At the film screening (Photo: VNA)The audience at the filmscreening on February 23 also had achance to talk with director Daniel Roussel and the filming crew.
The movie “Only the watchmanknows that the night is long” by director Daniel Roussel and film maker Yann deSousa describes a fierce battle of wits at the negotiating table and favourablefactors that pushed the US to sign the Paris Agreement, putting an end to thewar and restoring peace in Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the documentary“Vietnam war: in the centre of secret negotiations”, also by director DanielRoussel, unveils secret negotiations between Vietnamese special advisor Le DucTho and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
A total 45 secretnegotiations were held in Paris suburban cities of Choisy-le Roi,Gif-sur-Yvette, and Saint-Nom-la-Breteche.
To reach the Paris Agreement,the involved parties got involved in 247 open and secret talks from March 15,1968 to January 27, 1973. This is considered the longest diplomatic negotiationin the history of Vietnam.
Daniel Roussel said tocomplete the films, he had to arrange a lot of meetings and interviews withhistorical figures, including special advisor Le Duc Tho, former Vice PresidentNguyen Thi Binh, and former Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Ngoc Thai, aswell as other witnesses from Choisy-le-Roi and Vietnamese community in France.
He told reporters from theVietnam News Agency that he admired the burning desire for peace and the highwill of the Vietnamese people to defend the country’s independence.
The two movies show thatVietnam is an exemplary model proving that any conflicts could be settledthrough political and peaceful solutions, he said.
Mayor of Choisy-le-Roi DidierGuillaume said the movie screening aims to raise public awareness of thehistorical close-knit ties between the city and Vietnam, especially amongyoungsters, and demonstrate the bilateral solidarity.-VNA
VNA
