DANAFF III and exciting new features

Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Trung Chinh (left) presented the award for best Vietnamese film to the film "Mai" by director Tran Thanh, within the framework of the 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival, 2024. Photo: XUAN DUNG

Many new and attractive highlights

One of the new changes of DANAFF III is to increase the duration to 7 days compared to 5 days in the previous two editions. The total number of films selected for the programs in DANAFF III is more than 100 films (compared to 46 films of DANAFF I and 63 films of DANAFF II).

The number of film screenings increased to about 200, double the previous season. In particular, this year's program content has been expanded with many new highlights, notably the launch of the "Asian Cinema Panorama" program, selecting excellent and successful Asian cinema works at international film festivals in the past year, along with films selected by DANAFF for their premiere. This year marks the appearance of the "Asian Film Critics Award" in the "Asian Cinema Panorama" program.

At the press conference announcing the DANAFF III program in 2025, organized by the Vietnam Association for the Promotion of Cinematography and the Da Nang City People's Committee in Hanoi , Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi said that DANAFF III will continue to bring a creative artistic space, where filmmakers, directors, and actors gather, exchange, share, and inspire. "We hope that through this event, the image of Da Nang, a young, dynamic, friendly city with great potential for cultural industry development, will be widely introduced to international friends," the Vice Chairwoman of the City People's Committee emphasized.

In particular, in the program "Film Spotlight" of DANAFF III, Korea is the country selected and introduced. This is a country representing a cinema with great influence in the region and the world . Currently, the Organizing Committee of DANAFF III in coordination with the Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam, the Korean Film Commission (KOFIC), the Korean Film Institute (KOFA) selected and introduced 14 typical works, produced from the 60s of the 20th century to the present through the program "Imprints of Korean cinema through each time period". The films demonstrate the artistic talent and cultural depth typical of the kimchi land.

Along with the screening is the seminar “Korean Cinema: Lessons from international success and experience in developing the film industry”, with the desire to open up opportunities for open, quality discussions about this important film industry, both in terms of research on works with the participation of experts and scholars, and to draw valuable lessons on creativity, management, and operation of the Korean film industry for filmmakers, managers, and those interested in cinema.

It can be seen that the cinema of the two countries has many similarities in the themes and language of films in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century. However, since the 90s of the last century, Korean cinema has made great strides, leaving a strong mark on the international cinema map. From that reality, the conference is expected to bring practical experiences and valuable reference values to the cinemas in the region.

Award ceremony at the second Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF II). Photo: PV

Spreading artistic values and connecting talents

DANAFF III organizes a screening program of selected films “Half a century of Vietnamese films about war” in collaboration with the Vietnam Film Institute, introducing 22 typical works, bringing a multi-dimensional cinematic perspective on war. According to the Organizing Committee, DANAFF III will screen selected films about war, produced after 1975, which are works that have been awarded at domestic and international film festivals and are remembered and loved by Vietnamese audiences. Along with the screening, there will be meetings and conversations between the audience and famous artists, war filmmakers through the generations.

Through selected war-themed films, filmmakers and audiences will experience new perspectives, ways of thinking, and ways of expression of filmmakers in the 50 years since the country’s reunification compared to films produced during the war. Also in this program, the seminar on “Vietnam’s War Films Since the Reunification” will comprehensively review and evaluate the achievements, values, and positions of war films in the development of cinema.

In particular, the “DANAFF Talents” program is considered a series of activities to train, connect and develop film projects for young and promising talents in the field of cinema, including: “Talent Incubation” workshops on acting, “Project Incubator” and Master Class for filmmakers. Thereby helping young film talents learn, exchange and access a network of domestic and international experts.

Marking a new development step at DANAFF III, the “Project Market” was first organized as a key activity within the framework of DANAFF Talents, with two main categories: Asian art film projects and Vietnamese film projects of all genres. Although it was the first time to implement, the “Project Market” received a lot of attention from domestic and international filmmakers, showing the increasingly clear professional attraction of DANAFF in the role of connecting and accompanying cinematic creativity. From the series of submitted projects, the Organizing Committee selected 14 potential projects to participate in the development round.

The “Project Incubator” is also a 4-day intensive learning space for workshops advised by prestigious international experts and supported by prestigious film funds in the region, contributing to practical support for Vietnamese film projects in the initial stages.

In addition, DANAFF III continues to maintain the Incubation of Acting Talents with two basic and advanced training courses. At the same time, the seminar "Discovering and nurturing film talents: International experience and Vietnam's solutions" brings together leading lecturers, artists and experts in the field of film and training, which will be an opportunity to discuss strategies for developing high-quality human resources for the film industry in the context of integration. 2025 is also the year that young acting talents in Da Nang and the Central region will have the largest presence ever.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong assessed that DANAFF III marked a strong development step, continuing to affirm the role of DANAFF as a prestigious cinema meeting place in the region. DANAFF is not only a place to honor outstanding cinema works but also a space for meeting and exchanging expertise between domestic and international filmmakers. With its scale, professionalism and high professional quality, DANAFF III will certainly bring outstanding works, promoting learning and exchanging expertise.

In addition to the new features, DANAFF III continues to maintain the activities that have become hallmarks of previous seasons such as: the opening ceremony, closing ceremony and award ceremony broadcast live on VTV; two categories of films competing including 14 films in the Asian Film category and 12 films in the Vietnamese Film category; the program "Vietnamese Cinema Today" with 18 new Vietnamese films produced in the past year. Following DANAFF II, this year's Cinema Achievement Award will honor an outstanding Asian filmmaker who has made many contributions to the development of cinema.

DOAN HAO LUONG

Source: https://baodanang.vn/channel/5414/202506/danaff-iii-va-nhung-diem-moi-hap-dan-4008254/