Vi Kien Thanh, Director of the Department of Cinema, speaks at the closing ceremony (Photo:VNA)

The 5-day event made a lasting impression on Vietnamese and foreign attendees and inspired filmmakers from around the world. Vi Kien Thanh, Director of the Department of Cinema and the Festival’s chief organizer said that the Festival, themed “Cinema: Soaring –Creativity” highlights the prestige and creative spirit of Vietnamese cinema alongside 51 other film industries.

"This year’s Festival drew 800 filmmakers and 117 films from 51 countries, held 87 screenings, and included exhibitions, joint film projects, and artist-audience exchanges," Thanh added.

Ten awards were presented, including Best Short Film to Colombia’s “A Bird Flew”, Best Feature Film Director to Majid-Reza Mostafavi for “Hard Shell,” Best Feature Film Actor to Payman Maadi for “Hard Shell”, and Best Feature Film Actress to Tiina Tauraite for Estonia’s “8 Views of Lake Biwa”.