Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ unveils relationships between three women and their partners in a southern seaside village. Photo courtesy of TIFF

HÀ NỘI - Tro Tàn Rực Rỡ (Glorious Ashes) by Vietnamese director Bùi Thạc Chuyên will become the first Vietnamese film to participate in the Competition Section of the 35th Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) that will take place from October 24 to November 2.

Based on a novel by renowned Vietnamese writer Nguyễn Ngọc Tư, the film unveils relationships between three women and their partners in a southern seaside village.

To raise funds for its production, its producer, Trần Thị Bích Ngọc, and director Chuyên introduced the project at prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes, Busan or Singapore International Film Festival.

Glorious Ashes overcame 27 other film projects from around the world to win the US$15,000 prize in the Asian Project Market Category at the Busan Awards in 2017. It also won SG$250,000 from the Inaugural Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant of the Singapore Film Commission and received support from Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua.

The Competition Section of the Tokyo International Film Festival 2022 includes 15 nominees that are feature films completed after January 2022, selected from 1,695 projects from 107 countries and regions. The Vietnamese film will compete against other highlights such as 1976, Ashkal, The Beasts, By the Window and Egoist.

Prior to Glorious Ashes, Chuyên had created many successful films with rave reviews such as Sống Trong Sợ Hãi (Living in Fear), Chơi Vơi (Adrift) and Lời Nguyền Huyết Ngải (RH108). His documentary about ordinary people during the COVID-19 pandemic, entitled Không Sợ Hãi (No Fear), won the Silver Kite Award in the Documentary Category of Việt Nam's Golden Kite Awards 2021.

Besides working as a director, he is now working as a manager of the Centre for Development and Assistance of Movie Talents (TPD) in Hà Nội. VNS