‘Ghost’, a film screened at the opening ceremony of the film festival ‘Clap Hanoi’ at L’Espace was produced by Haut&Court, an independent company in 2003, and reproduced in another format in 2010. The film has reached a high record of viewers in France.

Elise Bourmaud-Danto, an audio-visual programmer from the French Institute in Vietnam, the organizer of the festival, says: “The highlight of this festival is the screening of seven categories of films. It aims to show the variety of film genres and how they support each other. Short films and very short films will also be presented at the festival.”

The festival highlights seven different film genres including short TV films, scripted reality- a TV program that connects reality and fiction, cinema films, video art, long feature film, website content and serial films.

The films screened at the festival all satisfy the criteria of art quality and modes of production. The festival gives audiences opportunities to learn about various ways to make a film. Elise explains further:

“The development of today’s technology has provided people with more opportunities to make a film. There is no clear boundaries among TV series, cinema films, feature films, or web videos.”

Loic Wong (right), audiovisual attache of the French Institute, speaks at the press conference to introduce the festival. (Photo VNA)

As part of the Clap! Hanoi, meetings have been held for Vietnamese and French artists, and the public to discuss and exchange experiences. After Hanoi, the festival will also be organized in Ho Chi Minh City, Hue, Da Nang, and a number of ASEAN member countries to introduce the diversity of the audiovisual industry. Loic Wong, an audiovisual attaché at the French Institute, comments: “Through this festival we would like to prove that all people can make films by any mean they have. Even with a small camera, you can make a film in a variety of genres. It depends on artistic and commercial approach.”

Apart from French movies, young Vietnamese directors introduced their products made in the "48-hour film project" and “Independent film project”.

Vu Ngoc Hoan, a representative of "48-hour film project", said:“We’re honored to participate in this festival and share the happiness with the directors participating in the 48-hour film project. Through the festival, we want to introduce our films to Hanoi’s audience once again. Among the six selected films, three are produced by directors from Ho Chi Minh City and the rest is produced by directors from Hanoi.”

Creativity, uniqueness, and freshness are the highlights of the Clap! Hanoi Film festival. It promotes the talent of Vietnamese and French artists, inspires young artists and provides them with key tips to success.