Director Trần Nguyễn Hoàng Long (left) receives the top award in the Vietnamese Genre Film Projects category. — Photo courtesy of DANAFF

ĐÀ NẴNG — Vietnamese, Thai and Kyrgyz film projects won the Best Project Awards as part of DANAFF Talents' Project Incubator, a key programme of the fourth Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV).

In the Vietnamese Genre Film Project category under the Script Lab, the DANAFF Award, worth US$5,000, was presented to Escape Room (Scared To Death) by director Trần Nguyễn Hoàng Long.

The winning project is a genre film blending horror and thriller elements, using the confined setting of an escape room to create suspense and psychological tension.

The jury praised the project's strong concept, clear development strategy and promising potential, expressing confidence in its continued growth during the next stage of development.

Its victory came ahead of several high-profile contenders, including Chiếc Lược Ngà (The Ivory Comb) by director Nguyễn Quang Dũng, an adaptation of the celebrated short story by writer Nguyễn Quang Sáng, the director's father.

Also competing in the category was Phan Xích Long and the Uprising in the Six Provinces of Southern Việt Nam by director Phan Gia Nhật Linh, a historical project widely regarded as one of the strongest contenders.

Kyrgyz director Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi (right) receives the top award in the Asian Arthouse Film Projects category. — Photo courtesy of DANAF

In the Asian Arthouse Film Project category, the top prize went to Zholdogu Bala (Stuck Like Babies) by Kyrgyz director Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi. The project stood out for its distinctive cinematic language, humanistic approach and strong potential to reach international film festivals and markets.

The jury also presented a Special Mention to Cosmo by Thai director Kong Pahurak, recognising its creative vision and promising potential within the art-house film landscape.

DANAFF Talents is a training, networking and project development initiative dedicated to nurturing promising young talents in the field of cinema. The programme includes a series of activities such as the Talent Incubator acting workshop, the Project Incubator as a project market and masterclasses for filmmakers.

Project Incubator, including the Asian Art-house Film Project and Vietnamese Genre Film Project category under the Script Lab, holds masterclasses with international mentors to support the development of the selected projects. It also provides a live networking session involving production, distribution and film funding partners, designed to help filmmakers find the right collaborators for their projects. — VNS