”Film Curation: Dare to Curate”

02 pm, Wed 22 Oct 2025
Casa Italia
18 Lê Phụng Hiểu, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội.
Registration form
** Chương trình diễn ra bằng tiếng Việt và tiếng Anh

From The Italian Film Festival in Vietnam:

Within the framework of the Italian Film Festival 2025, taking place from October 20 to October 25, 2025, in Hanoi, the Embassy of Italy in Hanoi and the Asian Film Festival in Rome cordially invite cinema lovers to attend a special talk titled “Film Curation: Dare to Curate”

In a landscape where cinema is constantly expanding and audiences can watch thousands of films with just a click, the role of the film curator has become more crucial than ever. A curator is not merely a selector, but also a connector, a conversationalist, and a creator of the watching experience – a space where stories, communities, and perspectives meet.

The Talk “Film Curation: Dare to Curate” opens a conversation among curators, organizers, and filmmakers from Vietnam and internationally, aiming to collectively pose these questions:
– What is film curation in today’s context?
– What kind of courage is required when selecting, presenting, and creating the context for a film?
– How can the curator become a bridge between art, audiences, and contemporary social issues?

Featuring speakers from diverse backgrounds – including international film festivals, independent cultural spaces, film education institutions, and the queer community – this conversation promises to offer multidimensional perspectives on the work of curation and how it shapes contemporary viewing culture.

About speakers:

Antonio Termenini – Director, Artistic Director of the Asian Film Festival in Rome and the Italian Film Festival in Hanoi.

Antonio Termenini creates and introduces events showcasing Asian cinema in Italy, he is the director of the Asian Film Festival in Rome and also serves as the President of Cineforum Robert Bresson. He is also a filmmaker whose short film “L’incontro” (“The Match”) was produced by Ottofilm and sold to several television channels in France and the UK, among other works. Antonio actively collaborates with film magazines and forums as a critic, an organiser, a journalist and a manager in the cinema industry.

Vũ Thị Thanh Bình – Founder of Bluebirds’ Nest and The Reading Room in Hanoi, and Cua Bien Creative Cultural Space in Hai Phong

Vũ Thị Thanh Bình has 10 years of experience in managing creative cultural spaces and organizing and communicating community cultural events. She founded and managed three spaces: Bluebirds’ Nest and The Reading Room in Hanoi, and Cua Bien Creative Cultural Space in Hai Phong. She has also provided operational and communication consulting for various cultural and artistic spaces and projects, including the Kafka Festival (2018–2019), Balade en France (2018–2020), and the Taiwan Film Salon (2020, 2022, 2024).

Her community-focused cultural and artistic practices primarily center on literature, promoting reading culture, cinema, and traditional crafts. In 2024, she participated in the Queer (w)eaves project initiated by the Goethe-Institut in Hanoi and Queer Forever, where she contributed as a fiber artist and had her work featured in a group exhibition in early 2025. Currently, she is organizing the Film Curation Practice Program with Bluebirds’ Nest, which aims to connect individuals and organizations involved in independent film research and production with audiences and cultural spaces in Hanoi.

Nguyễn Phương Thảo – A film and photography writer based in Hanoi

Nguyễn Phương Thảo is a writer based in Hanoi, specializing in film and photography. At the Center for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD), she contributed to programming the Bùi Thạc Chuyên Film Week (2025) and co-curated screenings of documentaries for Like The Moon In The Night Sky (2020, 2025). Since 2019, she has been collaborating with independent art spaces and cultural institutions in Hanoi, working as a writer, translator, and public programs coordinator. She holds a Master’s degree in Visual Studies from the University of Toulouse (France) and previously taught French language, culture and communications at Hanoi University. She spends much of her spare time working out the nuances of translating subtitles for old French films.

Nguyễn Bảo Châu – Independent filmmaker, director, and film festival organizer. Founder of LumiQueer and Hanoi International Queer Film Week

Nguyen Bao Chau is an independent filmmaker, director, and film festival organizer whose work highlights the transformative role of cinema in social dialogue. Since 2016, he has directed impactful short films, documentaries, and commercial projects, many of which explore themes of identity and representation.
As founder of LumiQueer and Hanoi International Queer Film Week, Chau has played a key role in creating platforms that amplify LGBTQ+ voices and support community engagement within Vietnamese cinema.
Currently pursuing a masterʼs degree in film arts, he is delving deeper into film theory and practices to refine his craft. This academic journey reflects a commitment to enhancing the quality and depth of his visual storytelling. He envisions a future where cinema becomes a more inclusive medium, fostering collaboration and empowering diverse narratives to shape a richer cultural landscape.
One of his remarkable project was the Hanoi International Queer Film Week HIQFW. Founded in 2017, the Hanoi International Queer Film Week HIQFW) is Vietnam’s first legally recognized queer film festival. Organized by LumiQueer and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vietnam, it celebrates diverse LGBTQ+ narratives through film and fosters public awareness of queer representation. As a member of the Asia Pacific Queer Film Festival Alliance, HIQFW creates a professional space for filmmakers to share stories that resonate with queer communities. The festival also encourages dialogue between filmmakers, audiences, and organizations, promoting inclusivity and collaboration.

Moderator:

Nguyễn Tú Hằng – Director of Hanoi Grapevine & Co-Founder of Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network (AiRViNe)

Nguyễn Tú Hằng is the Founder of Artist-in-Residence Vietnam Network (AiRViNe), dedicated to research on cultural mobility and residency programs, and Director at Hanoi Grapevine, a not-for-profit organisation supporting the artists’ ecosystem. Nguyễn Tú Hằng holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Management from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (Japan) and a Master’s in International Business and East Asia Studies from Sogang University (South Korea). From 2020 to 2023, she served as the Curator of Education at Vincom Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA). In 2024, Hằng received the Special Award for The Professional Exchange Program 2024 SEA Art and Cultural Practitioners from Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation (Taiwan), and a Fellowship for Conservation Treatment of Tangible Cultural Heritage from the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage (South Korea). In 2025, she has been invited to be a speaker at the Res Artis Conference 2025, the Annual Conference of the Taiwan Art Space Alliance – TASA, and the Koganecho Bazaar 2025.

Note:

By participating in the event, attendees are deemed to have granted the Organizing Committee permission to use their images and statements for non-commercial purposes such as documentation, media coverage, and promotional materials related to the program.

About The Italian Film Festival 2025

The Italian Film Festival 2025, organized by the Embassy of Italy in Hanoi in collaboration with the Asian Film Festival in Rome, will take place at the National Cinema Center (87 Láng Hạ, Hanoi) from October 20th to 25th, 2025.
The festival presents Vietnamese audiences with six outstanding new works of contemporary Italian cinema, from celebrated directors to promising talents on the rise.

Follow updates on event’s page.