The New Boy – a strong contender in the Asian Film category at DANAFF II – Photo: DPCC
In her opening remarks at the Da Nang Asian Film Festival 2024 (DANAFF II) on the evening of July 2nd in Da Nang, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan – President of the Vietnam Film Promotion Association and Director of DANAFF II – stated that one of the strengths of DANAFF II is “the selection of fresh and high-quality Asian and Vietnamese films for the competition.”
Nervous and breathless.
Two Vietnamese films will compete alongside 11 other films from Asia. Specifically, these films are: 18 Youth ( South Korea ), A Girl Named Ann ( Japan), All Ears (China), Aziz (Iran), and Country of Blind ( India ).
The Cat, Me and Another Cat ( Japan), Fly Me to the Moon ( Hong Kong, China), Guard of Honor (Philippines), The New Boy (Australia), Women from Rote Island ( Indonesia), Rain Town (Malaysia).
The Asian Film category promises to be explosive, dramatic, suspenseful, and full of surprises, thanks to the return of established and long-standing filmmakers and the participation of new talents from the region's cinema.
Behind The Stranger Boy is Australian director, screenwriter, and cinematographer Warwick Thornton (54 years old).
His feature film, Samson and Delilah, won the Caméra d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and Best Film at the Asia- Pacific Screen Awards.
The Strange Boy – his latest film – had garnered a total of 32 awards and nominations at various film festivals before arriving at DANAFF II.
Notably, it won the Spotlight Award from the American Cinematographers Association. The film also received an award for Best Actor at the Australian Academy of Film and Television Arts and a nomination for Special View at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
The director of * Rain Town* is veteran Malaysian filmmaker Tunku Mona (57 years old). Her debut film – *Redha* – won 17 awards both domestically and internationally, holding the record for the most awarded Malaysian-language film in the country.
It was also nominated at the 89th Academy Awards and the 74th Golden Globe Awards.
Country of Blind revolves around life in a place isolated from the world , where life is happy and simple – Photo: DPCC
We also cannot fail to mention Rahhat and his film *The Blind Kingdom *. The 44-year-old renowned Indian director has won numerous international film awards, including Best Director at the 2017 BAFTA Awards for *Mantostaan*.
He was also nominated for Best Director at the Bollywood ITA Awards 2022 for the film Lihaaf: The Quilt, co-produced by Oscar winner Marc Baschet.
There's also Liu Jiayin (43 years old) – a Chinese director with *Pieces of Life Worth Living *. His debut film, *Oxhide* , made a splash at the Berlin Film Festival, and his second film, *Oxhide II* , was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
Before coming to Vietnam, "Precious Lives" won two awards for Best Actor and Best Director at the Shanghai International Film Festival.
The film "Precious Lives" - Photo: DPCC
Sasha Chuk (33 years old) is a Hong Kong writer, screenwriter, and director. At DANAFF II, she brought with her film, *Eternal Wish*, which won the Fipresci Award and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award at the 2023 Golden Horse Film Festival.
This film also won Best Screenplay and Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Critics Association Awards, along with numerous other prestigious nominations and awards.
Additionally, films like Aziz by Iranian director Majid Tavakoli, The Life of Ann by Japanese director Yu Irie, and The Guardian of Honor by talented Filipino filmmaker Joselito Altarejos are also highly anticipated.
While Yu Irie is an intriguing unknown quantity, having previously had films screened at the Yubari International Fantasy Film Festival and winning the New Director Award from the Directors Guild of Japan, Joselito Altarejos is known for his groundbreaking films with LGBTQ+ themes.
The Asian Film Competition includes films making their Asian or even global premieres, alongside established successes. There are films by young directors and debuts alongside those by renowned filmmakers, and purely independent films alongside those aimed at a mass audience.
Films by Pham Thien An (right cover) and Pham Ngoc Lan compete for the Asian Film in Competition award.
All Asian films are good.
Earlier, in an interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper , Ms. Lan stated that this year filmmakers from the Asian region submitted many high-quality films with diverse themes and genres.
According to Ms. Lan, after announcing the event, the organizers didn't have to spend too much time waiting or campaigning.
A representative from DANAFF II "hopes that audiences will have the opportunity to see works by emerging talents, young directors of independent films, as well as films by renowned filmmakers and producers in the region in the Asian Film Competition category."
Australian director Warwick Thornton checks in on the red carpet at the opening of DANAFF II – Photo: TRUONG TRUNG
"The selection of good Asian films in this category is also one of DANAFF's strengths," director Phan Dang Di also commented to Tuoi Tre newspaper ahead of the event's official opening.
Last year, only one Vietnamese film was selected for the Asian Film category: "Children in the Mist" by director Ha Le Diem.
This was also the best Asian film announced at the closing ceremony of DANAFF I.
This year, this category has 13 films competing for the award, among which "The Coolie Never Cries" and "Inside the Golden Cocoon" are two Vietnamese films that have been "carefully selected".
Inside the Golden Cocoon (directed by Pham Thien An, produced by Tran Van Thi and Jeremy Chua) was released to Vietnamese audiences last year after winning a series of prestigious awards at international film festivals.
Specifically: the Golden Camera award – for debut film directors, in the Directors' Fortnight category at the Cannes Film Festival 2023; Best International Film at the Pingyao Film Festival, China 2023; Best Film at the Asian Film Festival in Italy (April 2024).
Meanwhile, "The Coolie Never Cries" (directed by Pham Ngoc Lan, produced by Tran Thi Bich Ngoc and Nghiem Quynh Trang) made history by winning the Best First Feature Film award at the Berlin Film Festival 2024 in February.
The coolie who never cries also managed to "snatch" two more awards at two smaller film festivals before returning to Vietnam to attend DANAFF II.
For the first time, "Cu Li Never Cries" will have two special screenings for Vietnamese audiences as part of DANAFF II on the afternoons of July 4th and 6th.
Tuoitre.vn
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tai-nang-dien-anh-chau-a-hoi-ngo-o-da-nang-20240704082225747.htm
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