'The wind has risen, the road is clear' from the short film competition 'Vietnamese'

Find the "gem in the rock"

On the afternoon of July 31, the award ceremony of the Vietnamese short film contest took place at Mega GS Cinema (HCMC).

With a short film reflecting the pain of the post-war period when unexploded bombs and mines killed many people (including children), director and screenwriter Ninh Le convincingly won the "Best Director" and "Best Short Film" categories when he portrayed the harsh reality through the lens of children. Also nominated were Ngu Cung Am (director Dinh Hoang Long) and Chuyen Di Cuoi Cuoi Cuoi Cuoi (director Nguyen Doan Quang Vinh).

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 1. — Director - screenwriter Ninh Le received the award for Best Short Film for *Canh Dieu bay luong troi* from director Nguyen Quang Dung and journalist Lam Hieu Dung, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of *Thanh Nien* Newspaper.

The excellent Ngũ Cung Âm won the "Most Creative Short Film" award with its non-linear, cinematic storytelling, revolving around the memories of a đàn kim artist recalling his past. By taking advantage of interesting traditional materials, the film shows that the younger generation also cares deeply about and cares about the roots of national culture. Meanwhile, The Last Journey is more modern, telling the story of friendship, love and sacrifice between 4 friends when tragedy strikes. With a story that evokes many emotions, screenwriter Phạm Lộc was also named in the "Best Screenplay" category.

With more than 16,400 plays on Thanh Nien Newspaper's Fanpage and more than 6,600 views on iHayTV's YouTube channel in 125 hours (from July 14 to 19), the short film "The Liaison" by director Dinh Thuan won the "Most Favorite Short Film" category. Revolving around the arduous but heroic years of war, the film shows the bravery of Uncle Ho's soldiers who were not afraid of danger to gain national independence, thereby paying tribute to the heroes who fell for the country.

In addition to the categories for best director and screenwriter, the acting aspect also received attention from the jury of the Vietnamese short film competition. The most surprising thing at the award ceremony was that there were 2 actors nominated and won for the same work. That was the film Mong with the performance of Hoang Thuy in the role of a mother who wants to prevent her daughter - played by Khazsak - from entering the artistic path, forgetting that she was once like that. With her passionate acting and successful expression of complex psychological aspects, this can be considered an overwhelming and convincing victory.

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 2. — Movie poster *Kite flying in the sky*

Youth explosion

Throughout the award ceremony, "young" was the word most mentioned by the judges and artists. On the podium for the "Most Favorite Short Film" award, editor and director of Ho Chi Minh City Television Nguyen My Khanh shared that she was very happy that in just a short time, more than 100 works were submitted, thereby showing that "the wind has risen", "the road is clear" in the short film category. Talking about youth, she also said that if in the past, her generation when graduating from film schools either became directors, actors or screenwriters, today's young people are becoming more and more dynamic and multi-tasking, gradually moving towards the role of producers, showing their determination to develop their careers.

Looking at the submitted works, it must be affirmed that the youthful energy has made the Vietnamese short film contest very diverse. Journalist Lam Hieu Dung, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee, said: "Young filmmakers have not hesitated to develop diverse topics, aiming to use art to directly contribute their voices, helping our lives become better and better". That can be seen when they not only stick to stories from their own experiences such as generation gap ( Mong ), life pressure ( Cascadeur, You and Deadline ), friendship ( Chuoc di cuoi cuoi ), family love ( Ngay khong con ba ) ... but also bring many complex observations containing hidden impulses, whether in love between couples ( Dau toi lua ) or family affection ( I heard the silence ) ...

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 3. — Journalist Lam Hieu Dung presented flowers to representatives of the accompanying units: Sandisk Viet Nam, KBT, Hoa Sen University, Mega GS Cinema

They were also not indifferent to the "valuable capital" of the nation, when they turned to reformed opera ( Five-tone opera ), portrayed a difficult time ( The liaison ) or the pain that never stopped haunting the post-war period ( The kite flying in the sky )...

In terms of presentation, each director shows his own strengths and unique storytelling. There are both animations (K khac cach ) and live-action films, with simple cinematic language ( Xe chieu, Thuong, Thanh am ...) but also experiments with strong art-house characteristics ( I hear the silence... ). It can be said that with diverse, rich, borderless and creative approaches and expressions, these young filmmakers have woven a picture that is true to the title given by Thanh Nien Newspaper, Vietnamese , to talk about Vietnamese people, Vietnamese culture and the Vietnamese nation.

Regarding the quality of the works, the two members of the jury, producer Dinh Ngoc Diep and director - producer Nguyen Quang Dung, both commented that these are short films with strong cinematic qualities, with every stage from the script, directing, working with actors... especially the images, filming, editing... being very professional. That shows the ability and talent of the new generation, as from competitions like this, young people will become more and more confident on their upcoming professional journey.

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 4. — Artist Quyen Linh and director Nguyen My Khanh presented the award for Most Favorite Short Film to the film *The Liaison.*

Open new doors

Making short films is a great start for young creators on their journey to self-affirmation. Director Nguyen My Khanh shared that she herself started her career with an award-winning short film. She said that it was the motivation for young people to pursue their passion professionally. Vietnamese cinema is also not lacking in factors found through this field, such as Bui Thac Chuyen, Pham Thien An or Duong Dieu Linh - who recently made a splash when her debut film Don't Cry Butterfly competed for the International Critics' Week award at the 2024 Venice Film Festival this August...

Director Ly Hai - a member of the jury - expressed his surprise when he saw more than 100 submitted works, and was even more surprised when most of them were made by young teams. He emphasized that these short films are not only limited to a competition, but also have the potential to pave the way for young people to approach investors in the future, thereby carrying out larger, newer and more impressive projects. Participating in the award ceremony, artist Quyen Linh, Vice President of the Vietnam Cinema Association, also called Vietnamese a journey of "finding gems in stone", thereby selecting works to represent the Vietnamese voice to reach out to the world .

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 5. — Producer Dinh Ngoc Diep and Mr. Truong Ba Toan, Managing Director of Western Digital Vietnam & Singapore, presented the award for Most Creative Short Film - *Pentatonic*

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 6. — Mr. Bui Nhu Phong, Director in charge of SanDisk Vietnam brand *(left cover)* presents flowers to the Jury of the final round: Journalist Lam Hieu Dung, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of *Thanh Nien* Newspaper; producer Dinh Ngoc Diep; director Nguyen Quang Dung and director Ly Hai

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 7. — Director Ly Hai and People's Artist Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, presented the Best Director award to Ninh Le - film *Canh Dieu bay luong troi*

'Gió đã nổi, đường đã thông' từ cuộc thi phim ngắn 'Vietnamese'- Ảnh 8. — People's Artist Thanh Thuy

In terms of mechanisms and state support, People's Artist Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, said that the city has recently issued a strategic project to develop cultural industries, with cinema as a key area. The fact that Ho Chi Minh City was selected to participate in the network of creative cities in the field of cinema further demonstrates the close support of agencies and departments. It is believed that with the youth and diverse perspectives of the new generation of filmmakers, in the near future, through competitions like Vietnamese , the voice from Vietnam will no longer be unfamiliar to international cinema.

Short Film Competition Results

3 short film awards: Best short film : 30 million VND (with a gift set worth 12.5 million VND): Kite flying in the sky , script and director: Ninh Le; Most creative short film: 20 million VND (with a gift set worth 12.5 million VND): Ngu cung am, director: Dinh Hoang Long, screenwriter: Tran Xuan Mai; Most popular short film: 10 million VND (with a gift set worth 12.5 million VND): Contact person, director: Dinh Thuan, screenwriter: Dinh Thuan - Hoai Anh.

3 individual awards: Best Director: Ninh Le - film Canh Dieu Bay Luong Troi ; Best Screenwriter: Pham Loc - film Chuyen Di Cuoi Cuoi Cuoi , director: Nguyen Doan Quang Vinh, screenwriter: Pham Loc; Best Actor : Khazsak and Hoang Thuy - role of Giau and mother in film Mong , director and screenwriter: Hung Tran.

3 promising short films: Tan Chan Troi (director and screenwriter: Minh Duc Bu), Chuyen Nguoi Bu (director and screenwriter: Nguyen Vu Trung Kien), Cay Sao Broken (director and screenwriter: Thai Tan Loi).

Top excellent short films: Ngu cung am (director: Dinh Hoang Long, screenwriter: Tran Xuan Mai), Khach gap (director: Bach Nguyen, screenwriter: Thanh Tu Nguyen - Bach Nguyen), Ngay khong ba con ba (director: Le Lan Anh, screenwriter: Ha Dang Thanh), Cascadeur (director and screenwriter: Nguyen Phu Hau), Dau toi luong luong (director and screenwriter: Hong Vy), I hear the silence (director and screenwriter: Ngan Thanh), Nguoi liaison (director: Dinh Thuan, screenwriter: Dinh Thuan - Hoai Anh), Thanh am (director: Nguyen Hong Son, screenwriter: Kieu Hai Dai), Ben bo bien (director: Nghia Kao, screenwriter: Ngan Thanh), Thuong (director and screenwriter: Nguyen Dong Quy), Canh kite bay luu troi (director and screenwriter: Ninh Le), Xe chieu chieu (director: Trinh Truong Phong, screenwriter: Trinh Truong Phong, Nguyen Hien Nhung, Nguyen Thai Thu Ngan, Tran Le Ngan Giang), Chuyen di cuoi cuoi cuoi cuon (director: Nguyen Doan) Quang Vinh, screenwriter: Pham Loc), New Year's Eve (director: Dao Hoang Duy, screenwriter: Midori), Tet Banh Chung (director and screenwriter: Van Tri Thanh), You and Deadline (director and screenwriter: Moc Di), Dream (Hung Tran).