68 films from 23 countries will be featured at the first-ever Vietnam International Film Festival (VNIFF) which will be held at Megastar Cinemas, the National Screening Center and the BHD (Vietnam Media Corp.) Cinema Complex in Hanoi October 17-21.
As a country in focus, France’s cinema will be represented by a selection of award-winning features including Pascal Chaumeil’s “Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” and documentary films “Babies” by Thomas Balmès and “Oceans” by Jacques Cluzaud.
Honored guests Thomas Balmès, Jacques Cluzaud, Pascal Chaumeil and Anna Mouglalis – leading female character of “Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” will present at the event.
“Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky” tells about the rumored affair between Fashion Queen Coco Chanel and Russian composer and pianist Igor Stravinsky around the time legendary Chanel No. 5 perfume was created. This film was chosen as the closing film at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
Central to the film is the song “The Rite of Spring” symbolizing both Stravinsky’s revolutionary musical ambitions and Chanel’s revolutionary fashion exploits.
Chanel, mesmerized by the musician’s scandalous premiere in 1913, invited him to stay in her Garches villa seven years later when as a penniless émigré (refugee) he retouched “The Rite of Spring” for a Paris revival.
Chinese film also carved itself a nice niche as French director Fabrien Gaillarg’s Chinese film “Lao Wai” will compete in the Best Film category while Chinese female director Hu Mei will introduce the 2010 biographical movie “Confucius” which stirred controversy in China.
Two famous Chinese actors Ngo Ngan To and Truong Gia Huy will also attend this year’s festival on October 19. To co-stars in the action film “Triple Tap”, with Hong Kong actor Co Thien Lac.
Ten feature films from eight countries in the East Asia and Southeast Asia will compete in the In Competition category.
VNIFF chairman Lai Van Sinh, said: “Vietnam is hosting the International Film Festival for the first time, so it will focus on East Asia and Southeast Asia as world cinema’s new potential areas of interest.”
Many films competing in the Feature Film category will be screened in the region, or even the world, for the first time. They include “Sandcastle” by Singaporean Boo Junfeng, “Lao Wai” by French Fabien Gaollard, “Red Shoes” by Philippine Raul Jorolan, “The Dreamer” by Indonesian Riri Riza, “Ice Kaeang Puppy Love” by Japanese Nobuhiro Doi, “Big Boy” by Thailand Monthon Arayangkoon, “Breaking Up Club” by Hong Kong Barbara Wong, and “Long Thanh Cam Gia ca” by Vietnamese Dao Ba Son and “Lieutenant” by Vietnamese Ha Son.
“We want to start out small but steady to make sure to do things at the right pace,” said Ngo Thi Bich Hanh, vice president of sales & acquisitions at Vietnam Media.
The festival – co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam Cinema Department and Vietnam Media Corporation – will showcase films in seven categories: Competition, Shorts and Documentaries, World Cinema Today, Vietnamese Cinema Today, Country in Focus, Surprising, and Tributes.
Eight prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, the Netpac Prize, and the Media Award and Best Short Film.
