Nghe An workers in the short film "I go to sell myself"

(Baonghean) - The short film titled “I go to sell myself” by young director Mac Pham Ngoc Ha is one of the short films selected to participate in the 3rd Hanoi International Film Festival. What is special is that the film was built from a spontaneous market located on Buoi slope (Hanoi capital), which is still called “Nghe labor market” by Hanoi people.

The scriptwriter, director, cameraman, post-production worker, etc., from the 9X generation, revealed: “It took me two months to make this film, most of which was getting to know the residents of the market. I went there a few times a week, following them to film. On the first day of filming, they were very wary of me. There was a time when I was scolded so much that I cried when I got home. Then the camera was covered and I didn’t cooperate. Therefore, I had to talk more to make them understand me, share more about me to build trust. Finally, I finished filming the film.”

The film was completed in 2013. In the introduction to her film, Ha wrote very briefly: “There are many types of markets in this world: flea markets, motorbike markets, wholesale markets, vegetable and fruit markets, flower markets… but the most unique is the human market – where people without qualifications or expertise are forced to sell their labor cheaply.”

A scene from the movie.

The film reflects the lives of people who have to leave their homeland, alone in the struggle for survival, isolated in the storm of prices, their already difficult lives are now even more difficult. By joining the workforce at the human market, the director of “I Sell Myself” has “captured” the real and emotional daily interactions, recording part of the voice from within the community of workers pushed into this harsh market.

There, viewers will encounter scenes of extremely miserable labor sales, bargaining up and down with the laborers. They will see eyes straining to look at the bustling streets, and then the excitement when a motorbike comes and offers to hire...

The film also has touching and accurate scenes. It is the scene of young men shivering in the cold of Hanoi, collecting anything that can be burned into fire, they gather together around that red fire... telling each other stories about family, life and gossiping about the world. It is the scene of many people crowded into a rented room. The lives of the Nghe people who sell their labor here also follow common principles. They take turns waiting to sell their labor, whoever does not go will stay home to cook, do laundry, wait for the other person to come back and take turns... The film has many perspectives and colors, but what stands out is the neighborly love and fellow countrymen in a foreign land.

The film director said that no one in the labor market knows exactly when the market was established, or when this generation came and that generation left… however, most of the laborers in the market are from Nghe An. “Mr. Sy, a member of the market, explained that the reason all the people of Nghe An gather together is because they are fellow countrymen and protect each other,” Ha recounted.

Even though it is a spontaneous market, it still has its own rules. There is a general manager in the market who will be responsible for receiving contracts from customers and then assigning people to carry out those contracts. The money is divided equally among each individual. One person's income can reach hundreds of thousands of dong a day, but there are also days when everyone waits without anyone hiring them. Those are also the days when they have to cut back on their spending.

The film “I Go Sell Myself” was screened in the “In Focus” program of the Yxine online film festival, was nominated for the Golden Lotus Award in 2013 and the film project was sponsored by the Denmark-Vietnam Cultural Development and Exchange Fund. At the 3rd Hanoi International Film Festival, the film “I Go Sell Myself” was nominated in the short film competition category.

Viet Thinh