HA NOI — Director and People’s Artist Le Manh Thich, one of Viet Nam’s most celebrated documentary makers, has died at the age of 66.

Thich died suddenly on Sunday evening at his home in Ha Noi. His death leaves a huge void that will be nearly impossible to fill, noted a colleague.

Born in 1938 in Moc Nam Commune, Duy Tien District, northern Ha Nam Province, Le Manh Thich is the former director of Central Scientific and Documentary Film Studio and a member of the executive committee of the Viet Nam Cinema Association.

He is admired as a talented documentary maker, whose sensitive approach closely examined social issues.

Almost all his works won prizes at national and international film festivals. He received a Golden Dove Prize at the Leipzig Film Festival in 1982 for Duong Day Len Song Da (Electric Line to Da River), Best Screenplay at Japan’s Hosu Runka Film Festival in 1995 for Chim Noi Song Huong (Ups and Downs the Huong River), and two prizes for best short film and best documentary at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival for O Du Kich Nho (Little Guerrilla) in 1996 and Tro Lai Ngu Thuy (Return to Ngu Thuy) two years later.

At domestic festivals, Thich won six Golden Lotus prizes and four first prizes from the Viet Nam Cinema Association.

With his documentary films, Thich made a great contribution to the art of documentary making and Vietnamese cinema, in general.

His devotion was not just evident in his film making as he was also awarded an Anti-US War Order and a Labour Order plus a Medal awarded for his achievements in Vietnamese cinema.

A funeral for director Le Manh Thich was scheduled to be held on Thursday. He would be buried at the city’s Thanh Tuoc cemetery. — VNS

Reprinted with permission from Vietnam News Agency