HÀ NỘI — From Pippi Longstocking to beloved Vietnamese animation classics, children will be treated to a reel adventure as 14 Swedish and Vietnamese films are screened during Việt Nam – Sweden Children’s Film Week from June 1-5 at Ngọc Khánh Theatre in Hà Nội.

The opening screening will feature the Vietnamese animation Đáng Đời Thằng Cáo (The Fox Got What It Deserved, 1959) and the Swedish film Pippi Longstocking.

The first Vietnamese animation, Đáng Đời Thằng Cáo, was produced in 1959 by Lê Minh Hiền, Trương Qua and Hồ Quảng from the Việt Nam Animation Studio. Adapted from the folk tale The Fox and the Beehive, the 10-minute film later won the Golden Lotus Award at the second Việt Nam Film Festival in 1973. Artists Hồ Quảng and Trương Qua also received a joint award for Best Artist.

Pippi Longstocking was directed by Olle Hellbom and based on Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren's children’s book series of the same name. Lindgren (1907-2002) is best known for several children’s book series. She wrote 34 chapter books and 41 picture books, which together have sold a staggering 165 million copies and been translated into more than 100 languages.

On the opening day on June 1, Kim Đồng Publishing House will introduce the Vietnamese versions of four picture books by Lindgren: Do You Know Pippi Longstocking?, Pippi Goes Shopping, Pippi in the South Seas and Pippi Saves Christmas.

There will also be mini-games and quizzes about Pippi Longstocking.

The week is jointly organised by the Việt Nam Film Institute and the Embassy of Sweden to Việt Nam, aiming to introduce and promote outstanding children’s films from both countries to audiences.

It is designed to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation between Việt Nam and Sweden through cinema, while contributing to aesthetic education, nurturing young minds and encouraging creativity among children through films with strong humanistic values.

A special highlight of the week is a selection of animated works by late painter, director and People’s Artist Ngô Mạnh Lân, including Chuyện Ông Gióng (The Tale of Saint Gióng), Mèo Con (The Kitten), Trê Cóc (Catfish and Toad), Phép Lạ Hồi Sinh (The Miracle of Revival) and Con Sáo Biết Nói (The Talking Starling).

Lân was one of the Vietnamese film artists featured in the Encyclopedia of Soviet Cinema. He won three Golden Lotus Awards and four Silver Lotus Awards at the Việt Nam National Film Festival, along with several international honours, including the Silver Pelican at the International Animation Film Festival in Mamaia, Romania, in 1966 for The Kitten and the Golden Dove at the Leipzig International Film Festival in 1970 for The Tale of Saint Gióng.

In 2007, he received the State Prize for his works The Kitten, The Tale of Saint Gióng, The Talking Starling, Warm Clothes and Trê Cóc.

The Việt Nam – Sweden Children’s Film Week offers children an opportunity to engage with various forms of art, from literature to cinema. Interactive and intellectual games featured in the programme are expected not only to provide enjoyable and meaningful entertainment but also to stimulate children’s creativity and natural ability to learn.

Other films will include Tage Danielsson's Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter and Olle Hellbom's The Brothers Lionheart.

For free tickets, please contact Nguyễn Thị Hồng Yến at 0913.208.558. — VNS