Nguyễn Phan Quang Bình’s historical epic Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ: Bí Ẩn Mộ Vua Đinh (Spirit Guardians: The Mystery of King Đinh’s Tomb) will be screened at A Window on Asian Cinema in Busan, South Korea. Photo BHD

HÀ NỘI — For the first time, five Vietnamese films will compete at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea, more than twice as many as in 2019 and and exceeding the festival’s average of 4.2 films per country.

At the same event seven years ago, Việt Nam had just one film in competition and another in a screening programme.

This year, the festival's A Window on Asian Cinema programme features two Vietnamese films: Lê Bảo’s psychological drama Hearing and Nguyễn Phan Quang Bình’s historical epic Hộ Linh Tráng Sĩ: Bí Ẩn Mộ Vua Đinh (Spirit Guardians: The Mystery of King Đinh’s Tomb).

Hearing previously screened at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, while Spirit Guardians could be considered the largest historical epic ever made in Việt Nam.

Nông Nhật Quang’s documentary Em bé đồng bóng, em bé ngạo nghễ và em bé đau lòng (Baby Jackfruit, Baby Guava) will be shown in the Wide Angle Documentary category, which highlights 15 documentaries with distinctive personal perspectives.

Baby Jackfruit, Baby Guava won the Special Jury Award at Visions du Réel International Film Festival Nyon's Burning Lights Competition in April. 

A still from 'Hearing' by Lê Bảo. Image Xine House

When an unplanned baby nicknamed Guava enters the lives of conservative mother Cúc, troubled daughter Mai and detached gay son Nông, the trio travels back in time through their family diaries and photos.

With his first film, Quang creates a time capsule for Guava in which mending ruptured bonds and preparing for a new cycle of motherhood helps the family with acceptance.

Meanwhile, Hàm Trần’s supernatural horror film Sợi chỉ đỏ (Red Thread) will screen in the Midnight Passion category, dedicated to horror, thriller, action and science-fiction films.

“Red Thread marks my return to the horror genre, with a story rooted in Vietnamese spiritual culture and the way Vietnamese people perceive the supernatural," Trần said.

"The film is not simply intended to frighten audiences, but also to offer a sense of healing.”

1982 by Nguyễn Hoàng Điệp will compete in the Vision-Asia section. This category includes films from Việt Nam, Japan, India, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong (China), the Philippines, Iran and Mongolia.

This year, BIFF was officially recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations as an A-list festival, joining the ranks of major international film festivals including Cannes, Berlin and Venice. 

Building on this recognition, the winner of the Busan Award for Best Film, the top prize in BIFF’s Competition, now qualifies for submission to the Academy Award for International Feature Film.

BIFF is now one of only six qualifying festivals designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, alongside Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance and Toronto. — VNS