A sceen from 'Jasmine' by director Đặng Nhật Minh. Photo courtesy of Khánh An Productions

HÀ NỘI – Đặng Nhật Minh’s latest award-winning movie Hoa Nhài (Jasmine) will open the 6th Hà Nội International Film Festival (HANIFF) at the National Cinema Centre.

Written and directed by Minh two years ago, the film is about human relations during busy life in an urban area. The characters include a rural shoeshine boy, a Hà Nội-sidewalk barber, an old couple and an old musician who teaches a choir of blind children.

The script is like a puzzle with each piece representing a different part of life. The characters, along with many other pieces in the movie, depict the lives of ordinary Hanoians.

The movie also changes in Hà Nội amid development as well as its give-and-take relationship with the adjacent rural areas. It focuses on kindness and concerns for others which always connects people and make everything firm and meaningful.

"I believe Hanoians are still typically characterised like in old verses about the elegance of Hanoians," said director Minh.

"I made this movie because I see many negative things about Hanoians in the mass media and films as well. It makes people think the typical characteristics of Hanoians are gone."

He said that he likes Iranian cinema very much because low-budget films are shot with little funding but they have been highly acclaimed and have won the international audience's hearts.

In Jasmine, he tried to make it simple with a small budget. It is the only Vietnamese representative to compete at the festival.

"It is a great honour for the movie crew to be selected to screen at the HANIFF's opening ceremony. I thank the festival organisation for giving us the opportunity," Minh added.

This is possibly the final film by Minh to end his glorious career. During his working life, he has been recognised as one of Vietnamese greatest filmmakers.

His movie When the Tenth Month Comes is listed as one of the best Asian film of all times by CNN while Don’t Burn is the Vietnamese representative at the 82nd Academy Awards.

He also received the Nikkei Asia Prize, the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture, Award for Lifetime Achievement at the Gwangju International Film Festival in South Korea, the Special Award at Hawaii International Film Festival, and the Golden Unicorn Award at Amiens International Film Festival.

He became the first Vietnamese director to be honoured by the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences for his dedication to cinematography.

During his career, he has received four Golden Lotus and five Silver Lotus awards at Việt Nam National Film Festival. - VNS