Reporters looking for the truth
In social life, journalism is one of the most special professions. Journalists are present in many hot spots of life, from natural disasters, epidemics to cases, people's livelihood issues or investigations against negativity. It is this rich nature of conflict and drama that makes journalism an attractive material for cinema.
However, on Vietnamese screens, the number of works directly exploiting journalism is not large.
Mentioning this topic, many viewers still remember the TV series "Journalism" by director Phi Tien Son. The film gathers actors Hong Anh, Hoang Phuc, Duc Thinh and once created a buzz when it aired.
In the film, Hong Anh plays Thuy Binh - a female investigative reporter who always pursues negative and corrupt cases and is ready to face pressure to protect the truth. This is considered one of the clearest journalistic images on Vietnamese screens.
What makes the "Journalism profession" receive a lot of sympathy is not only in the investigation cases but also in the story behind each article. Those are long-term field trips, times facing threats, pressure from agencies, families and even professional temptations.
The film shows that journalism is not just a simple news reporting job but also a journey of choice between personal interests and social responsibility.
After "Journalism", the image of reporters continues to appear in some political dramas such as "Running Cases", "Birth and Death" or "Brain Battle".
Although not the central character, journalists in these films still play the role of the voice of public opinion. They contribute to bringing the truth to light, creating social pressure for negative cases to be handled.
In the movie "Birth and Death", articles reflecting violations related to group interests, corruption and abuse of power become an important part of the journey to combat negativity. Meanwhile, the movie "Dau Tri" continues to depict the role of the press in accompanying functional agencies in complex economic cases.
The common point of these works is to build the image of journalists as individuals who dedicate themselves, accept pressure to pursue the truth and protect community interests.
When a journalist enters the battlefield
If political films reflect journalists in contemporary social life, then works about war show a different slice of the journalistic profession.
In the history of Vietnamese revolutionary journalism, many journalists were directly present on the battlefield, recording historical moments with articles, cameras and footage. Many people fell while working.
That spirit is recreated in some film and television works in recent years. "Red Rain" is one of the notable films when bringing the image of front reporters to the screen. Amidst the smoke and fire of war, they do not directly hold guns but still face danger like real soldiers.
The writings, photos or films taken right in the battlefield not only have information value but also become valuable historical documents for future generations.
Through the image of a war correspondent, the film shows a less exploited aspect of journalism: silent sacrifice.
Some other works such as "Secret of the Golden Triangle" also feature characters operating under the guise of reporters or related to the work of collecting and verifying information. Although bearing a criminal and detective color, these films still partly show the professional skills and the ability to access reality of journalists.
In fact, journalists are one of the professions that can appear in any film setting. They can be investigative reporters in crime films, war correspondents in historical films, cultural journalists in life films or storytellers in social films. That is what makes journalism a material with great potential for the screen.
Regrettable gap
Despite possessing many attractive materials, journalism has not yet been exploited commensurately on Vietnamese screens.
Compared to familiar topics such as family, love or crime, the number of films focusing on journalism can be counted on the fingers of one hand. After "Journalism", very few works have created a strong impression or caused widespread resonance on this topic.
This is regrettable because journalism inherently contains elements that cinema always needs: conflict, drama, secrecy, investigation and challenging choices. Each negative investigation lasting many months, each time working in a natural disaster, each pursuit of the truth under pressure from many sides can become an attractive film story.
Not only that, journalism also reflects the changes of society through each period. Through the journey of a reporter, the audience can see many issues of contemporary life.
In the context of strong digital media development today, journalism has more new materials. These are the fight against fake news, pressure from social networks, competition for information speed or challenges in maintaining professional ethics in a multi-platform media environment.
These are all topical stories, close to the public and can completely become a source of inspiration for cinema.
On the occasion of Vietnam Revolutionary Press Day June 21, looking back at films such as "Journalism", "Birth and Death", "Brain Battle" or "Red Rain" shows that the image of journalists still carries their own attraction on screen. Those are the people silently behind news reports, articles and investigations, but they have the potential to create a great impact on society.
Perhaps it is time for Vietnamese cinema to pay more attention to this topic. Because behind each editorial office, each working trip or each investigation, there are stories rich in emotions, rich in humanity and enough to create memorable films about the profession, especially named journalism.
