A fertile land for film and tourism.

Grand Festival

Leaving the screening of film number 9 at nearly 5 PM, Truc Vy (residing in Ward 6, Da Lat City) continued queuing to get tickets for the next film, "Children in the Mist." She couldn't hide her joy: "Living and working in Da Lat City, I don't always have the opportunity to see independent, art films. Therefore, I've been closely following the screening schedule and booking tickets for other films such as: 'Brilliant Ashes,' 'Flowers in the House,' 'Love Story in a Narrow Alley'... I really hope that not only this film festival but also similar film events will be organized more often in Da Lat City."

Audiences in Da Lat received free tickets to attend the Vietnam Film Festival.

Excitement was also felt by Hong Tham (a resident of Ward 4, Da Lat City) because, according to her, when she saw the list of films being screened this time, she noticed many films she had missed before. Hong Tham shared: “For me, this is an opportunity to see my favorite films, like 'Children in the Mist.' Before, I really wanted to see it, but it wasn't screened in Da Lat. Therefore, this is a very precious opportunity.” She also said that at this film festival, she really wanted to see films shot in Da Lat City to see how different reality is compared to what is shown on screen.

For Hong Tham, the anticipation and efforts people made to buy tickets to see the films at the Film Festival, along with the bustling and crowded atmosphere at Lam Vien Square – the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies – are vivid proof of the city's residents' interest in this event. She also hopes that in the future, not only the Film Festival but also other art events will be held in Da Lat more often.

"Da Lat city is cold, but the audience there is very warm and welcoming to this film festival. As someone who has had many roles in Da Lat since 1993, 1994, and most recently in 2022 in the film 'Em and Trinh,' this city has left me with many beautiful memories. The special thing about Da Lat is that it's always suitable for filming, even during the rainy season it's still beautiful. Filmmakers all want to film here. Creating the atmosphere and space for a film is very important. And it has everything here!" - Meritorious Artist Tran Luc

Meritorious Artist Tran Luc

Mr. Tran Quang, Deputy General Director of Cinestar Lam Dong cinema complex, said that before the film festival took place, the company prepared two cinema complexes in Da Lat City and Duc Trong District, each with 3 screening rooms, allocating 9-11 screenings per day spread across various time slots to show participating films free of charge. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thanh Trung, Head of Marketing, managing the Cinestar cinema complexes, also said: “Each day at the Cinestar Da Lat cinema complex, we attract about 1,500-2,000 viewers. The audience occupancy rate for many screenings reaches about 80%, although the actual number of online ticket bookings can reach 100%. Meanwhile, the cinema complex in Duc Trong District, being further away, doesn't attract as many customers but still attracts about 500-700 customers per day, with the highest occupancy rate for feature films ranging from 40%-50%, and exceptionally up to 80% for some films.”

In addition to the two aforementioned cinemas, film screenings are also organized at the Army Academy and several outdoor centers in the districts of Lac Duong, Lam Ha, and Dam Rong... These mobile film screenings also combine the event with film crews launching their films and interacting directly with the audience.

Working together is better than clapping.

According to estimates from relevant authorities, 190,000 visitors, including 8,000 international tourists, came to Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province during the film festival. Even on the opening night, despite the rather cold weather at the outdoor stage in Lam Vien Square, thousands of spectators attended, filling the stands to capacity. Many spectators stood along the red carpet, enthusiastically cheering for the artists. Perhaps few opening ceremonies of Vietnamese film festivals have been as crowded and impressive as this one.

Spectators in Da Lat City lined up to receive free tickets to the Vietnam Film Festival.

The success of Da Lat City, Lam Dong province, in linking film and tourism stems from many factors and factors. According to Mr. Tran Thanh Hoai, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province, firstly, Da Lat - Lam Dong can be considered a vast natural film set, with many favorable conditions for developing the film industry such as natural advantages, environment, and people... The locality also has many potential cultural and historical heritage sites... meeting the needs for settings and materials for filmmakers to exploit.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Vi Kien Thanh, Director of the Department of Cinema, observed: “For a long time, Da Lat City has been a popular choice for film crews due to its beautiful natural scenery and many other suitable conditions. For this film festival, the most impressive aspects for the film artists and delegates attending were the environment, settings, natural spaces, beautiful and romantic scenery, cool climate, and the friendly and gentle people of Da Lat.”

But that's only a necessary condition. For the film industry to develop successfully, what's more important is a series of mechanisms and policies to stimulate its growth, such as: creating the most favorable conditions for investors to come to Lam Dong - Da Lat to build large film studios; providing incentives for filmmakers to come and shoot, use the locations, etc.

Mr. Tran Thanh Hoai stated that in 2022, the locality welcomed over 100 film crews to Da Lat City. Film crews visiting scenic spots were all given free entry, as the province recognized them as tourists who deserved to be treated with respect. Regarding the permit process for film crews, it only took two days, and the locality has not received any complaints. "We are proud to welcome filmmakers and hope to see more film crews come to Da Lat City," Mr. Hoai emphasized.

Not only the government, but also businesses in Da Lat are joining hands for the common goal. According to Mr. Tran Thanh Hoai, during the film festival week, businesses in Da Lat provided discounts of 10%-30% for delegates attending. In addition, many tourist attractions such as Fresh Garden, Van Thanh vegetable and flower farm, etc., offered completely free entrance tickets for film crews and artists. We also selected attractions with unique characteristics to introduce to the invited delegations. Through these visits, artists and film creators will gain ideas and inspiration from such spaces.

Creating favorable conditions is key to attracting filmmakers to continue developing ideas and content for producing excellent films about Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province. It's not an exaggeration to say that cinema can be seen as an ambassador promoting the image, land, and people of Da Lat - Lam Dong; contributing to the development of local tourism. The increasing presence of Da Lat in famous films has brought about a significant boost and spread to local tourism, as well as enhancing the cultural and spiritual lives of the people.

Closing Ceremony of the 23rd Vietnam Film Festival: Brilliant Victory from the Ashes

On the evening of November 25th, the awards ceremony and closing of the 23rd Vietnam Film Festival took place at the Dalat Opera House in Dalat City (Lam Dong province). Attendees included: Tran Duc Quan, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Council of Lam Dong; Tran Thanh Lam, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department; Ta Quang Dong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Head of the Steering Committee for the 23rd Vietnam Film Festival… Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, also attended the event.

As a result, the organizers awarded four Golden Lotus prizes, including: Brilliant Ashes (feature film), Children in the Mist (documentary), Research on the Application of Technology in Firefighting ( science film ), and A Child's Dream (animated film). Brilliant Ashes also had a triumphant night with a series of awards: Best Director (Bui Thac Chuyen), Best Supporting Actor (Bui Cong Hoang), Best Cinematography, Best Music…

Among the individual awards in the film category: Thai Hoa ( Con Nhot Mot Chong ), Dinh Y Nhung and Mai Cat Vi ( Mom, Here's the Butterfly! ) received the Best Actor/Actress awards, while Bui Lan Huong received the Best Supporting Actress award. The most popular film, as voted by the audience in the Vietnam Film Panorama program, went to " Sieu Lua Gap Sieu Lay" . The Lam Dong - Majestic Plateau Award for the best feature film shot in Lam Dong went to "Em Va Trinh" .

At the end of the awards ceremony, Mr. Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, took to the stage to perform the ceremony of receiving the flag designating Ho Chi Minh City as the host city for the 24th Film Festival in 2025.

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