What Remains – Documentary Film & Photography Workshop in Vietnam with Prof. Matthias Leupold

Deadline for registration: 20 Oct 2026
Register here
Send application via email [email protected]

From the organizer:

Part A 19 – 21 Nov 2026
Vietnam Friendship Village, Hà Nội
304 Xuân Phương street, An Trai village, Sơn Đồng, Hà Nội, Việt Nam
Part B 22 – 24 Nov 2026
Cát Bà Island or another location near Hanoi, such as Ninh Bìn, Hòa Bình, Đà Bắc, Ba Vì, Hà Tây province

What is the project about?

The workshop explores how the Vietnam War continues to shape the lives of individuals and families, landscapes, and public memory. At the Friendship Village, participants will meet veterans and other people whose lives are connected to the war’s long-term consequences. Their experiences will provide the starting point for sensitive documentary conversations and visual observations.

Possible themes include memories of war and displacement, disability and care, the effects of Agent Orange/dioxin, unexploded ordnance, environmental change, reconciliation, and the transmission of experience between generations. These themes are guiding motifs, not a fixed script: the people we meet decide for themselves what they wish to share. The group will develop the final narrative from the material created together.

Photography, video—or both? And art?

Both. And art! Photography and documentary video are equally valued forms of expression. Participants may focus on one medium or move between both. Photographs may be created as independent works, portrait or landscape series, visual research, or part of the collective film. Video work includes interviews, observational scenes, location footage, and sound.

Under the working title LIGHTER THAN ORANGE II, the group will create a collective documentary film and a curated selection of photographs. The aim is not merely to collect images, but to find a clear and respectful form for essential content: What remains of a war after the fighting has ended? And how can images and voices make these consequences visible without reducing people to symbols? Individual artistic works and projects are expressly welcome and will be supported.

Who can participate?

The workshop is intended for students, artists, filmmakers, photographers, and interested beginners. Professional experience is not required. Advanced and professional practitioners are also expressly welcome: they can deepen their practice, take on more demanding creative and technical tasks, and contribute their experience to the collective process. Anyone with a camera or smartphone capable of recording good-quality image and sound may apply. Basic familiarity with one’s own equipment is helpful, while the workshop also teaches practical fundamentals. Teams will intentionally include people with different levels of experience so that everyone can learn from one another.

Recommended: Curiosity, reliability, a willingness to collaborate, and the ability to listen.

Language: The working language is English; Vietnamese language support or interpretation will be provided where possible. Interviews will be transcribed and translated into English.

Group size: A maximum of 10 participants, allowing for intensive supervision and shared responsibility.

What will we learn?

Documentary approach: Developing a question, research, interview preparation, listening, observation, image sequencing, and narrative structure.

Camera practice: Exposure, focus, composition, camera movement, and working with tripods, available light, and LED light for interviews and portraits.

Sound: Selecting and positioning microphones, monitoring sound, recording room tone, and capturing intelligible speech on real locations.

Photography: Portrait and landscape photography, developing visual series, image selection, and basic colour and tonal correction.

Post-production: Data backup and file organisation, reviewing and logging, transcription, translation, image editing, and an introduction to collaborative video editing.

Ethics: Informed consent, respectful representation, cultural sensitivity, trauma-aware interviews, privacy, and the right to stop a recording or withdraw material.

How does the collective work operate?

Participants work in two or three small teams and rotate between tasks such as interviewing, camera, sound, photography, data management, transcription, and editing. Depending on consent, available time, and the needs of those involved, each team plans approximately four to six interviews. The material is reviewed together every evening. Editorial decisions are discussed collectively; the dignity, safety, and wishes of contributors take priority over any artistic outcome.

No one needs to master every task. The workshop regards technique and content as inseparable: equipment choices, composition, sound, and editing should help the audience understand the subject rather than distract from it. We will propose team groupings, but the final composition can be decided together on site. Participants who prefer to work alone are also welcome.

Programme · Part A

Day 1 · Context, ethics, and first recordings
Screening and discussion of LIGHTER THAN ORANGE;

introduction to the project theme and the Friendship Village; exercises on consent and interviewing; camera, sound, and photography practice; first encounters and recordings. Evening: data backup, review, and selection.

Day 2 · Interviews, observation, and portraits
Interviews and observational filming in small groups, accompanied by portrait and detail photography.
Lunch break: 12 PM – 02 PM.
Evening: logging, transcription, translation, photo editing, and feedback on image and sound quality.

Day 3 · Completing the material and developing a narrative
Supplementary interviews, contextual images, and sound recordings; identifying gaps; collective review; first sequences for the film and photo selection; clarification of usage rights and next steps for a public presentation.

Programme · Part B

The three-day extension on a) Cát Bà Island
or, for example, b) in Ninh Bình
focuses on landscape, portraiture, and the relationship between place, memory, and change.
Other possible locations are:
c) Hòa Bình—for example, the Hòa Bình dam and hydroelectric power station
d) Đà Bắc
e) Ba Vì
f) several rural districts of Hanoi in the former Hà Tây province. These areas contain numerous craft villages and rice fields, for example in Thạch Thất, Đan Phượng, and Thường Tín. When applying, simply indicate your preferred location. During preparation, we will determine which location receives the most interest.

Travel costs depend on the number of travellers—as we will share a van—and the distance from Hanoi. Participants will continue editing the material from the Friendship Village while also developing new photographic and audiovisual studies. The final day will focus on selection, sequencing, feedback, and forms of presentation.

Equipment and preparation

Some equipment will be provided, but not enough for everyone. If available, please bring a camera or smartphone, batteries and charger, memory cards, headphones, tripod, microphone or audio recorder, and a small LED light. A laptop with familiar photo or video software is helpful but not required. Before travelling, please free up sufficient storage space, test your device, and practise transferring files.

The workshop teaches practical workflows but cannot provide comprehensive training for every camera model or editing programme. Shared equipment must be handled responsibly. At the end of each day, all recordings will be copied into the agreed project structure.

Presentation and outcomes

With the support of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, a public presentation in Hanoi is planned. Possible formats include a work-in-progress screening of the film, a photographic projection or selection of prints, and a moderated discussion. Publication or public screening of interviews requires documented consent and a final ethical review.

Participation, fees, and organisation

Booking
Parts A and B may be booked separately; participation in all six days is recommended.

Part A
€150 per person; students €120. Accommodation and meals at the Friendship Village are available at very affordable rates and are not included in the fee.

Part B
€120 per person; students €90. Accommodation, shared taxi or van journeys, and individual meals are not included in the fee.

Combined booking
€25 discount when Parts A and B are booked together.

Accommodation
Rooms near the Friendship Village are recommended because work begins at 08:00. An inexpensive lunch is available on site; the veterans’ lunch break is from 12:00 to 14:00.

Two scholarships

in the amount of the fees will be awarded: one for Part A and one for Part B. Both scholarships may be awarded to the same participant.

The criterion for awarding scholarships is a compelling statement of motivation for this photography and video workshop. The submitted portfolio and its artistic quality may be taken into consideration but are not a requirement, as the workshop is also intended for beginners.

Travel costs

Travel costs are not included in the participation fee. Participants should budget separately for bus and taxi fares and, where applicable, boat or ferry tickets, and cover these costs themselves.

Application and contact

Please apply by 20 October 2026.
Briefly describe
– your interest in the subject
– your preferred medium (photography, video, sound, or a combination)
– your level of experience
– the equipment you can bring.

Applications: [email protected];
Chau, the assistant in Hanoi, can be reached via WhatsApp at +84 94 604 1789.
Workshop contact +49 151 22660340 (WhatsApp)