm. ‘Lung chung’ could also be watched online on the same page but a week longer.

According to filmmaker Anh Tu, the film entitled ‘Bong Xa Bong’ (Soap Bubbles) was made in his attempt to explore and understand how the brain works in terms of constructing stereotypes and processing negative information with the focus on news-generated stereotypes on the LGBTQ community in Vietnam.

“In this film, I play a gay superhero that uses his first-ever queer memory as his superpower to burn down the stereotypes,” he said.

With the ‘Lung chung’ screening program, organizers want to give the spotlight to a diverse selection of short films/videos made by queer Vietnamese artists.

By introducing these personal stories and various approaches to filmmaking, we hope to not only give multiple perspectives into different queer identities but also to facilitate the exploration of artistic expression and stimulate conversations about gender equality here in Vietnam. 

Filmmaker Pham Nguyen Anh Tu is an up-and-coming experimental video artist based in Ho Chi
Minh City. His works focus on themes of queer identity and fantasy, depicting scenes of playful reverie and inner dialogue translated to film.

He approaches video making through a combination of animated collages and chroma key compositing to produce scenes that mimic dreamlike states. 

Tu’s works have been screened at The British Museum, London (as part of Queer Asia Film Festival), Pugnant Film Series in Athens, Greece and Saigon Experimental in Ho Chi Minh City.