After four nights of competition, overcoming strong opponents, the two teams with the highest scores, France and Italy, will compete for the championship title of DIFF 2023 in the themed night " A World Without Borders".
The scores were awarded by the judging panel based on a rigorous set of criteria including: the uniqueness, ideas, and theme of the performance; the richness and diversity of effects and color intensity; the scale and quality of the performance, and the creative use of the firing area; the music, and the synchronization between the music and the performance; and the ending and overall impression of the performance.
During the announcement, Ms. Ngo Thi Kim Yen, representing the DIFF 2023 Organizing Committee, also conducted a draw to determine the firing order for the two teams in the Final on the evening of July 8th. Accordingly, the Italian team will fire first, and the French team's fireworks display will conclude the impressive Da Nang International Fireworks Festival 2023.
With outstanding performances from the participating teams at DIFF 2023, the Organizing Committee has decided to double the prize money. The winning team will receive a prize of 20,000 USD along with a trophy and certificate; the runner-up team will receive a prize of 10,000 USD along with a trophy and certificate.
In addition to the first and second prizes, this year's DIFF will award two supplementary prizes: the "Creative Award" and the "Audience Favorite Award," each worth $3,000 and a certificate. The awards will be announced and presented immediately after the performances on the final night.
Choosing France and Italy for the finals was an extremely difficult decision for the judges, because after four nights of competition with themes such as "Peace for Humanity," "Love Without Borders," "Conquering Dreams," and "Dance of Nature," all eight participating teams in this year's DIFF – Vietnam, Finland, Canada, France, Australia, Italy, Poland, and the United Kingdom – had demonstrated boundless creativity and left a deep impression on the audience with their spectacular fireworks displays.
“All eight teams were truly outstanding, from the quality of their performances, music, shooting techniques to their compositions,” shared Ms. Ngo Thi Kim Yen, Vice Chairman of the Da Nang City People's Committee and Head of the Organizing Committee of DIFF 2023.
Mr. Vi Kien Thanh, Director of the Cinema Department and Vice President of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association - a member of the judging panel for the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival - DIFF 2023, commented: "Compared to the previous 10 times that Da Nang has hosted the International Fireworks Festival, it can be said that this time there has been a significant improvement in quality. The quality has improved considerably, and the Vietnamese team has also made progress."
Mr. Thanh also stated that this year the difference in scores between the teams was very small, making it difficult for the judges to choose the best team. Therefore, he personally felt sorry for some teams, including the Polish team.
Commenting on the two teams that reached the Finals, Major General, musician Nguyen Duc Trinh - President of the Vietnam Musicians Association, and a member of the DIFF 2023 Judging Panel, said: “As I predicted, from the beginning, both teams used music and fireworks very artistically and seamlessly, especially the Italian team. Italy started with a beautiful classical style music, gradually transitioning to modern, and notably used Mozart's music, a classic symphony, with a very modern twist. In addition, Italy used fireworks displays that perfectly matched the rhythm and emotion of the music to express a magnificent and grand beauty against a backdrop of classical music, gradually transitioning to modernity, creating a glorious performance.”
Conversely, France's "weapon" was using a Vietnamese piece of music, cleverly integrated as a greeting, tribute, and a way of connecting with Vietnam, creating an unprecedentedly captivating experience for the audience. The European-style music of France blended seamlessly with a Vietnamese piece; one could say the team's craftsmanship was excellent, resulting in a very harmonious fireworks display.
The DIFF 2023 final night will be a major challenge for the French and Italian teams. According to Ms. Nadia Shakira Wong, Director of Global 2000, a fireworks consulting company and producer of DIFF 2023, and advisor to the judging panel: “The two teams will only have two weeks to prepare for their performance, whereas their previous performances were prepared over three months. Furthermore, for the final night, the teams must use a list of fireworks selected by the organizers, rather than preparing their own as before. This further increases the challenge for the teams. In addition, the finalists will be required to perform a Vietnamese song chosen by the organizers. This is to add to the appeal and to assess the teams' analysis and preparation.”
It is known that the DIFF 2023 Final on the evening of July 8th will be broadcast live on VTV1 channel at 8:00 PM.
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