Preserving history through documentaries

During more than 20 years of working as a journalist and cultural manager, People's Artist Huynh Van Hung (Huynh Hung) has always maintained his creative flow. His documentary films not only bear his personal mark with many noble awards, but also leave behind historical values ​​that will last forever.

Director Huynh Hung and the documentary crew. (Photo provided by the character)

Documentary imprint

People's Artist Huynh Hung was born in 1960 in Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province (old). He currently lives in Da Nang city. He graduated from the Faculty of Literature, Hue University in 1982.

Working in the field of culture and journalism, he has held many different positions such as office staff of Dien Ban district (formerly), Head of the Department of Culture - Information - Sports of Dien Ban district; Deputy Director of Vietnam Television Center in Da Nang; Director of Da Nang Radio and Television Station (formerly); Director of the Department of Culture - Sports of Da Nang city (formerly). With more than 20 years of journalism experience, in many different positions, he is a successful documentary director, leaving many impressions in the hearts of the audience.

Being a native of Quang Nam, the cultural flow has permeated him, nurturing endless emotional material for continuous creativity. For him, the love for his homeland, his country, and the pride in the history of the Vietnamese people through historical figures always urge him to learn and "nurture the subject".

His name is associated with famous documentaries such as “The Mountains and Rivers Carved by Names” about the famous general Nguyen Van Thoai, “The Keeper of Hanoi ” about Governor Hoang Dieu; “Legendary Life Page” about the portrait of Heroic Vietnamese Mother Nguyen Thi Thu (Mother Thu); “The Eye Still Has a Tail” about scholar and journalist Phan Khoi; “A Mirror, a Heart” about the portrait of Mr. Ho Nghinh, former Secretary of the Quang Nam-Da Nang Provincial Party Committee…

In 1997, the film “The Keeper of Hanoi” - an excellent work of his about Governor Hoang Dieu, was awarded 8 awards and medals of various kinds. This work marked his path when choosing documentary films to convey his dream of cinema. The film “Legendary Life Page” won the Gold Medal of the National Television Festival; B Prize of the Vietnam Journalists Association; B Prize (no A Prize), the first Da Nang Literature and Arts Award, period 1997-2005.

In 2017, he and his crew premiered the documentary “Han Waves” on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of Da Nang’s resistance against the French (1858-2018). This is not only a simple historical documentary, but also opens up and clears up many unanswered historical issues. By being creative, connecting and chaining historical events through each film, it specifically demonstrates a time when the army and people of Da Nang were willing to sacrifice themselves for a great cause. In the film, there are many opinions of historical scientists published for the first time, affirming the historical period of Da Nang at that time.

Director Huynh Hung concluded: "I am quite interested in documentary films, this is a genre that has both ideological and artistic value. Documentaries are films that have a personal mark, the author's mark is quite clear, unlike other genres. Documentaries are films that, if invested in, put in effort and dedication, the value of the film will live with time. A good documentary, produced once, can be shown over and over again, even 10 to 20 years later. This is a place to preserve memories vividly...".

He cited the film “Legendary Life Page” produced by him and his colleagues in 1997 about Mother Thu - the symbol of a heroic, loyal, devoted, and sacrificial Vietnamese Mother; after nearly 30 years of re-broadcasting, it still retains its original emotions and value.

People's Artist, director Huynh Van Hung. (Photo: Anh Dao)

People who connect, preserve and protect cultural heritages

For the Da Nang cultural sector, when he was the Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture and Sports, he was the one who pursued to the end to preserve and protect the special national relic of Dien Hai Citadel and the national historical and architectural relic of Hai Van Quan.

Explaining this, he said that cultural heritage is the value, the sediment of the generations of ancestors who have shed sweat, effort, blood and bones to create. Currently, those values ​​are still preserved in the heritage. From the perspective of a person working in culture, history, and filmmaking, if we know how to exploit the past and promote its value, this is a huge resource, valuable in contributing to socio-economic development.

Regarding the land and people of Quang, he recognized the core values, many people of Quang have thoughts and visions that go beyond the borders of their homeland, reaching national and ethnic levels, such as Hoang Dieu, Tran Quy Cap, Pham Phu Thu, Tran Cao Van, Phan Chau Trinh; or nowadays there are former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, Mr. Ho Nghinh... They are children of Quang but have made great contributions to the patriotic and revolutionary cause of the nation and he is lucky to be able to make films about them.

As the owner of dozens of awards, director Huynh Hung is still modest when confiding: "After more than 20 years of working as a journalist, I have made a number of documentaries that, when I sit down and watch them now, I still affirm that my choice, pursuit and passion for filmmaking were correct. In the life of a journalist, having a few works that make people remember is already a great happiness."

NGUYEN THI ANH DAO

Source: https://nhandan.vn/luu-giu-lich-su-qua-phim-tai-lieu-post911087.html