HCM CITY – Vietnamese actor Issac won the Rising Star of Asia Star Award at the 21st Busan International Festival on October 7.

The award is co-organised by the festival’s organisers and Marie Claire magazine to recognize movie talent in Asia. It has six categories, including Female Asia Star and Male Asia Star.

Issac is known for his main role in the movie Tấm Cám: Chuyện Chưa Kể (Tấm Cám: The Untold Story), a fantasy film based on a popular Vietnamese fairy tale and directed by Ngô Thanh Vân.

“I’m honoured to be at the Busan International Film Festival at the invitation of the festival’s organiser and Marie Claire magazine. It was a real surprise to me when I was named to receive A Rising Star award,” Issac wrote on his Facebook page after receiving the award.

Before being known as an actor, Issac, whose real name is Phạm Lưu Tuấn Tài, was the leader of 365daband, one of the most popular boy bands in Việt Nam. But the band broke up last July.

The 28-year-old played the main role in director Lê Bảo Trung’s comedy Gia Sư Nữ Quái (Tutor and Naughty Girl) in 2012.

Tấm Cám: The Untold Story and Thành Phố Của Những Tấm Gương: Một Tiểu Sử Hư Cấu (The City of Mirrors: A Fictional Biography) by Trương Minh Quý were included in A Window on Asian Cinema, one of ten main sections of the festival.

A Window on Asia Cinema is dedicated to new cinematic works by Asian film producers, which will be shown along with other excellent films of the year to represent new cinematic trends of the continent.

Held yearly in Busan, South Korea since 1996, the Busan International Film Festival is one of the most important cinematic events in Asia. This year’s festival takes place on October 6-15, screening films from 69 countries. — VNS