HÀ NỘI -- The Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) will showcase a selection of outstanding Asian and Vietnamese cinematographic works. In particular, the festival will be screening films and organising talks to pay tribute to Vietnamese director Đặng Nhật Minh.

The press conference. VNS Photo Trần Khánh An

DANAFF, which comes this year to the coastal city from July 2 to 6, is presided over by the Đà Nẵng People's Committee and co-organised by Đà Nẵng Department of Culture and Sports, Việt Nam Film Development Association (VFDA) along with other partners.

With the theme 'Asian Bridges', DANAFF will be attended by Asian and international filmmakers, famous Vietnamese filmmakers and artists, alongside screening from young film makers and is expected to attract numerous cinematic fans to the coastal city.

"Đà Nẵng is known for its beautiful scenery through the annual Đà Nẵng International Fireworks Festival," said Trần Chí Cường, Vice Chairman of Đà Nẵng People’s Committee and Head of the Organising Committee of Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival.

"By hosting yearly film festivals such as DANAFF, Đà Nẵng hopes to establish itself as a centre of film culture and draw moviegoers to the coastal city."

Ngô Phương Lan, VFDA chairwoman, said that the festival would celebrate the finest films in Asian and Vietnamese cinema, as well as provide a forum to build relationships in the film industry between Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region.

The festival also aims to support emerging talent in Vietnamese and Asian cinema and to provide the public with new high-calibre cinematographic works from Asian and Vietnamese films, as well as some international releases.

Director Đặng Nhật Minh said: "The timing of the second DANAFF is perfect: the Vietnamese film industry is booming, with numerous up-and-coming directors garnering international recognition and smashing box office records with their works."

Trần Chí Cường, Vice Chairman of Đà Nẵng People’s Committee and Head of the Organising Committee of Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival. VNS Photo Trần Khánh An

The in-competition section is divided into two categories and each jury includes Vietnamese and internationally renowned experts, actors and filmmakers. The Asian Film Awards will be hosted by renowned French-Chinese filmmaker and writer Dai Sijie as the jury chairman.

Hong Kong film director Stanley Kwan, one of the 20 most prominent directors of Chinese cinema and famous for his female-centred films, will be the jury chairman of the Việt Nam Film Awards.

Other additional awards are the NETPAC Award for Best Vietnamese Film, decided by the NETPAC Jury, selected in the Vietnamese in-competition films and the audience’s choice award for their favourite Vietnamese film.

For the first time in Việt Nam, DANAFF will award the Film Achievement Award to a filmmaker who has made tireless contributions to Việt Nam’s film culture.

Director Đặng Nhật Minh receives honourary welcome at the Đà Nẵng International Film Festival. Photo courtesy of the organisers.

Besides activities for in-competition films, the film festival will feature screenings of today's Vietnamese cinema and Đà Nẵng cinema, as well as selected films from celebrated director Đặng Nhật Minh and French Cinema Focus.

This is also the first time the full version of the French movie The Lover by director Jean-Jacques Annaud has been released in Việt Nam.

There are also international seminars, talks and talent incubator workshops.

Last year, DANAFF was nominated as one of the the top ten most outstanding cultural events by Việt Nam News Agency's Thể Thao Văn Hóa (Sports and Culture Newspaper). VNS