3 "hundred billion dong" directors sit in the hot seat of the short film competition

This is the second year the contest has been organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper in collaboration with the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association.

The launching ceremony took place on the afternoon of May 23 in Ho Chi Minh City. Director Ly Hai could not attend due to personal reasons. The remaining members include: Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association, President of the jury; director Nguyen Quang Dung; producer Bui Quang Minh (Shark Minh Beta), President of Beta Group; actress - producer Thu Trang, journalist Lam Hieu Dung were also present. Among the jury members, director Nguyen Quang Dung and Ly Hai participated from season 1.

The jury members received flowers from the organizing committee. Photo: N.Van

Besides many new members in the jury compared to season 1, this year the Vietnam Short Film Competition also has certain changes.

In particular, the organizers expanded the documentary film category, as well as expanded the participants: for Vietnamese citizens and foreigners living and working legally in Vietnam (from 15 years old and up).

The organizers also created quite comfortable conditions by allowing candidates to be directors or screenwriters to use works that were made within the last 3 years and have never won awards at any competitions or film festivals.

Producer and director Thu Trang sits in the hot seat for the first time. Photo: N.Van

Meanwhile, director Nguyen Quang Dung has a second season accompanying the competition. Photo: N.Van

This year, the competition is especially accompanied by the Vietnam Association for the Promotion of Cinema Development. Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan also said that the works that won the highest prizes in this year's competition will be selected to be introduced and screened at the 2026 Asian Film Festival - Da Nang .

Speaking at the ceremony, journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan - Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, Head of the contest's organizing committee, said that in the midst of a vibrant market with many playgrounds for young people who love cinema, organizing and maintaining the contest is not beyond the desire to bring more opportunities for young people and students who are pursuing their passion for creative cinema to reach their dreams...

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Toan also hopes that the competition will become a playground with better professional value, spread more strongly, and truly inspire the filmmaking community, especially young filmmakers, contributing to the development of the film industry, in line with Vietnam's sustainable cultural and artistic development strategy.

Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan - President of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema Development is the President of the jury. Photo: N.Van

At the launching ceremony, the organizers also held a short talk with the theme Short Films - a playground for young people to attend film festivals.

According to Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, the two most important factors to evaluate a short film are idea and expression.

Director Nguyen Quang Dung advised young people to be proactive in seizing opportunities. Meanwhile, the spirit of daring to think and dare to do is what producer and director Thu Trang conveyed.

The jury members interacted and shared experiences with the young people. Photo: N.Van

This year's contest will accept entries from May 23 to July 7.

The organizers plan to award 4 awards for the films, including: best short film, most creative short film, most viral very short film and best documentary.

In addition, there are 5 awards for individuals: director, screenwriter, director of photography, best actor and best actress.

The award ceremony is scheduled to be held in August.

The organizers will organize cinetours to universities to bring the competition closer to students. Some topics: How to effectively market films, Making films super economically, Taking advantage of technology in film production... will be discussed with the participation of professional filmmakers.

VAN TUAN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/3-dao-dien-tram-ty-dong-ngoi-ghe-nong-cuoc-thi-phim-ngan-post796530.html