 1st Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival opens |
The jury of HIFF 2024 includes leading experts from the film industry in Europe, America, Asia and Vietnam. The 3 categories competing at the festival include: Southeast Asian films, first or second films, and short films.
Among the 92 films participating in the Festival, there are a number of famous, popular and familiar works such as: “Waiting For The Light To Change” (the US), “Autumn” (Portugal), “Borrowed Time” (China), “City of Wind” (France), “Dreaming and Dying” (Italy), “Frau” (Russia), “Perfect Days” (Japan), “It’s Okay” (South Korea), and “Valli” (India).
“Boléro”, a movie about classical music by French-born female director Anne Fontaine, was chosen to be the curtain raiser at the festival. The film represents France in the “Cinema Avenue” category at the festival, a category aimed at honoring the cinema of a country or city with outstanding achievements and influences.
Vietnamese films to be screened at the festival include “B4S”, “The Brilliant Darkness”, “The Healed Wounds”, “Saigon Kiss”, “Guava Season”, and “Children in the Mist”, “Abandoned Field”, “The Buffalo Boy”, “The Ưhite White Silk Dress,” “The Rebel”, “The Tailor”, “Owl and the Sparrow”, and. “Adrift”.
Director Producer Phan Gia Nhat Linh said: “Hosting an international film festival in Ho Chi Minh City helps boost the development of Vietnamese cinema. At the same time, it gives Vietnamese films an opportunity to reach out to the world. And it helps international filmmakers learn about contemporary Vietnamese cinematography.”
During the festival, seminars and film industry exhibitions will be held. Duong Cam Thuy, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Cinema Association, said: “Audiences can watch films from many countries at the Festival. Sideline activities will include film seminars and exchanges between filmmakers.”
The Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival presents an opportune occasion to introduce Vietnamese films to the country’s international friends. It also creates a venue for exchanges between filmmakers from around the world.