First time film maker François Bibonne's award winning documentary film about Vietnamese music also explores his personal journey in Vietnam.
In 2019, François traveled to Vietnam and immersed himself in the nation's distinct music culture to learn more about the country through its classical music.
François spent months traveling across his ancestral homeland with a camera, conducting interviews with Vietnamese musicians trained in both classical and folk music. He is interested in the blend of cultural styles and influences within Vietnamese classical music and explores connections between culture and nature, Western music and Vietnamese music, France and Vietnam, and himself and his Vietnamese grandmother in "Once Upon a Bridge in Vietnam."
The film takes audiences on a virtual trip to the Vietnamese countryside and elaborate opera houses, showcasing the wide variety of concerts in Vietnam.
The film won several international awards, including the LA Film Award 2022 and the New York International Film Award 2022.
After the screening there will be a discussion with François; John Phan, Assistant Professor of Vietnamese Studies, EALAC; and Vinh Nguyen, Adjunct Lecturer in Vietnamese at Columbia University.
Sponsored by the Vietnamese Studies Program, EALAC, and WEAI at Columbia.
