The Swedish Embassy hosted a film screening to celebrate Hanoi Pride 2021
Following the celebration of Hanoi Pride 2021, the Swedish Embassy in Hanoi on 10 November transformed the Swedish Residence into a cinema.
In an update has Embassy of Sweden told that a mixed audience representing Hanoi Pride, academia, civil society and diplomatic missions saw the Swedish film “My father Marianne”, which is a story about a father who comes out as a transgender person, and a daughter’s struggle to come to terms with this .
When Hanna’s beloved father, the priest with the big beard, tells her that his real name is Marianne, Hanna’s world collapses. None of her courses in norm creativity can help; she hates Marianne who has stolen her father. But for Marianne there is no turning back; she must be who she really is – finally.
The film premiered in Sweden in 2020 and is loosely based on an autobiographical book by the Swedish author Ester Roxberg, entitled “My father Ann-Christine”. After the film, Ester joined virtually from Sweden to share her story and to address some of the issues that had arisen after watching the film.
After the film, while reflecting on the fact that the main character’s story could be linked to her own story, Nguyen Phuong Anh, operations coordinator for Hanoi Pride 2021, said: “It was touching to see the film. Many times I felt tears in my eyes. The message I brought me was the moment when Marianne – the father said to his daughter: I love you, I would always support who you are and who you want to be. ”
Mr. Nguyen Hong Quan, lecturer from the Academy of Cinema and Theater noted “Cool to be able to enjoy a movie in a dark room, with others during Hanoi Pride. This has also given me fond memories of my very first trip to Sweden many years ago “What a fantastic film based on a true story of a transgender person. I think the film deserves a public screening at a Vietnam film festival.”
Vietnam’s journey when it comes to HGBTIQ + issues is very ongoing. “I hope to see a more tolerant environment for transgender people and as a possible next concrete step for Vietnam, I hope that the law on gender reassignment will be adopted as soon as possible,” said the Swedish ambassador Ann Måwe in her welcoming comments before the film.