1st Hanoi International Film Festival

The 1st Hanoi International Film Festival, originally known as 1st Vietnam International Film Festival, opened on October 17 and closed on October 21, 2010 at Vietnam National Convention Center, with the slogan "All together make dreams come true" (Vietnamese: "Tất cả cùng nhau biến ước mơ thành hiện thực").

From more than 90 films submitted, the Organizing Committee selected 67 films from 23 countries to attend with a full range of film genres such as: socio-psychological films, action comedies, animated films, historical films and documentaries.

This is one of the activities to celebrate the 1000 Years of Thăng Long - Hanoi. The festival aims to honor Asian cinema, promote cultural exchanges and foster further development cooperation between regional and international filmmakers through the showcase of the latest films by talented directors, especially the ones from Southeast Asian countries.

Programs

The following programs were held within the framework of the 1st Vietnam International Film Festival:

Ceremonies:

• Ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the festival, Sunday morning, October 17, at Hanoi Opera House, Hoàn Kiếm District
• Opening ceremony: 20:00, Sunday, October 17 (live broadcast on VTV1), at Vietnam National Convention Center, Từ Liêm District
• Closing ceremony: 20:00, Thursday, October 21 (live broadcast on VTV2), at Vietnam National Convention Center, Từ Liêm District
  • Director Hồng Sến to be honored and In Memoriam

Professional activities at the Hanoi Opera House, Hoàn Kiếm District:

• Photo exhibitions at the front gate area:
  • Introducing the life and outstanding film achievements of People's Artist Hồng Sến (Vietnamese: "Giới thiệu cuộc đời cùng những thành tựu phim ảnh nổi bật của NSND Hồng Sến")
  • Contemporary Vietnamese Cinema (Vietnamese: "Điện ảnh Việt Nam đương đại")
  • Introducing photos of international film festivals taken and collected by Mr. Kim Dong-ho - Director of Busan International Film Festival (Vietnamese: "Giới thiệu ảnh về các LHP quốc tế được chụp và sưu tầm bởi ông Kim Dong-ho - Giám đốc LHP quốc tế Busan")
• Interactive activities in the Mirror Room:
  • Technology seminar: 3D movie making with cinematographer Barry Braverman (Vietnamese: "Làm phim 3D với nhà quay phim Barry Braverman"), organized by Panasonic Systems Asia Pacific, 10:30 - 12:30, Sunday, October 17
  • Technology seminar: Canon - The solution to minimize the budget for independent films (Vietnamese: "Canon - Giải pháp giảm tối đa kinh phí cho phim độc lập"), Monday morning, October 18
  • Forum: Solutions to enhance Vietnamese film production (Vietnamese: "Giải pháp tăng cường sản xuất phim Việt Nam"), Monday afternoon, October 18
  • Seminar: Vietnam - An attractive environment for film production (Vietnamese: "Việt Nam - Môi trường hấp dẫn sản xuất phim"), Tuesday afternoon, October 19
  • Seminar: Building Vietnam's film industry (Vietnamese: "Xây dựng nền công nghiệp điện ảnh Việt Nam"), Wednesday afternoon, October 20

Movie screenings in theaters:

• Showtimes: October 17 to 21
  • Sunday: all day from 10:00 to 21:00
  • Monday to Thursday: 16:00 to 21:00
• Tickets:
  • Movie tickets start selling in theaters from October 11, 2010; Opening and closing tickets sold from October 11, 2010 at Megastar Cineplex and National Cinema Center.
  • Ticket prices are reduced by 40% compared to weekdays at these 2 cinemas above. Particularly at Platinum Cineplex, ticket prices will be lower on the occasion of the opening of the cinema complex, only 10-20 kVND.
  • Viewers can book movie tickets 2 days in advance or before 11am of that day at movie locations.
  • Locations for information and ticket booking: At the information and ticket desks for guests at the Hanoi Opera House or in cinemas serving the festival.
• Theaters:
  • National Cinema Center: 3rd floor, 87 Láng Hạ Street, Ba Đình District
  • Megastar Cineplex: 6th floor, Hanoi Vincom Building, 191 Bà Triệu Street, Hai Bà Trưng District
  • Platinum Cineplex: 4th floor, The Garden Mễ Trì Building, Từ Liêm District

Outdoor movie screenings and audience exchange with the cast:

• Triple Tap by Derek Yee : 20:00 Monday, October 18, at August Revolution Square, Hoàn Kiếm District

Juries & Advisors

There are 3 jury panels established for this film festival along with an honorary advisory board.

Juries

Feature film:

• Phillip Noyce , director - Chairman
• Marco Mueller , director, producer, Director of Venice Film Festival
• François Catonné , cinematographer
• Kang Soo-yeon , actress
• Đặng Nhật Minh , director

Documentary and Short film:

• Juhani Alanen , Executive Director for the Tampere Film Festival - Chairman
• Mathieu Poirot-Delpech , cinematographer
• Bùi Đình Hạc , director, former Director of Vietnam Cinema Department

Network for Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC):

• Aruna Vasudev , film critic, writer, the Founder and President of NETPAC - Chairman
• Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. , screenwriter
• Ngô Phương Lan , film critic, Deputy Director of Vietnam Cinema Department

Honorable Advisory

• Kim Ji-seok , Busan International Film Festival programmer
• Christian Jeune , Head of Cannes Film Festival’s Film Office
• Ellen M. Harrington , director, Museum Collections Curator at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
• Régine Hatchondo , Executive Director of UniFrance
• Shaw Soo Wei , Executive Director of Hong Kong International Film Festival

Official Selection - In Competition

Feature film

These 10 films were selected to compete for the official awards in Feature Film category:

Highlighted title indicates Best Feature Film Award winner.

Documentary & Short film

These 12 documentary and short films were selected to compete for official awards in Documentary and Short Film category:

Highlighted title indicates Best Documentary & Short Film Award winner.

Official Selection - Out of Competition

These films were selected for out-of-competition programs:

Opening

• Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds – Luc Besson (3D Animated)

Vietnam Premiere Showcase

• The Floating Lives / Cánh đồng bất tận – Nguyễn Phan Quang Bình

Panorama: World Cinema Today

Country-in-Focus: France

• Oceans / Océans – Jacques Perrin (Documentary, 2009)
• Heartbreaker / L'Arnacœur – Pascal Chaumeil (2010)
• Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky / Coco Chanel et Igor Stravinsky – Jan Kounen (2009)
• Babies / Bébé(s) – Thomas Balmès (Documentary, 2010)
• Little Nicholas / Le Petit Nicolas – Laurent Tirard (2009)

Vietnamese Cinema Today (2005 - 2010)

Awards

The official awards were awarded at the closing ceremony of the festival, on the evening of October 21. The independent awards such as NETPAC and Technicolor were awarded after in the closing press conference.

In Competition - Feature film

• Best Feature Film: Sandcastle
• Best Director: Boo Junfeng – Sandcastle
• Best Leading Actor: Ah Niu – Ice Kacang Puppy Love
• Best Leading Actress: Fiona Sit – Break Up Club , Nhật Kim Anh – The Musician at the Dragon Citadel

In Competition - Documentary & Short film

• Best Documentary Film: Always Beside You – Nguyễn Kim Hải

NETPAC Award

• NETPAC's Award for Asian Cinema Promotion: Sandcastle

Special Award of Technicolor (Thailand)

• Post-production Support Award: The script of Rebellious Hot Boy and the Story of Cười, the Prostitute and the Duck – Vũ Ngọc Đãng, Lương Mạnh Hải

Award of the Embassy of France in Vietnam and UniFrance

• Audience Choice Award for Most Favourite French Film: Little Nicholas

References

External links

• VNIFF Official Website