Introduction

In 2006, a number of international film festivals showed feature films made by Vietnamese filmmakers; this, however, does not mean that there aren’t enormous problems to overcome in Vietnam’s film industry. For example, many aspiring filmmakers lament the scarcity of resources and poor coordination of services. On the bright side, private businesses are starting to invest in the movie business, and some films now explore contemporary urban themes, such as in the breakthrough feature film, Jack Fruit Thorn Kiss (2006).

A new book, Modern and Nationality in Vietnam's Cinematography, written by the film critic Ngo Phuong Lan, is an exploration of modernity and nationality (i.e., nationalism) in Vietnamese films. What follows are her thoughts, expressed in the English translation of chapter two of her book

Vietnamese cinema was first established in 1953. Since then, it has developed in tandem with Vietnam’s evolution as a nation, and in some respects, its development can be said to reflect the peoples’ struggle for national independence and construction. During the war years, 1945 to 1975, Vietnam realized the important task of boosting the people's morale in their struggle for national independence and reinforcing people’s faith in the government...