Opening of the 2024 Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City

Attending the opening ceremony of the 2024 Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City were: Mr. Enrico Padula - Consul General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Antonio Termenini - Artistic Director of the Asian Film Festival in Rome; Mr. Pham Quy Trong - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, Deputy Head of the Standing Office of the Southern Region; Dr. Pham Huy Quang - Principal of the University of Theater and Cinema, Ho Chi Minh City; along with representatives of the Schools, accompanying partners and many artists.

Impressive performances with strong Italian and Vietnamese cultural imprints at the Opening Ceremony on the evening of September 29

Strengthening cultural exchange cooperation between Vietnam and Italy

In his opening speech, Mr. Enrico Padula - Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City said that art is a source of inspiration to spread images, culture and people to the world. In particular, cinema is perhaps the most complete, profound and effective form of conveying in-depth knowledge about other peoples and cultures. Thanks to cinema, we can gain comprehensive knowledge about people, objects, landscapes... And through the stories told by cinema, we introduce to the audience about psychology, the inner transformation of people...

Mr. Enrico Padula - Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City delivered the opening speech.

"Italian cinema has a long tradition and is considered the birthplace of this art form. The Venice Film Festival in Italy is also the oldest film festival in the world. Through the 2024 Italian Film Festival, audiences in Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnam in general will have the opportunity to access the cultural, historical, people and beautiful, ancient country of Italy through classic films shown as well as activities to promote and advertise Italian cinema," Mr. Enrico Padula emphasized.

Mr. Antonio Termenini - Artistic Director of the Asian Film Festival in Rome and the Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City shares information about the Film Festival.

Sharing the same view with Mr. Enrico Padula, Mr. Antonio Termenini - Artistic Director of the Asian Film Festival in Rome and the Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City added that the films introduced in the Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City this time were created by famous producers and directors not only in Italy but also in the world. At the same time, the Film Festival also witnessed new talents of contemporary Italian cinema through screening Italian films to the film-loving community. And this annual Italian Film Festival activity is a continuation of the successes of previous Film Festivals, further tightening the long-standing cultural exchange and cooperation relationship between Vietnam and Italy.

Learn and get to know contemporary Italian cinema

As a companion and important partner of the 2024 Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Pham Huy Quang, Principal of the University of Theatre and Cinema, Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that the 2024 Italian Film Festival is a special annual film event organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing to the Vietnamese film-loving public a look at contemporary Italian cinema.

Dr. Pham Huy Quang, Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Theater and Cinema, delivered a speech welcoming the 2024 Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City.

More specifically, the festival takes place in the context that Ho Chi Minh City has issued a project on the Strategy for the development of the cultural industry, in which Cinema is selected as a key area. Ho Chi Minh City has also officially proposed that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism select the Cinema sector to participate in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

The 2024 Italian Film Festival is an opportunity for us to discover and honor the excellent cinematographic works of Italy, a cinema rich in tradition and creativity; at the same time, it marks the good cooperation between the University of Theater and Cinema, Ho Chi Minh City and the Consulate General of Italy.

Signing ceremony of cooperation between Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City and Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema

"We believe that through the films selected for this festival as well as the accompanying activities, Vietnamese audiences will have more opportunities to learn about Italian culture and people, as well as feel the creativity and dedication of Italian filmmakers. More specifically, this is also an opportunity for students of the University of Theatre and Cinema in Ho Chi Minh City as well as young Vietnamese directors to learn and approach contemporary Italian cinema," Dr. Pham Huy Quang emphasized.

Many activities at the Film Festival

After the opening ceremony, guests and the audience enjoyed the film "Io Capitano" (I am the Captain) by director Matteo Garrone. The film tells the story of the migration journey of two brothers Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall, from their hometown of Dakar, Senegal to Sicily, Italy. And then, from September 30 to October 4, movie lovers will be able to watch for free the remaining 5 works screened in the following days, including: "Palazzina Laf" (Cold Rolling Mill) by director Michele Riondino; "Zamora" by director Neri Marcorè; "Quell'estate con Irène" (Summer with Irène) by director Carlo Sironi; "Rapito" (Kidnap) by director Marco Bellocchio; "La Chimera" (The Unrealized Dream) by director Alice Rohrwacher.

The Organizing Committee awarded commemorative medals to representatives of strategic partners of the Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City 2024

Among them are many outstanding Italian films in recent years, highly appreciated by experts and won awards at prestigious film festivals such as: "Io Capitano" nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe in the Foreign Language Film category in 2024, "La Chimera" and "Rapito" competing for the Palme d'Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival...

The film was screened at the opening ceremony of the Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City 2024.

All screenings start at 7pm and after each screening there will be a Q&A session with Antonio Termenini - Artistic Director of the Asian Film Festival in Rome and the Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City. To receive free tickets, audiences need to register in advance at the link: https://bit.ly/TicketIFF2024HCMC.

In addition to the film screening and the exchange after each screening, on October 2, a workshop on the topic "Filmmaking trends in contemporary Italian cinema" with the participation of Artistic Director Antonio Termenini, along with other guests, was held at the University of Theatre and Cinema, Ho Chi Minh City.

Free film screening schedule of the 2024 Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition, the Organizing Committee also launched the "Italian Film Review Contest" for all audiences who come to watch this year's films, from September 29 to October 7. And the short film contest with the theme "Italian culture from a Vietnamese perspective" for students of the University of Theatre and Cinema, Ho Chi Minh City, the deadline for submission is October 9.

The 2024 Italian Film Festival in Ho Chi Minh City is organized by the Consulate General of Italy in Ho Chi Minh City in collaboration with the Asian Film Festival in Rome and accompanying partners such as Galaxy Cinema, Ho Chi Minh City University of Theater and Cinema, Faculty of Italian (University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Ho Chi Minh City National University), VIEWSONIC and Tran Gia Brand Development Joint Stock Company. This event takes place from September 29 to October 4 at the Galaxy Cinema complex (116 Nguyen Du, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), with the desire to bring Vietnamese audiences a contemporary perspective on Italian cinema, promoting Italian culture through cinema.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/khai-mac-lien-hoan-phim-italia-2024-tai-tp-ho-chi-minh-20240930070832758.htm