Activities to mark International Francophone Day

      International Francophone Day 2009 will take place from March 20 to 31 in Hanoi, HCMC and Danang with the support of the Wallonie-BruxeIles Mission in Vietnam. The event is a series of activities including seminars, music shows, concerts, exhibitions and film festival.
A seminar "Innovating French," in Hanoi on March 21-22, in Danang on March 24-25 and in HCMC on March 29, will discuss the teaching of bilingual classes in Wallonie and Bruxelles by professor Laurence Mattewie of Namur University.
Meanwhile, another seminar entitled "University and Diversify", taking place in HCMC on March 27-28 and Hanoi on March 30-31, will share research from Liege University on how teaching materials are produced, and present a "business school" model.
The event also features a French language concert by well-known Belgian singer, Gibus (real name Alain de Spiegeleer) who has been singing for 40 years, 30 of them singing for children. The concert will take place at Hanoi Opera House (1 Trang Tien Street) at 7:30 p.m. on March 20 and at the Institute of Vietnamese Music (77 Hao Nam Street, Dong Da District) at 2 p.m. on March 21.
At the concert, audiences will see images of daily life and family life as well as human misery through the diverse inspiration and sweet melodies of Gibus.
The Belgian film "Wonderful!', directed by Serge Lariviere and Stephane De Groodt, will provide some relaxation and humor. The film was introduced at the Francophone Film Festival in Namur, Belgium and will be screened in Hanoi at the Vietnam Cinematography Association, 51 Tran Hung Dao Street on March 18, at the L'Espace(French Cultural Center), 24 Trang Tien Street on March 21, and in Hue at the French Cultural Center, 1 Le Hong Phong Street, Hue City on March 26, and finally in HCMC at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (Idecaf) at 31 Thai Van Lung Street, HCMC's District 1.
Moreover, the Canadian Embassy will take this occasion to introduce three films previously screened at the Francophone Film Festival:
- Dark Days directed by Denys Arcand received nine Genie awards (the Canadian Oscars). The film will be screened in Hanoi at the L'Espace on March 19 and at the Vietnam Cinematography Association on March 28 with English and Vietnamese subtitles,
- Good Cop, Bad Cop directed by Erik Canual won the Genie Award for best Canadian film in 2006. The film will be screened at the L'Espace on March 19 and at the Vietnam Cinematography Association March 27 with subtitles in French and Vietnamese. Not suitable for children under 18.
- Continental directed by Stephane Lafleur, winner of numerous awards including best film at the Toronto Film Festival in 2007. The film will be screened at the L'Espace on March 17 and at the Vietnam Cinematography Association on March 27 with Vietnamese subtitles.