Đặng Nhật Minh

Starting with documentary films commissioned by film studios and the Vietnamese government, Dang Nhat Minh gradually created his own works. Persistently adhering to the principle of directing only films for which he wrote the scripts, he created works with consistent expression and a strong personal style. Except for his first two works, almost all of Dang Nhat Minh's feature films have won awards both domestically and internationally. Besides filmmaking, he was also the general secretary of the Vietnam Film Association. Later, Nostalgia for Countryland helped him solidify his position by winning the Kodak Award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival, the NETPAC Best Asian Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, and numerous other awards. For his contributions to Vietnamese cinema, he was awarded the title of Vietnamese People's Artist and received the Hồ Chí Minh Prize in the field of cinema and the Grand Prize of the Bui Xuan Phai Award – For the Love of Hanoi.

Đặng Nhật Minh studied at Quốc Học – Huế High School for the Gifted. The recorded working language is Vietnamese, Russian and Ukrainian. Places of work recorded in the authority are Hanoi Academy of Theater and Cinema, Vietnam Cinema Association and Vietnam Feature film Studio (VFS). Works named in the authority record are When the Tenth Month Comes, The Girl on the River, The Town within Reach, Nostalgia for Countryland, Hà Nội, '46 winter and The Season of Guavas. Distinctions recorded are Hồ Chí Minh Prize, Nikkei Asia Prize, People's Artist and Labor Order.

• Name — Đặng Nhật Minh • Born — 10 May 1938 • Birthplace — Hue, Annam, French Indochina • Occupation — Director and screenwriter • Years Active — 1965–present • Relatives — Đặng Văn Ngữ (father)

Dang Nhat Minh was born on May 11, 1938 in Thừa Thiên – Huế, Annam (now Huế city, Vietnam). His father, Đặng Văn Ngữ, was a medical doctor whose research led him to work frequently abroad, such as in Japan from 1943–1950. Because of this Minh and his siblings were largely raised by his mother. In 1950, Minh was sent by the Vietnamese Communist Party(VCP) to a Chinese military school. In his autobiography he describes this period of his education as filled with brainwashing and self censorship. After four years of schooling in China, the VCP sent him to study Russian in the USSR so that he could become an interpreter. His entire education was decided for him ahead of time by the Communist Party. His first work within cinema was translating Russian films made in the USSR to Vietnamese. During this time, Minh also learnt more about the inner workings of cinema production, something credited to his mastery of Russian and his long exposure to Russian film. When his dad died during the Vietnam war 1967 he was given party related career favours which combined with his auto-dictation allowed him to become a director. His first film was a documentary about geology.

Dang Nhat Minh started his career in film by making documentaries with topics ranging from geography, ethnography to history. Notable works during this time includes: Following the Geologists (Theo chân những người địa chất, 1965), Ha Bac My Hometown (Hà Bắc quê hương, 1967), May – Faces (Tháng 5 – Những gương mặt, 1975), Nguyen Trai (Nguyễn Trãi, 1980). As a documentarist, he became the government’s observer and reporter of historical events in Vietnam. For instance, in 1975 the government sent him as a representative to Saigon during the last days of the liberation, documenting the event in film. He started his feature film career by adapting existing plays, generating such works as Stars on the Sea (Những ngôi sao biển, 1977), A Year-end Rainy Day (Ngày mưa cuối năm, 1980). Around 1980, he wrote a short story named "The Town Within Reach." It was published in the Văn Nghệ (Literature and Arts) magazine and won a prize, making him consider giving up on filmmaking to become a writer. However, not long after that, he met a scholar and close friend of his uncle Nguyen Hong Phong. This person encouraged him to make a film out of his own story. He made the film "The Town Within Reach" in 1983, marking the beginning of his filmography. In his autobiography, he notes: "So I determined my direction: I only make films that I myself write the script, talk about issues that interest me, move me. Having found a way to exist in the world of cinema, I don't think about giving up on it anymore." His works are dense with political arguments, in which the view in one film may conflict with that of the other. Usually placing a woman at the centre of the story, Dang Nhat Minh closely traced Vietnamese historical struggles through the Sino-Vietnamese War (The Town Within Reach – 1983), the post-war period (When The Tenth Month Comes – 1984, The Girl on the River – 1987), the Đổi Mới economic reforms (The Return – 1994), and came back to one of the darkest phases in the post-independence Vietnam – The 1950s land reform in North Vietnam (The Guava Season – 2000). Except for explicit propaganda movies such as Miss Nhung, Don't Burn, and Hanoi: Winter 1946, there is often one unifying theme that runs through most of his films: Betrayal. In his works, Minh wants to create portraits of the “symbols of Vietnam” and to focus on “ordinary people”. He wants to let the world discover the life of these people in times of war as well as in times of peace after the reunification, filming bourgeois as well as peasants. He often centres his stories around women, whose memories and experiences in times of conflict are often forgotten. Minh occasionally focuses on historical figures, such as the scholar and politician Nguyễn Trãi, a film ordered by the department of cinema in 1980 or the president Hô Chi Minh in the political documentary Hanoi: Winter 1946. Apart from his film-making activities, Minh also had responsibilities as the elected General Secretary of the Vietnam Film Association. According to his autobiography, he especially had difficulties in having sufficient political say and being heard by the government. He was the former General Secretary of the Vietnam Film Association for more than 10 years (1989-2000) where he constantly received a strong mandate through polling from members. However, he withdrew from his position as he disliked the change in politics of the association, stating that he was glad to leave and pleased to see that he had not lost himself over the years.

He received numerous international awards and was part of the jury of numerous festivals such as the Fukuoka festival and Locarno festival. Some of his films have also been funded by foreign countries, including Great Britain and Japan, a proof of the filmmaker's fame. These opportunities have enabled him more freedom in writing his screenplay. In his autobiography however, Minh notes a contradiction between the internationally constructed vision of him as head of Vietnamese cinema and symbol of Doi Moi, and his controversial image in Vietnam.

Dang Nhat Minh experienced censorship in the production of all his films. Before shooting any film, he had to submit the screenplay to authorities to gain their approval. He must often cut out parts, modify the plot and characters, sometimes for obscure reasons. Some of his scripts were even rejected without any reason. In his autobiography, Dang Nhat Minh talks about how censorship is a real barrier to the conditions of film production. After having one of his first films banned from shooting, he asked the artistic director of the film studio about the definition of a socialist screenplay. The answer was that "the ending must be happy," and it must sing praises of harmony and socialism. Since all his films were funded by the government (except for "Nostalgia for the Countryside," which was his first film to be allowed to choose the funding sources), Dang Nhat Minh had to find a way to work within the ideological constraints to speak his mind about the human condition in Vietnamese society. His early films were decided to be black and white by the director of Vietnam Feature Film Studio. As he recalled, Vietnam-produced films were divided into two groups: export-oriented films and films for the domestic market. Export-oriented films were prioritised to be colour, under the condition that they must show off a face of Vietnam that has bright cities, fashions, hotels and restaurants, industrial productivity, heroic fighting, etc. However, he feels lucky that his screenplays were placed on the list for black and white film funding. One example is the film "When The Tenth Month Comes." After authorities reviewed the screenplay numerous times, they forewarned Dang Nhat Minh that he would be allowed to make the film under the condition that the widow whose husband died in the war must not fall in love with the village's teacher. Dang Nhat Minh agreed but still tried to imply it in the film. The film screening for authorities went smoothly; however, they raised another concern for a scene that looked "superstitious." Dang Nhat Minh defended the scene, insisting that it was an essential characteristic of Vietnamese culture. The film was reviewed 13 times in total, making Dang Nhat Minh feel like he was a criminal dragged to trials after trials. At last, the scene was allowed to be screened but had to be shortened. Another example was The Girl On The River (1987). Heavily criticised by a high-ranked official in the Vietnamese government, it was only screened at one festival before disappearing in official screenings in Vietnam.

• Year — Title — Original title — Writer Dang Nhat Minh is also a screenwriter — Note — Ref. Reference • 1965 — On the Trails of Geologists — Theo chân người địa chất — rowspan="5" • 1967 — Ha Bac – My Native Land — Hà Bắc quê hương • 1975 — The Faces of May — Tháng Năm – Những gương mặt • 1980 — Nguyễn Trãi — Nguyễn Trãi • 2015 — Le Ba Dang – From Bich La to Paris — Lê Bá Đảng – Từ Bích La đến Paris — Short

Đặng Nhật Minh married Nguyễn Phương Nghi, a pianist and the daughter of lawyer Nguyễn Quế. Phương Nghi's family, including her brother Nguyễn Hoán, inspired the film "Mùa ổi" by Đặng Nhật Minh. When Professor Đặng Văn Ngữ died in 1967, Đặng Nhật Minh and his wife had their first son, Nhật Tân. Both Phương Nghi and Nhật Tân were mentioned in the last letter Đặng Văn Ngữ sent to his son. Đặng Nhật Minh also has a daughter, an otolaryngologist doctor Đặng Phương Lan. She married engineer Đinh Xuân Thọ, the son of People's Teacher Đinh Xuân Lâm, and lives with her husband in Budapest, Hungary.

The authorities additionally record the headings Dang, Nhat Minh and Dang Nhat Minh. His recorded languages were Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian and French. He was the child of Dang Van Ngu and Tôn Nữ Thị Cung. One child is recorded: Đặng Phương Lan.

Work and production. Works recorded as notable number 7: When the Tenth Month Comes, The Girl on the River, The Town within Reach, Nostalgia for Countryland, Hà Nội, '46 winter, The Season of Guavas and Don't Burn.

Dang Nhat Minh was awarded the title of Merited Artist in 1988, People's Artist in 1993, and the First Class Labor Order in 1998 by the Vietnamese Government. By 1999, he had received the Nikkei Asia Prize of "Culture and Community" for his contributions to Asian cinema. In South Korea, he was honored twice with the "Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding tribute to Asian cinema" and the Kim Daejung Peace Film Award at Gwangju International Film Festival in 2005 and 2013. He also became the first Vietnamese film director to win a Lifetime Achievement Award at a foreign film festival. In 2007, he was awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Prize for his works: The Town Is Within the Range, When the Tenth Month Comes, Hanoi: Winter 1946 and The Guava Season. In 2010, he became the first Vietnamese director to be honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his dedication to film. And in 2016, he was awarded the Licorne d'Or for his entire film career at the Amiens International Film Festival. On March 31, 2022 at the French Embassy in Hanoi, Dang Nhat Minh was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by ambassador Nicolas Warnery, representative of the French Ministry of Culture, in recognition of his contributions to enhancing cultural understanding between the two countries of Vietnam and France. Ambassador Nicolas Warnery affirmed that France recognized the contributions of Dang Nhat Minh not only in his humanitarian works screened in France, cooperative films such as Spring or the cinema association between the two countries during his time as general secretary of the Cinema Association, but also during his time as an interpreter for French film crews to Vietnam.

• Year — Film Festival — Category — Nominated work — Result — Ref. References • Vietnam Film Festival • 1977 — 4th Vietnam Film Festival — Documentary — The Faces of May — Silver Lotus • 1980 — 5th Vietnam Film Festival — Nguyễn Trãi — Silver Lotus • 1983 — 6th Vietnam Film Festival — Feature film — The Town Is Within the Range — Golden Lotus • Best Screenplay • 1985 — 7th Vietnam Film Festival — Feature film — When the Tenth Month Comes — Golden Lotus • Best Director • 1987 — 8th Vietnam Film Festival — Feature film — The Girl on the River — Silver Lotus • 1996 — 11th Vietnam Film Festival — Best Director — Nostalgia for the Countryside • 1999 — 12th Vietnam Film Festival — Feature film — Hanoi: Winter 1946 — Silver Lotus • Best Director • 2001 — 13th Vietnam Film Festival — Feature film — The Guava Season — Golden Lotus • 2009 — 16th Vietnam Film Festival — Don't Burn — Golden Lotus • Best Director • Kite Awards • 2010 — 2009 Kite Awards — Movies — Don't Burn — Golden Kite • Best Director • International Film Festival • 1971 — 7th Moscow International Film Festival — Golden Prize — Miss Nhung • 1985 — 14th Moscow International Film Festival — When the Tenth Month Comes • Soviet Peace Committee Award • Nantes Three Continents Festival — Golden Montgolfiere • Hawaii International Film Festival — Special Jury Award • 1989 — Asia-Pacific Film Festival • 1994 — The Return • 1995 — Kodak — Nostalgia for the Countryside • 1996 — International Film Festival Rotterdam — NETPAC Award • Nantes Three Continents Festival — Audience Award • Golden Montgolfiere • FIFF — ACCT Promotional Award • 1997 — Fribourg International Film Festival — Audience Award • Vesoul International Film Festival • 2000 — Locarno International Film Festival — Youth Jury Award — The Guava Season • Don Quixote Award • 2001 — International Film Festival Rotterdam — NETPAC Award • Oslo International Film Festival — FIPRESCI Prize — Special Prize • 2009 — Fukuoka International Film Festival — Audience Award — Don't Burn