HÀ NỘI – The 7th German Film Festival will take place in Việt Nam’s major cities from September 8 to 25, during which eight films will be screened.

The films are the newest and most successful in Germany, offering the audiences a versatile programme for all ages and the chance to get an in-depth perspective of the German film scene.

As a special guest, the film festival will welcome director Norbert Lechner, who will present his film Fortune Favours the Brave in Hà Nội and HCM City.

His new film contains a lot of humour and the spirit of adventure, and is based on the friendship between Vietnamese sisters Linh and Tiên and 11-year-old Pauline.

“Fortune Favours the Brave tells the story of how difficult life can get in the prefabricated apartment blocks of Halle-Neustadt – an unflattering view, but full of suspense, humour and adventurous spirit,” the director said.

“… Thus both girls gradually learn more, not only about one another, but essentially about themselves.”

In Fortune Favours the Brave, Lynn Dortschack and Linda Phương Anh Đặng, child actors with Vietnamese roots, perform alongside well-known Vietnamese actors Chiều Xuân and Mạnh Cường.

The film was produced in 2015. It won the Audience Award at the Montreal International Children’s Film Festival and the Children Media Prize for young actress at the Munich Film Festival.

Director Lechner, who focuses on films for children and the youth, is also the film’s scriptwriter and producer. He will be available to answer questions from the audience following the screening in Hà Nội and HCM City.

Fortune Favours the Brave will be screened on September 10 at 4pm in Hà Nội with Vietnamese and English subtitles.

The festival will open with the screening of Victoria by Sebastian Schipper at 8pm on September 8. The film won Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution in the categories of camera, editing, music score, costume and set design at the Berlinale International Film Festival and bagged the Golden Award for best film, best direction, best actress, best actor, among others at the German Film Award.

Director Schipper has acted in films such as the Academy Award-winning The English Patient. His debut in direction was awarded by the German Film Award and his films have been presented at the Berlinale Film Festival in 2004 and 2008.

Other films include German award-winning and international film festival nominated One Breath; Tour De Force; Head full of Honey; Macho Man; Offline – Are You Ready for the Next Level and Rico, Oskar and the Deeper Shadows.

Rico, Oskar and the Deeper Shadows is an adventure film based on the bestseller by Andreas Steinhöfel. Published in 2008, the book is the first installment of the children’s books series Rico and Oscar, which has been translated into Vietnamese with translation grants by the Goethe-Institute.

Rico, Oscar and the Deeper Shadows was awarded the renowned German Youth Literature Prize. The movie will be screened on September 4 and September 14 at 4pm and 8pm.

The festival will be held in Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng, Huế, HCM City and Hải Phòng following its overwhelming success last year. This is the first time that the northern city of Hải Phòng will host the festival.

Tickets for all films are free. Audiences can also take part in a quiz based on the film. For the quiz and more information on the complete schedule in all cities visit https://www.goethe.de/ins/vn/prj/dfv/prg/enindex.htm

With a bit of luck, audiences can win great prizes by answering questions about the films which will be screened at the festival. — VNS