How to avoid boredom

+ Congratulations to the DANAFF Organizing Committee for a successful and professional LH. In 2023, for the first time, DANAFF also made its own mark. So what are the highlights of DANAFF 2024, Madam?

- DANAFF is oriented towards organizing the film festival as an "Asian Film Festival" because expanding to other regions of the world is also good, but Vietnamese cinema is still more closely connected to Asia. With the slogan "A Bridge to Asia," we want to integrate deeply with the world, so we chose to focus on French cinema and French films about Vietnam because French and Vietnamese cinema have a long and complex history. By choosing this theme and focus, we feel we are staying true to the festival's theme of building a bridge from Asia to Europe, from East to West.

Furthermore, the professionalism of DANAFF II was enhanced by both in-depth professional discussions and exchanges related to mechanisms and policies. This was practical for both filmmakers and managers. The workshop on French cinema and its relationship with Vietnamese cinema sparked much academic thought. Researchers could find here rich material on the relationship between the French and Vietnamese film industries. Meanwhile, the workshop on film co-production shared international experiences and suggested solutions for developing cooperation and attracting film crews…

The film “Flip Side 7: A Wish” received the NETPAC Award (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema).

At DANAFF 2024, the Film Achievement Award was also presented for the first time. We will strive to maintain this award, perhaps annually or at a more opportune time, and we plan to expand it to recognize outstanding filmmakers in the Asian region. When the award is extended to include international filmmakers, it will further solidify the festival's professional prestige.

In terms of audience numbers, last season's screenings weren't particularly crowded, but this time, people lined up in long queues to get tickets, and tickets sold out even before the festival officially opened. The audience response was also very positive; many screenings included interesting Q&A sessions with the film crew, just like at any international film festival.

+ To have a quality film festival, first of all, it is necessary to gather many good films. What is your comment on the selection of films participating in DANAFF 2024 and the jury's evaluation?

- The film selection at this festival is quite good. The films competing in the Asian Cinema program are all very strong, and the cinematic language of these works is also quite unique. A foreign film expert told me that he had just visited a few film festivals and seen some weak films in the competition selection, but that didn't happen at DANAFF 2024.

Naturally, for a film festival, one would think about selecting art films. But in Vietnam, if we did that, we wouldn't have any art films because the number of art films is very small. Out of about 40-50 films produced annually, only 1-2 are art films, and some years there are none at all. Therefore, for Vietnamese films in competition, we choose the best quality films released during the year and those that are popular with audiences.

We are delighted that filmmakers who have previously refused to submit films to film festivals have participated this time. Submitting films to competition encourages filmmakers to focus not only on box office success but also on professionalism and artistic quality. In particular, at DANAFF 2024, the two Vietnamese films in the Asian Film category were very strong, possessing distinct personalities in both their storytelling and cinematic language. And as we know, one film won Best Film and the other won Best Director.

On the jury side, DANAFF 2024 has invited leading experts from the world of cinema. Last year, the festival only featured experts from Asia, but this year includes experts from France (former President of Cinefondation of the Cannes Film Festival), from Germany (Director of the Berlin Film Festival 2024-2029), actress Tran Nu Yen Khe (who played a significant role in the successful films of director Tran Anh Hung), and renowned Asian directors. These experts bring a very objective and accurate perspective.

In addition, the two most important figures at the Busan Film Festival are arguably the founder and former Chairman Kim Dongho and the new Chairman Park Kwangsu. Because of this, we were able to organize four workshops and seminars, compared to only two last year. These workshops and seminars had very practical content, raising many issues for domestic filmmakers as well as providing experts and foreign filmmakers with a better understanding of Vietnamese cinema.

Director Yu Irie's film "A girl named Ann" won two awards: Best Actress and the Special Jury Prize.

+ As a film critic, what does the lack of an award for best screenwriter reflect about Vietnamese cinema, madam?

- For a long time now, the scripting stage in Vietnam has been quite weak, we always lack good scripts to make movies. There are some movies whose scripts pose many problems but are too ambitious, making the audience "confused" or indifferent.

In my opinion, the most important aspect of a film is its storytelling. Therefore, even if the script doesn't focus on major issues, exploring subtle and profound aspects will inspire the director to create a compelling and unique narrative. The 10 films that participated in the Vietnamese film category were not art films, so their explorations in storytelling and cinematic language were limited.

I believe this accurately reflects the current state of Vietnamese cinema. If we only selected art films, it would be very difficult to have a competition category for Vietnamese films. However, it is also necessary to encourage domestic filmmakers, so the organizers opened this category to invite and select films that serve the market. We also fully respect the jury's decision. The fact that the jury did not choose a screenplay award is something we must accept.

+ Some foreign filmmakers shared that they came to DANAFF - a very "young and small" festival - because they felt that big festivals were somewhat boring. In your opinion, how can DANAFF avoid this boredom when there will be more festivals in the future?

- This is something the organizers must strive for every year, to create lasting impressions at each film festival. Of course, this requires a lot of effort and can be considered pressure and a burden for the organizing committee, but it's necessary as DANAFF is building its brand. To prepare for season 3, some things need to be done right now. We expect to finalize the concept for next year by August. The goal is quality: quality in the competition categories, quality in the film screenings, and the featured categories... At the same time, we must invite reputable and famous people, and importantly, create something new and innovative.

+ Thank you!

Khanh Ngoc (Implementation)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lien-hoan-phim-chau-a-da-nang-lam-sao-de-tranh-nham-chan-post303021.html