Painter Ngo Manh Lan was born in 1934 in Thanh Tri District’s Ta Thanh Oai Commune in Hanoi. He was presented the title of People's Artist in 1997 and the State Award for Literature and the Arts in 2007.
People’s Artist Ngo Manh Lan
He was early introduced to the fine arts at the age of 16 and participated in the first class on fine arts of the Resistance School of Fine Arts in Viet Bac revolutionary base taught by famous painter To Ngoc Van.
After graduation, he joined the military, participated in the Dien Bien Phu Campaign and created many sketches themed resistance war
In 1956, he was sent to study at the Department of Animation Director at the State University of Cinema of the Soviet Union. Graduated in 1962, he came home and worked at the Vietnam Doll Animation Studio (now the Vietnam Animation Studio).
In 1963, he released his first animated movie tiled Mot Uoc Mo (A dream). His films won many awards, such as De Men Phieu Luu Ky (Diary of a Cricket), Chuyen Ong Giong (The story of Saint Giong), Tre Coc (Catfish and toad), Con Sao Biet Noi (The speaking starling), Nhung Chiec Ao Am (Warm sweaters), Thach Sanh, Rung Hoa (The flower forest) and more.
He received many awards at local and international film festivals, such as Golden Lotus, Silver Lotus and Certificates of Merit at Vietnam Film Festivals, Silver Pelican at the International Animation Film Festival in Mamaia (Romania) in 1966 for the film “The kitten”, Golden Dove on the Leipzig Worldwide Movie Pageant in Germany in 1970 for the movie The story of Saint Giong.
He also taught students at schools, wrote books and news articles. He earned the title of Associate Professor in 1991. The director was also a painter and member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association.
