A scene in Mát Biếc (Dreamy Eyes). Photo courtesy of the producers

HÀ NỘI -  Some of the best Vietnamese movies will be screened for free in the run-up to the 22nd Việt Nam Film Festival.

A film week will be held both in the capital city of Hà Nội and the central city of Đà Nẵng between November 10-16.

The cinematic event will be hosted by the culture ministry's Cinema Department in collaboration with the National Cinema Centre, the culture authority of Đà Nẵng City and other relevant units.

According to the organisers, 26 films were chosen for being screened during the week such as Bằng Chứng Vô Hình (Invisible Evidence), Bố Già (Dad, I’m Sorry), Gái Già Lắm Chiêu V (Camellia Sisters), Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes), Ròm, and Tiệc Trăng Máu (Blood Moon Party).

All the selected films are those with high box office revenue, receiving rave reviews like Dad, I’m Sorry that had generated nearly VNĐ400 billion (US$18 million) from ticket sales in domestic theatres by this April, and those that have won cinematic awards like Ròm.

The film week will also include movies that have not been introduced on the big screens like Miền Ký Ức (Memory Land), Người Lắng Nghe - Lời Thì Thầm (Listeners - The Whispering), and Điên Tối (Darkness).

Miền Ký Ức was recently screened at the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) and was nominated in the New Currents category. 

The films will be screened for free during the film week at the National Cinema Centre in Hà Nội and the Cultural and Cinema Centre in Đà Nẵng.

Vietnamese blockbuster Dad, I’m Sorry broke many domestic box office revenue records since it premiered. Photo courtesy of the producers

The 22nd Việt Nam Film Festival will be held virtually in the central province of Thừa Thiên Huế from November 18-20 under the motto Building a Vietnamese Film Industry Rich in National Identity, Modernity and Humanity. This is the first time the Việt Nam Film Festival has been held online.

"In addition to honouring the country's cinematographers, the 22nd Việt Nam Film Festival will help to bridge cinematic works to the public by means of the digital platform and showcase how domestic cinema has adapted to the special context that the world is also facing -- the COVID-19 pandemic," said deputy culture minister Tạ Quang Đông.

The festival will feature 128 films from 42 units, including 26 feature films, 56 documentaries, 15 scientific films, and 31 animated films.

A number of side line events will be organised both in virtual and in-person forms, which are press conferences and the opening ceremony on November 18,

This year’s event will present two new awards, one for a feature film with the best cinematography, and the other for outstanding debut by a director. VNS