From the left Deputy General Director of the Vietnam News Agency Nguyễn Thị Sự, Grand Prize winner film director Đặng Nhật Minh and Vice Chairman of the Hà Nội People's Committee Hà Minh Hải at the annual Bùi Xuân Phái Awards ceremony. — VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The renowned director of Bao Giờ Cho Đến Tháng Mười (When the Tenth Month Comes), Đặng Nhật Minh, was celebrated at the 16th Bùi Xuân Phái - For the Love of Hà Nội Awards.

Minh secured the Grand Prize at the yearly Bùi Xuân Phái - For the Love of Hà Nội for his cinematic pieces centred on Hà Nội and its inhabitants, encompassing films like Hà Nội Mùa Đông 1946 (Hà Nội Winter 1946), Mùa Ổi (The Guava House), and his recent work, Hoa Nhài (Jasmine).

His works consistently incorporate various facets of Hà Nội, capturing its essence from different angles, spanning across time and its people. Hà Nội holds a pivotal role in his filmmaking journey, manifesting in films that distinctly highlight the city.

The narratives of these films trace Hà Nội's historical epochs, from the city's valiant resistance against the French invaders in the winter of 1946, to the tumultuous period following its liberation in the late 1950s and 1980s, as well as the dynamics of human relationships amidst the hustle and bustle of Hà Nội in the 2000s.

"Hà Nội is my love and is the place I have lived for more than 60 years," Minh said at the award ceremony on October 5 at the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)'s head office. 

"This award is a recognition of my love for Hà Nội which I show in my films. It is more meaningful to receive the award in the memorable days of October." 

Born in 1938, Minh stands as one of the most illustrious film directors in Vietnam. This self-educated filmmaker has been the genius behind revered films like Bao Giờ Cho Đến Tháng Mười (When the Tenth Month Comes) and Đừng Đốt (Don’t Burn). 

When the Tenth Month Comes secured its place amongst CNN’s top 18 Asian films of all time, while Don’t Burn represented Vietnam at the 82nd Academy Award in the US.

The Bùi Xuân Phái awards were inaugurated in 2008 by VNA’s Thể Thao & Văn Hóa (Culture & Sports) daily and the descendants of the esteemed late painter Bùi Xuân Phái, commemorating the 88th year since his birth.

The awards are categorised into the Bùi Xuân Phái (BXP) Award for Works, BXP Award for Good Deeds, and BXP Award for Idea. 

The late writer Hồ Công Thiết's tome Phố Hàng Bột, Chuyện Tầm Phào Mà Nhớ (Hàng Bột Street, Gossip But Remembered) and the photographic exposition Hà Nội Street 1985-2015: In The Years of Forgetting by the American photographer William E. Crawford were the proud recipients of the BXP Award for Works.

The BXP Award for Good Deeds was bestowed upon the Hà Nội Trade, Tourism, Investment Promotion Centre for pioneering the Hà Nội Autumn Festival from September 29 to October 1, an event orchestrated to spotlight Hà Nội’s attractions and tourism offerings and to entice visitors to the city.

Finally, the BXP Award for Idea was awarded to the Hà Nội Metropolitan University in collaboration with pertinent authorities for the novel concept of introducing "Hà Nội" as a subject in local schools. — VNS