Film managers discuss the "Green Screen: Road to Sustainable Development" campaign recently in Hà Nội. Photo thegioidienanh.vn

 HÀ NỘI The Việt Nam Film Development Association (VFDA) has called on filmmakers, especially young people, to participate in the Green Screen Short Film Contest featuring issues of sustainable development.

Organised by the VFDA in coordination with relevant organisations, the contest is part of the "Việt Nam Green Screen: Road to Sustainable Development" campaign launched by the VFDA in January.

Participants are required to tell a story reflecting sustainable environmental issues in the form of a fictional or documentary film.

These could include a simple yet inspirational real-life story, or completely fictitious one, about the impact of people's choices and decisions on the environment, according to the organisers.

The runtime is to be under 10 minutes with an after-credits section under one minute, documenting green acts and measures undertaken during the production process including the use of recycled water bottles, non-Styrofoam props and packaging, and eco-friendly equipment.

Participating films must be produced after January 5, 2022, and must not have entered any other competition.

Submissions of projects and finished films can be mailed to officevfda@gmail.com, the organisers said.

For projects, contestants might opt to participate in the pitching round for the chance to win a film production budget of VNĐ20 million (US$870) per one.

They must send an email with a Word file (Docx) with the subject "Green Screen short film contest: Project ... (project name)”.

For finished films, contestants should upload the film to online platforms of choice such as YouTube and Vimeo, and send the link with a password if any, and a description/introduction Docx file, if any, with the subject “Green Screen short film contest: ... (film title)”.

Requirements for projects to participate in pre-qualification include a story summary of no more than 1,000 words. Contestants should describe the project, stressing the strengths such as appeal, feasibility, and most importantly the director's perspective on the story (unique/personal perspectives are recommended). The detailed script should be under 5,000 words while the profile of the filmmaker/filmmaking team is under 1,000 words.

A production plan with a financial estimate is recommended but not required, the organisers said.

About 20 projects will be selected from the submission pool to participate in the preliminary pitching round.

Six or eight scripts will also be selected by the jury, according to the organisers.

The film submission deadline is on July 31, 2022 while the scripts/projects submission deadline will fall on March 31, 2022.

An award ceremony will be held on September 2, 2022 with one first prize worth VNĐ100 million along with a second and two third prizes. 

VFDA-Netflix co-operation

 VFDA and Netflix Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on January 5 to support the development of the film industry and creative economy in Việt Nam. 

Ngô Phương Lan, president of VFDA, speaks at the cooperation agreement ceremony with Netflix last month. -- Photo thegioidienanh.vn

 The MoU signing took place together with the launch of a campaign themed "Việt Nam Green Screen: Road to Sustainable Development" with the participation of representatives of VFDA, Netflix's Board of Directors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, as well as artists and businesses in the film industry.

Speaking about the event, Nguyet Nguyen Phillips, the Public Policy director for Southeast Asia of Netflix Corporation, highly appreciated the ongoing partnership between Netflix and ministries and agencies in Việt Nam as well as local partners to launch many outstanding events in 2021, such as the 22nd Việt Nam Film Festival, Việt Nam Film Week at EXPO Dubai, and the initiatives "Cinema Beauty Fund - Business" and "Việt Nam Creative Economy”.

This year, Netflix is ​​honoured to cooperate with the VFDA in more projects to support the film industry and the creative economy in the country, the Netflix representative said.

“As a social organisation with members being film studios, filmmakers and movie investors, the VFDA has been interested in organising many activities, although not yet systematic, but very useful in order to protect the environment and promote the sustainable development of the country in general and of the film industry in particular," Ngô Phương Lan, president of VFDA, said:

She said the VFDA, through the campaign, expects to contribute to spreading a message on environmental sustainability, helping to orient the Vietnamese film industry toward sustainable development.

Deputy culture minister Tạ Quang Đông congratulated the cooperation between Netflix and the VFDA, and welcomed the initiative to launch the campaign in the context that environmental protection and sustainable development are becoming the world's major trends along with the commitment to reduce national net emissions to zero by 2050 of Việt Nam's Prime Minister at the recent COP26 Conference.

“Việt Nam Green Screen: Road to Sustainable Development” is part of Netflix’s “Green Screen Southeast Asia: Road to Sustainable Development” initiative that kicked off in November 2021.

The initiative aims to help parties better understand sustainability priorities in Southeast Asia and explore how the Netflix Group, which is part of the region's film and entertainment industries, can help deliver sustainable solutions in partnership with leading governments and film associations. VNS