Viet Nam, 18 July 2020– The Ministry of Culture of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam- Cinema Department opened the first day of its ASEAN Film Week 2020 held in Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City from 18-26 July 2020, as part of Viet Nam’s ASEAN Chairmanship activities this year which is organized with the theme, “ASEAN Cohesion and Proactive Adaptation”.

With a vision to connect cultures among the nations of the ASEAN community and to contribute to sustainable peace and cohesion, the ongoing ASEAN Film Week 2020 aims to introduce and honor the core values of ASEAN countries and to promote the people of Viet Nam’s hospitality, courtesy, harmony and gratitude.

In partial fulfillment of the Philippines’ commitment to raise ASEAN awareness and promote the ASEAN identity, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) receptively supported its National Committee on Cinema’s nominated film, Women of the Weeping River– an acclaimed 2016 production of TBA Studios, written and directed by Mr. Sheron Dayoc, as the country’s official entry to the festival.

Dayoc’s Women of the Weeping River is set in Jolo, Sulu, with an ensemble cast of actors from the Western Mindanao region. It uncovers the story of two women in a remote Muslim community who confront an escalating blood feud and reach deep into themselves in hopes to undo the conflict that stretches back generations.

The NCCA serves as a Philippine focal agency for culture under the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community pillar and ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information.

For questions on the ASEAN Film Week 2020, contact Mr. Benedict G. Manaog of the International Affairs Section of the NCCA through email, ncca_iao@yahoo.com.