The Voices for Tomorrow: Documentary Film Festival for Sustainability will run from October 30 to November 3 at the National Cinema Center in Hanoi, showcasing 10 documentary films from various countries, including Vietnam.

Hosted jointly by the Goethe Institute Vietnam and the Center for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD), the event aims to showcase stories of how people around the world are struggling to adapt to rapid environmental and social changes. 

Oliver Brandt, Director of the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, speaks at the press conference for the film event. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times

According to Oliver Brandt, Director of the Goethe-Institut Hanoi, the films in the festival present a multifaceted picture of sustainable development, illustrating the ability of documentary films to raise awareness and inspire action to change our way of life today to build a better future for future generations. 

It is the voice of the children who barely have enough food for one meal a day, of the wharf dwellers who anxiously watch their source of life - the river - gradually disappear, and of the dolphins who wake up with third-degree burns. It is also the voice of a young man fleeing the dust of modern life to return to the purifying power of the mountains and forests; of the hotel owner who uses cutting-edge technology to maximize water sources; or of individuals who dedicate their lives to planting and preserving coastal mangrove forests. 

A total of three Vietnamese documentaries will be screened at the festival, including Madame Lien’s Factory, Flowing with the currents, and The Hungry River.

International documentary films to be presented at the event include Blue Carbon: Nature's Hidden Power from the UK, When the Floods come and Starving for Change from Pakistan, The Dolphin Dilemma from the US, Tourism in Times of Climate Change and The Dust of Modern Life from Germany, and Planet Killers: The Forest Destroyer from France.

On November 2, German director Franziska von Stenglin will hold a workshop in Hanoi with filmmakers entitled "Filmmaker and Protagonist: A Journey to Create Sustainable Stories". The following day, she will meet with local audiences to share stories related to her documentary The Dust of Modern Life.