After being held up at the censors’ for a long time, the multiple award-winning and sexually explicit film “Bi, Don’t Be Afraid” by Phan Dang Di will finally be released March 18.
A scene of the film "Bi, Don't be Afraid" by Phan Dang Di
It will be screened at Tan Binh Galaxy cinema in Ho Chi Minh City and National Cinema in Hanoi, according to the distributors, Thien Ngan and Viet Nu Film Studios.
The movie, the story of a family living in Hanoi’s Old Quarter as seen by a six-year-old boy called Bi, is an exploration of sexual desires and how they are stifled, a topic rarely broached in Vietnamese films.
It has so far been shown at 30 international film festivals worldwide, winning the New Talent Award at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival and a Special Mentions in Dragons and Tigers prize at the Vancouver International Film Festival in Canada, both late last year, among others.
It was screened at the London International Film Festival and was well received by critics for its “poetic imagery.”
Critics have praised Di for his ability to show human desires, pain, and torment.
He is soon slated to take part in the “Asian rendezvous” show at the Osaka Film festival in Japan.
He is planning his next movie, “Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories,” which will be produced in Vietnam.