HÀ NỘI — Hundreds of Vietnamese and foreign filmmakers, actors and actresses gathered on the red carpet yesterday as the forth Hà Nội International Film Festival (HANIFF) kicked off.

Foreign delegates include director Régis Wagnier, actress Catherine Deneuve (Indochine), Russian actress Zinaida Kirienko (Fate of a Man, Quiet Flows the Don), Indian director Adoor Gopalakrishman, and Indonesian actress Bunga Citra Lestari (Three Female Archers).

The organisers selected 146 films from 46 countries and territories to participate at the film festival.

Apart from Films for Competition (feature films and short films), there are also other special film programmes such as Feature Films in World Panorama, Country Focus: India, Selection of Italian Cinema, Selection of ASEAN Films, and the Selection of Vietnamese Contemporary Films.

Việt Nam has two feature films, Jackpot and Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass, participating in Films for Competition.

Minister of Culture Nguyễn Ngọc Thiện, said the film festival is a significant cultural event for 2016.

With the slogan Cinema – Integration and Sustainable Development, the HANIFF has become a prestigious film festival, confirming its brand in the region.

“The film festival has expanded the contest film category to all the countries and territories, creating a great opportunity for Vietnamese and international cinema artists to strengthen professional exchange, share experience to contribute to the development of the cinema industry in Việt Nam as well as in the region and the world,” he said.

“The festival aims at honouring, promoting and introducing the image of Việt Nam, the country, people and culture to the world.”

“The HANIFF honours the genuine cinema talents and encourages the humane values and the friendly co-operative spirit. Those are the highlights that we should preserve and promote in the context that cinema commercialisation is becoming a trend dominating spiritual values in some countries.”

Actress Trương Ngọc Ánh and her partners in the film Truy Sát (Tracer) on the red carpet last night. — VNS Photo Trương Vị

All the films will be screened at least twice, free of charge, at the at the National Cinema Centre, Kim Đồng Cinema, August Cinema, Ngọc Khánh Cinema, CGV Vincom Nguyễn Chí Thanh, and CGV Mipec Tower. The schedule and free tickets can be collected at the sites.

Other activities of the festival include a photo exhibition entitled "Vietnamese settings in foreign films", HANIFF Young Talents Campus, Project Market, outdoor film screenings and fashion shows.

Yesterday the film I, Daniel Blake, which was awarded the Palme d’Or prize and the special prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival; The Prix du Public at the 2016 Lorcano International Film Festival, was screened to open the Hà Nội festival.

"The film marks an impressive opening for the festival this year," said Nguyễn Mỹ Hà, an audience.

It’s about Daniel Blake, a 59-year-old carpenter recovering from a heart attack, who was deemed unfit to work. He must rely on the state for help for the first time after a career spanning 30 years. The journey seeking justice for himself is also the journey on which he rediscovers the true meaning of life. Even with no money and no future, Blake still has a family. Even without the internet or smartphone, he still can fix and make a room feel warm.

The film, directed by Ken Loach, has raised issues of human life in a modern society.

“The film raises a problem that needs the society to listen,” said Hà. “I feel sympathy with the character’s feelings. It’s like the film is made for Vietnamese people.” — VNS