Connecting young creativity with cultural industry strategy

At the launch event, the judges discussed the topic Short Films - Playground to Film Festival for Young People.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

Short films and special status

Commenting on the position of short films, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Association for the Promotion of Cinema Development, former Director of the Department of Cinema and Chairman of the jury of the Vietnamese 2025 competition, said that although this genre has not yet really found a market and audience in our country, it is an important launching pad in the careers of professional filmmakers. She cited highly regarded filmmakers today such as Tran Anh Hung, Bui Thac Chuyen... all started with short films such as Nguoi Thieu Phu Nam Xuong , or Cuoc Xe Dem , including names that were highly regarded from a very early age, helping them to take firm steps in their careers.

Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan believes that with the help of DANAFF and the influence of Vietnamese 2025 , the door for young filmmakers will open wider and wider.

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From their notable films, they have further cemented their reputation by becoming judges at prestigious film festivals. For example, director Tran Anh Hung has just held the position of head of the jury for the most important award, the Golden Goblet , at the 2024 Shanghai International Film Festival (China). This is one of two events ranked A by the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations (FIAPF), along with the Tokyo International Film Festival (Japan). This year's season, Pham Thien An - the director who won the Camera d'Or at Cannes 2023 with Inside the Golden Cocoon - was also announced to be a judge for the Asian New Talent category, within the framework of this film festival. Previously, he had attracted attention with the short film Be Awake and Be Ready .

According to Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, short films are the "anchor" to express the personality of the creator. To be more specific, she believes that in an era where market factors, box office... sometimes force filmmakers to somewhat compromise their artistic perspective, short films ensure that young filmmakers can tell the stories they want and desire to tell, thereby expressing their own unique artistic language and thinking.

Agreeing with this opinion, actress - producer Thu Trang, a member of the contest's jury, said: "Instead of having to be too meticulous, short films are a playground for everyone to unleash their full potential, so just freely participate with everything you have and want to tell."

Investor Bui Quang Minh ("shark" Minh Beta), Chairman of Beta Group, said that short films will open up real opportunities for young filmmakers to enter the world of professional cinema. He cited Vietnam as a rare country with a strong film market growth rate after the Covid-19 pandemic, in which the film industry grows by nearly 30% each year compared to the previous year, despite the fact that many material conditions are still not on par with other countries in the Southeast Asian region. Therefore, if filmmakers can show their personal mark, a bright future awaits them, because "the room for development of Vietnamese cinema is extremely large".

People's Artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, shared that "the city's creative resources are invaluable resources."

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Returning to the jury after the Vietnamese 2024 season, director - producer Nguyen Quang Dung gave advice on expressing the breath of the times and personality in artistic creation. He said: "This generation is different from that generation. You can watch award-winning films to gain experience, but the most important thing is to find your own special point. In addition, genuine emotions are also very important. The film may not be new but if it creates emotions, it will still be successful". He further suggested that Vietnamese 2025 will be a good opportunity to meet future colleagues as well as learn from many people and emphasized: "Short films are very meaningful films for those new to the profession, through which they can completely express their ego and personality. So do what suits you best and feels most emotional."

Contribute to the cultural industry development strategy

In addition to finding new talents for Vietnamese cinema, the Vietnamese Short Film Competition - Vietnamese 2025 is also expected to contribute to helping the country's seventh art "take off" in the context of cultural industry development strategies receiving special attention. Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan hopes: "The competition will spread more messages to young people, filmmakers as well as society that short films have their own voice, contributing to social development, the development of the film industry, the cultural industry and aspirations towards the future".

Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper, Head of the contest's organizing committee, hopes that Vietnamese 2025 will be a playground with professional value and will be spread more widely.

PHOTO: NHAT THINH

Besides, it is also necessary to recognize the fact that there are not many short film festivals at present. Having been a judge of many international short film festivals, she shared that in the world, the number of film festivals for this genre is currently very small, so she hopes that Vietnamese will have the potential to develop into an annual film festival or even an international event. She said that these events are "the place to discover, nurture and incubate film talents for the country in the future", so in recent times, the Vietnam Association for the Promotion and Development of Cinema has had many plans to help short films gain more attention. For example, in the 3rd season of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF), the DANAFF Talents program will be organized with professional training workshops and project "incubators", helping young people receive more and closer support.

Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan also "revealed" a series of impressive short films at the Tokyo Short Film Festival (Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia) 2024 that will be screened within the framework of the 3rd DANAFF. Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia is a special film festival, sponsored by director George Lucas, the man behind the blockbusters Star Wars, Indiana Jones... and eligible for direct consideration for the Oscar. Through this, it is hoped that the domestic short film industry will have more opportunities to learn and exchange internationally. Not stopping there, to support Vietnamese 2025 , the 4th DANAFF is expected to screen the best works of this year's season. It can be believed that with the support of DANAFF and the influence of Vietnamese 2025 , the door for young filmmakers will be increasingly open.

In 2025, Vietnam will enter a new journey - the era of national growth, full of aspirations for intelligence, creativity and national identity. In that flow, with its position as an important economic and cultural center of the country, Ho Chi Minh City has issued a development strategy until 2030, including a strategy for developing the film industry and building a "Cinema City". In particular, Ho Chi Minh City has submitted an application to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of cinema, and is currently in the final round of evaluation.

People's Artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, shared: "The city's creative resources are invaluable resources, in addition to the abundant room for development from the revolution of streamlining the administrative apparatus and expanding administrative boundaries. We deeply appreciate the passion for cinema of the young filmmaking community from the city. Hopefully in the future we will receive more support and assistance from individuals and organizations so that the Ho Chi Minh City film industry can increasingly take flight, thereby connecting with other art industries. And we hope that Vietnamese will join the flow of cultural programs in Ho Chi Minh City."

We believe that with the support of the Vietnam Cinema Promotion Association and the encouragement of the leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Short Film Competition - Vietnamese 2025 will become a playground with better professional value, spread more strongly, truly inspire the filmmaking community, especially young filmmakers, contributing to the development of the film industry, in line with the strategy of sustainable cultural and artistic development of Vietnam.

Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Toan , Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Youth Union, Editor-in-Chief of Thanh Nien Newspaper , Head of the contest organizing committee

The Vietnam Short Film Competition - Vietnamese 2025 , co-organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper, Vietnam Cinema Promotion and Development Association and Sandisk Vietnam, with the support of Gigamall Vietnam, Beta Group, officially accepts entries from May 23 to July 7. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in August at Beta Cinemas (Ung Van Khiem, Ho Chi Minh City).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ket-noi-sang-tao-tre-voi-chien-luoc-cong-nghiep-van-hoa-185250524001517335.htm