Spreading and celebrating cultural identity.

(To Quoc) - On November 7th, the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF VII) officially opened, welcoming filmmakers and film artists from Vietnam and abroad to the beautiful capital city. With the theme "Cinema: Creativity - Taking Flight," the festival includes a series of rich and unique activities such as the opening and closing ceremonies, red carpet, audience interaction, competition films, panoramic films, Project Market... aiming to introduce and honor outstanding works from Vietnam and many countries around the world .

Outstanding Vietnamese films

The film festival is a major event directed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Hanoi People's Committee; the Cinema Department presides over the event, in collaboration with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports.

HANIFF VII is ready to open on the evening of November 7th.

From over 500 films submitted, the preliminary and final selection committees of the Film Festival have chosen 117 films from 51 countries and territories to be screened in the Festival's film programs. These films, with their diverse styles and unique, creative presentations, promise to create a vibrant, lively, and culturally rich film festival.

Of the 117 feature films and short films participating in the film festival, 65 were foreign films and 52 were Vietnamese films. This included 10 feature films in competition (9 feature films from foreign countries: Switzerland, the Russian Federation, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, South Korea, Iran, India, and France, and 1 feature film in competition). Vietnam is the film Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story .

"Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story," directed by Trinh Dinh Le Minh, is based on the literary work of the same name by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh. This film was also chosen to open HANIFF VII.

According to Mr. Vi Kien Thanh, Director of the Cinema Department and Head of the Film Festival Organizing Committee, the reason for choosing the film "Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story" to participate in the competition category is that it meets the film's criteria, is a newly produced film, and has not participated in any other film festival. At the same time, it also carries a gentle and humane message.

Besides "Once Upon a Love Story," the Vietnamese films include short films competing in the competition and films screened in the Contemporary Vietnamese Cinema program.

Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story that captivated audiences, grossing nearly 30 billion VND after just one week of release.

Eight short films from Vietnam are competing: The Paradise Guava Tree; Heading Towards the Sun; The Tourism Dream of the Indigenous People of the Central Highlands; Spirit Image; Origin; Don't Cry at the End of the Road, My Dear; Smile; and Tẹo.

The Contemporary Vietnamese Film Program will offer audiences the opportunity to enjoy 21 outstanding feature films released in the past two years of Vietnamese cinema. With diverse themes, including many blockbuster films dubbed "100 billion VND films" of Vietnamese cinema such as: "Mrs. Nu's House," "Mai," and films that have won prestigious international awards such as "Inside the Golden Cocoon."

Inside the Golden Cocoon, the film won the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) – the prestigious award for the best debut film by a young director at the Cannes Film Festival in France (2023); in April 2024, at the 21st Asian Film Festival, the film was also awarded Best Film.

In addition, audiences will also be able to enjoy for free films that have attracted viewers recently, such as "The Old Woman Who Went on the Run"; "Cam"; "Peach, Pho and Piano"; "Fragile Flower"; "Meeting the Pregnant Woman Again"; "Rescuing the Teacher"; "Apple Blossoms"; "Hong Ha Female Writer"; "The Anonymous"; "The Soul Eater"; "Making Money with Ghosts"; "Claws"; "The Walls"; "The Devil Dog"; "Super Swindler Meets Super Clumsy"; "The Rose Squad"; "Before 'Love'"; and "Childhood Moon".

Additionally, the contemporary Vietnamese film program includes six documentaries: *Aspiration for the Azure Sky*; *Sunshine Staining Golden Silk*; *A Thousand Years of Traditional Music*; *Rediscovering Childhood Through Folk Games*; *The Crime Behind Trust*; and *A Letter to Mother*.

Regarding animated films, six animated films participated in the Contemporary Vietnam Program: The Kitchen God's Carp; The Lost Tilapia; The Curly-Haired Girl; The Mischievous Lion Dance Team; A Child's Dream; and Rebirth.

Inside the Golden Cocoon - a captivating film in the Contemporary Vietnamese Film Program.

Positive signs from the Project Market

The Film Project Market is also a memorable activity at HANIFF. The Project Market is increasingly attracting young filmmakers, while also encouraging investors to participate in developing and implementing quality projects, contributing to the development of Vietnamese cinema to reach a global level.

Within the framework of HANIFF VII, which is also the 5th time the Film Project Market has been held, it creates a platform and opportunity for filmmakers who wish to introduce their projects to investors and leading international production experts.

This year, at HANIFF VII, the Project Market received a record number of entries – nearly 70 projects submitted from over 20 countries and territories. The organizers invited not only niche auteur films but also more commercially oriented films. The quality was considered "very high and diverse," making it "very time-consuming and difficult" for the organizing committee to select the 8 participating projects.

Vietnam alone accounted for four projects: I Want to Hire Forever (produced by Bui Le Nhat Tien/directed by McFloyd Nguyen), Memento Mori: Water (Marcus Manh Cuong Vu), The Hired Weaver (Do Son/Do Ha), and The Curse of Blood (Nguyen Pham Hoang Quan/Nestor Sanchez Sotelo). The remaining four projects belonged to India, Turkey, Bangladesh, and Malaysia.

Although Vietnamese projects accounted for a large number, the organizers affirmed that there was no favoritism towards the host country. Mr. Vi Kien Thanh stated that the four-member curator: director Nguyen Phan Quang Binh (Vietnam), producer Jodi Hildebrand (USA), Thibaut Bracq (France), and Lee Jin Sung (South Korea) selected the eight projects deemed to be of the highest quality, without differentiating based on the number of entries from each country.

At HANIFF VII, the Project Market received a record number of entries – nearly 70 projects submitted from over 20 countries and territories.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong also stated: "Vietnamese cinema has made very strong progress in recent years. The fact that we account for half of the projects in the Film Project Market, including both established filmmakers and first-time authors, is a very encouraging sign."

Tonight, November 7th, the opening ceremony of the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival will officially take place at the Ho Guom Theater, marking the beginning of one of the most anticipated film events of 2024. We believe and hope that through this event, the HANIFF brand will be further affirmed and its position enhanced, contributing to spreading the image and culture of Hanoi in particular, and Vietnam in general, to the world. HANIFF VII will continue to make a positive mark, making Hanoi in particular and Vietnam in general a new destination on the world film map.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/lien-hoan-phim-quoc-te-ha-noi-vii-lan-toa-ton-vinh-ban-sac-van-hoa-20241106230155488.htm