Launching the Asian Film Festival

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, Vice Chairwoman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, and Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Film Development Promotion Association (from left to right), at the press conference announcing the Film Festival. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

According to Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Film Development Promotion Association, the Asian Film Festival - Da Nang 2026, jointly organized by the Da Nang City People's Committee and the Association (VFDA), is now in its fourth year, and with a larger scale, more films participating in various categories, and attracting more delegates, artists, and filmmakers from both domestic and international backgrounds.

This is also the only film festival in Vietnam that has been held annually according to international standards since 2023. Through three successful seasons, DANAFF has rapidly developed in both scale and quality, gradually affirming its position as a professional and prestigious film event in the region.

This year, the film festival takes place over 7 consecutive days, with an expanded scale and diverse new programs, enhancing professional activities, training, networking, and film development.

Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Vietnam Film Development Promotion Association, shared her thoughts on the film festival.

The film festival takes place from June 28th to July 4th; however, the Script Lab (Scriptwriting Workshop) professional development course started earlier, on June 26th. DANAFF IV continues to aim at honoring outstanding cinematic works that are rich in humanistic values and demonstrate creativity in artistic language; encouraging and nurturing talent; and widely introducing to the public representative works of Vietnamese, Asian, and world cinema.

The opening and closing ceremonies took place at the Ariyana International Convention Center, 107 Vo Nguyen Giap Street, Ngu Hanh Son Ward, Da Nang, and were broadcast live on Vietnam Television and several other live streaming platforms.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, Vice Chairwoman of the Da Nang City People's Committee, provided information on the preparations for the film festival.

Sharing information about the preparations for the Film Festival, Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City, said that the preparations are progressing on schedule with a proactive and coordinated approach, involving close and smooth cooperation between departments, localities, and especially with the Vietnam Film Promotion Association and related units.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Thi stated that Da Nang city plays the role of coordinating unit, ensuring uniformity in the organization: from program content development, logistics, security, foreign relations to media and image promotion. During the preparation process, the city paid special attention to inter-sectoral coordination and foreign relations mechanisms in a professional and systematic manner, in line with the standards for organizing international cultural and film events. The city also prioritized early and continuous connection with diplomatic agencies, film organizations, and international partners.

At the same time, the on-site service infrastructure is also being improved to ensure the best organization and experience for guests, artists, and international partners. "Through this coordinated effort, Da Nang aims to affirm that DANAFF is not just an annual film event, but also a significant cultural landmark. This contributes to building Da Nang's image as a reputable destination for cultural and film events in the region, enhancing the city's position and attractiveness in the process of international integration," affirmed the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Nang City.

Ms. Truong Thi Hong Hanh, Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that to promote DANAFF, the city has directed the Department to strengthen information and communication connections with domestic and international markets. The Department, together with the Organizing Committee, has implemented promotional activities in international markets such as Japan, the United States, and France immediately after the previous film festival concluded.

"For the tourism market, we are integrating the film festival into specific tour programs and travel itineraries. In particular, we focus on promoting the film festival's professional activities such as: Project incubators, Scriptwriting workshops, and talent development workshops. Through these, we can attract investment, guide startups, and develop the cultural and film industries in Da Nang in the long term," emphasized Ms. Truong Thi Hong Hanh.

Speaking about the Da Nang Asian Film Festival, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong said that after only four editions, the Da Nang Asian Film Festival has established its own unique identity, attracting widespread attention from artists, filmmakers, and film organizations both domestically and internationally. It has become an important forum for showcasing valuable cinematic works, promoting creative exchange, and strengthening cooperation in the film industry.

"The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism acknowledges and highly appreciates the proactive spirit, creativity, and persistent efforts of the Vietnam Film Development Promotion Association, specifically Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan and the Da Nang Film Festival Organizing Committee, in building and developing a regional-level film festival with increasingly high professional quality and wider reach," the Deputy Minister emphasized.

Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong also affirmed that, in the strategy for developing Vietnam's cultural industries, cinema is identified as one of the industries with great potential, possessing both artistic value and the ability to create economic value and national soft power. Developing prestigious international film festivals is one of the important solutions to promote creativity, discover and nurture talent, expand international cooperation, and promote the image of Vietnam, its people, and culture to the world.

"In the context of a rapidly changing global landscape driven by digital technology, artificial intelligence, and new popular platforms, professional networking spaces like the Da Nang Asian Film Festival are becoming increasingly necessary. This is not only a place to honor outstanding cinematic works but also a forum for exchanging ideas, sharing experiences, updating industry trends, promoting collaboration in production and distribution, and fostering cultural exchange," the Deputy Minister said.

Delegates, Organizing Committee, and Jury at the Film Festival.

This year, 102 films will be screened as part of the film festival's programs, with a total of 200 screenings at the following cinemas: Le Do (2 rooms), CGV Da Nang (3 rooms); Galaxy Da Nang (2 rooms). Audiences will have the opportunity to interact with the artists and film crew at some screenings.

This year, 13 films from various countries and territories are participating in the Asian Film Program, including one film from Vietnam and another film co-produced with the United States.

This year's Vietnamese Film Competition program includes 11 feature films, among which are outstanding representatives of Vietnamese cinema in 2025 such as "Red Rain," "Battle in the Air," "Searching for Long Dien Huong,"... and also the newest films of domestic cinema in 2026 such as "Hermit Crabs," "Phi Phong,"...

Along with the films in competition, this year audiences have the opportunity to enjoy films from side screenings such as "Asian Cinema Panorama" (21 films), "Vietnamese Films Today" (28 films), "The Face of Vietnamese Cinema in 40 Years of Renovation" (1986-2026) with 17 feature films, and especially "Focus on American Cinema" with 11 films.

In addition, this year's film festival will maintain its outdoor film screening program with 5 films (Vietnamese feature films, French animated films, and a series of Vietnamese animated films) shown in 7 screenings at APEC Park in Da Nang, Da Nang Cultural and Cinema Center, Hoa Khanh Central Administrative Square, Tam Thanh beach, and Hoai River Square (Hoi An).

Alongside film screenings and interactions with artists and film crews, the Film Festival continues its professional activities with three seminars discussing issues of interest to the audience, such as "The Face of Vietnamese Cinema in the Renovation Period," "Artificial Intelligence, Digital Technology and Intellectual Property Protection in Cinema," and the thematic seminar "The American Film Industry - Some Successful Models and Suggestions for Vietnam."

Numerous filmmakers, delegates, and artists attended the press conference for the film's premiere.

Alongside the activities of the Film Festival, this year the Project Incubator continues its program to support young filmmakers and artists with the goal of discovering, training, and developing cinematic talent.

This year's project incubator connects, trains, and develops projects for young filmmakers with two categories: Asian Art-house Projects and Vietnamese Genre Film Projects, with 18 projects participating in in-depth development.

In the Art-house Projects category, the program continues to expand opportunities for filmmakers from within and outside ASEAN through workshops, pitching, and direct connections with a network of international experts, producers, and distributors. In particular, ASEAN projects following DANAFF Talents will continue to participate in training programs in Thailand and France, and will have the opportunity to connect with European co-producers through CNC's Cinema du Monde program.

Within the framework of the Incubator, there is also a Script Lab - an advanced course in scriptwriting - and a Talent Nurturing Workshop.

The screenwriting studio will select eight feature film projects for in-depth development with international experts such as Jack Lechner - producer and Head of the Film Department at Columbia University, director-producer Tony Bui, and Singaporean director Anthony Chen - a winner of the Cannes Camera d'Or, with the support of Columbia University (USA).

The "Nurturing Talent" workshop selected nearly 40 participants to attend basic acting classes taught by Dr. Lydia Park, an advanced class with director Rob Marchand, and a Master Class on filmmaking.

Master Class is an intensive course on acting and film production, taught by seasoned and experienced professionals from around the world. The participants are selected young filmmakers from both Vietnam and abroad.

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Source: https://nhandan.vn/khoi-dong-lien-hoan-phim-chau-a-da-nang-2026-post966792.html