Festival Reports

Blog Actions

Get a short URL

The 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival (Vietnam) took place from 2 to 6 July 2024

The 63 films in the selection are divided into 7 sections: 

Asian in-competition films includes 13 feature films from China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Australia (Asia-Pacific). Among these thirteen films shot in 2023 and 2024, 18 youth by South Korean director Ei Il Seon is a world premiere. 

They are judged by the International Jury chaired by the writer-director Dai Sijie (Balzac and the little Chinese tailor), the other members are Mariette Rissenbeek (Berlin festival), Georges Goldenstern (Cannes festival), Tran Nu Yen Khé (actress: l'Odeur de la papaye verte, etc.) and Ha Le Diem, Vietnamese director (Children of the Mist).

Vietnamese in-competition films consists of 10 feature films made, one in 2022, seven in 2023 and two in 2024. They are very varied: soap opera, horror, fantasy, history, costume film, romance, family film, etc.

These 10 films compete for prizes awarded by the National Jury and the Netpac jury.

Stanley Kwan, director, producer and screenwriter (Hong Kong) chairs the national jury with Lorna Tee, producer, programmer (Malaysia), Le Khanh, Vietnamese actress (Vertical Summer, …), Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, producer (Vietnam), Leon Quang Le, director (USA - Vietnam). 

The president of the Netpac Jury is Jean-Marc Thérouanne, co-director and co-founder of the Festival International des Cinémas d'Asie in Vesoul (France), the other two members are Mara Matta, research professor at the University of Rome (Italy) and Phan Thi Bich Ha, professor in cinema (Vietnam)

Vietnamese cinema today consists of 18 feature and short films, documentaries and animation. Festival-goers vote for one of these 18 films to award the audience prize. 

Selected Films by people’s artist: Director Dang NhatMinh: this retrospective offers to see and see again, in the presence of Dang Nhat Minh, aged 86, the last 7 feature films of the master of Vietnamese cinema including his testament film Jasmin.

A day entitled Signature Style Of Director Dang Nhat Minh is devoted to the study of films and short stories by Dang Nhat Minh, director and writer, to emphasize the importance and multiplicity of his talents. Seven speakers, six Vietnamese academics and a French festival director (Jean-Marc Thérouanne) followed one another to show the multiple facets, complexity and coherence of a life’s work in the service of cinema and literature. 

Focus on French cinema and French film about Vietnam is a selection of 8 auteur films, including Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Lover, or genre (fantasy, science-fiction, etc.).

To complete this presentation of the historical ties between France and Vietnam, a day is devoted to the relations between French cinema and Vietnamese cinema under the high patronage of the French Embassy in Vietnam and the French Institute, in the presence of SEM Olivier Brochet, Ambassador of France to Vietnam. 

Films about Da Nang consists of 4 documentary films related to Da Nang. 

Varan Documentary series is a selection of 3 documentary films from Ateliers Varan in Vietnam. The director Tran Phuong Thao (Worker’s dream) has been the linchpin for twenty years. The Ateliers Varan through their training work have forged strong links between France and Vietnam. 

In addition to the traditional Question/Answer debates at the end of the film screenings with the film teams, there is also a panel discussion on Sharing Experiences and Networking Coastal Film Festivals. Opportunities for Da Nang City and DANAFF, Seminar International co-production, experience and Development solution, Talent Incubator workshop. 

The opening and closing ceremonies of the 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival take place at the Ariyana Convention Hall, where all the world’s greats, from the Emperor of Japan, to Donald Trump, through Vladimir Putin or Xi Jiping deliver their protocol speeches when they come to Vietnam.

The opening ceremony of the Festival places special emphasis on festival guests (film teams, honorary guests, jury members, sponsors). For the closing ceremony, the anticipation of the announcement of the winners is naturally highlighted. 

In total, 14 prizes were distributed in 2 categories: Asian films and Vietnamese films. To this is added the NETPAC Award for Best Vietnamese Film and the Audience Award for the most acclaimed Vietnamese film among those participating in the Current Vietnamese Cinema program.

This last prize was awarded to a series of cartoons: The carp of the genius of the home, The strange village of the sweet potato and These funny unicorn dancers. The NETPAC Prize for Best Vietnamese Film was awarded to Face off 7: A Wishdu director Ly Hai. The Netpac jury justified its choice with these words: 

“FOR the HEARTWARMING RENDITION OF A UNIVERSAL STORY THAT CONVEYS, in REALISTIC STYLE AND ACCOMPLISHED PERFORMANCES, THE HUMAN TRAGEDY OF ONE OWN’s PARENTS’ AGING AND PASSING AWAY”

In the Vietnam Film Award category, no screenwriter was awarded. The Best Actor Award was given to Thai Hoa in the film Nhot Is Dying to Marry. The Best Actress Award went to Phuong Anh Dào in the film Mai, thanks to which Tran Thành won the Best Director Award. Mai also won the Best Vietnamese Film Award, while the Best Cast Award went to Face Off 7: A Wish. 

In the Asian Film Awards category, the best screenwriter was Liu Jiayin with the film Precious Lives. The Best Actor Award went to Wu Kang Ren in Eternal Wish. The Best Actress Award went to Yuumi Kawai in Ann’s Life. Vietnamese filmmaker Pham Thiên An won the Best Director Award for L'arbre aux papillons d'or, which won the Caméra d'or in the Directors' Fortnight selection at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

The Special Jury Prize was awarded to Ann’s Life and finally, the best Asian film is Cu Li Never Cries by director-screenwriter Pham Ngoc Lân. If we had to summarize the Da Nang Asian Film Festival in a few words: professionalism, sense of welcome, serious, fraternal.

Looking forward to the 3rd Festival!

Jean-Marc THEROUANNE​

Chairperson of the NETPAC Jury

Co-Director, Vesoul International Film Festival for Asian Cinema