The British Council Vietnam shows five British comedies in five major cities in Vietnam, every day in the week starting 30 October. For the first time, outdoor showings will be organised in the rural district of Hoa Vang, Danang.
Film selections include Local Hero (1983), A Private Function (1984), The Witches (1990), Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Shaun of the Dead (2004). Films will be shown in the Megastar Cineplexes in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Danang, Haiphong. In Can Tho, Ninh Kieu Cinema is the selected venue for showings.
The UK Film Festival 2013 is part of the GREAT Week, a week to showcase the best of the UK in Vietnam. All shows are free and tickets can be collected at 14.00, 25 September 2013 (Find the screening schedule and ticket collecting points below for more information)
To entertain the villagers in Hoa Vang District, Danang, Mr Bean's Back to School and the award-winning animated film Lost and Found were picked.
Chris Brown, Country Director, British Council Vietnam said: 'This year we will celebrate British comedies. The UK has a Great tradition of comedy – it is fun and carries some powerful messages at the same time. So do come and enjoy something very special - British humour.
'Many of our selections are classics. Why? Simply, they are great and timeless! We want to share them with you instead of just keeping them to ourselves, I look forward to seeing you there!'
Produced by Lord Puttnam of Queensgate (who won the Academy Award for Chariots of Fire), Local Hero was nominated for seven BAFTA Awards including Best Film. It won the BAFTA Award for Best Direction and holds a rare 100% positive rating from top critic reviews on the film review web site Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the film as a 'perfect, magical, intelligent comedy.'
A Private Function might be the most interesting selection for the UK Film Festival this year as it depicts a stint in the UK which is very similar to the post-war era in Vietnam when eating meat was a luxury and meat smuggling was a serious crime. Vietnamese audiences could laugh like a drain when seeing what would happen when a living pig went wild in your city kitchen with all of its horrible 'business.'
Starring the Academy Award winning actress Anjelica Huston as the 'completely uncompromised villainess,' The Witches was also praised by the critics and hold a rare 100% positive rating from top critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Four weddings and a Funeral does not need any explanation. The film saw Hugh Grant shot to global fame; it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and became the 'highest grossing British film in the cinema history at the time, with worldwide box office in excess of 245 million dollars.'
Shaun of the Dead stars Simon Pegg as a man trying to get some kind of focus in his life while having to deal with an uprising army of zombies. The film received both critical and commercial success.