Embassy of Sweden hosted movie screening in celebration of Hanoi Pride 2021

Continuing the celebration of Hanoi Pride 2021, the Embassy of Sweden in Hanoi turned on 10 November the Swedish Residence into a cinema.

In a update, the Embassy of Sweden shared that a mixed audience representing Hanoi Pride, academia, civil society and diplomatic missions watched the Swedish movie “My Father Marianne”, which is a story about a father coming out as transgender, and a daughter’s struggle to come to terms with this. 

When Hanna’s beloved father, the priest with the big beard, tells her that he’s really called Marianne, Hanna’s world falls apart. None of her courses in norm creativity can help; she hates Marianne who has stolen her dad away. But for Marianne there’s no turning back; she has to be who she really is – finally.

The movie premiered in Sweden in 2020 and is loosely based on an autobiographical book by the Swedish author Ester Roxberg, entitled “My Father Ann-Christine”. After the film, Ester joined virtually from Sweden to share her story and to address some of the questions that had arisen from watching the film.

Following the movie, while reflecting that the story of the main character could attach to her own story, Ms. Nguyen Phuong Anh, Operation Coordinator of Hanoi Pride 2021 said “It was touching to watch the film. Many times, I felt tears in my eyes. The message I took with me was the moment when Marianne – the father said to her daughter: I love you, I would always support who you are, and who you want to be.”

Mr. Nguyen Hong Quan, Lecturer from the Academy of Cinema and Theater noted “Cool to be able to enjoy a movie in a dark room, together with others during the Hanoi Pride. This has also brought me nice memories of my very first trip to Sweden many years back. What a great movie based on a true story of a transgender. I think the film deserves a public screening in a film festival in Vietnam.“

Vietnam’s journey when it comes to LGBTIQ+ issues is very much ongoing. “I hope to see a more tolerant environment for transgender people and as a possible next concrete step for Vietnam, I hope to see the Gender Affirmation law being adopted as soon as possible”, said Swedish ambassador Ann Måwe in her welcoming remarks before the movie.