HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam Television Film Centre (VFC)’s Zippo, Mù Tạt Và Em (Zippo, Mustard and You) won gold prize in the category of Television Film of the National Television Festival 2016.

The 36-episode film, directed by Meritorious Artist Trọng Trinh and Tiến Huy, stars young beloved actors and actresses such as Hồng Đăng, Mạnh Trường, Lã Thanh Huyền and Nhã Phương.

The story is inspired by the relationships of young and successful people, and is also about friendship and family life.

The film won three prizes at the 2016 VTV Awards organised in September, the annual awards honouring performers in the fields of film, music, theatre and TV programmes, which have received positive responses from local audiences over the last year. The National Television Festival 2016 wrapped up in the northern province of Lào Cai with 27 gold awards, 56 prizes and 134 certificates of merit presented to the most outstanding works in nine categories at an awards ceremony held on December 24.

The jury board also presented two grand prizes to News Centre VTV24 of the Việt Nam Television for the entry The World is Flat or Not, and scriptwriter Chu Thu Hằng for her script for the television film Nguyệt Thực (Eclipse).

Journalist Lê Thanh Sơn from Lào Cai Province Television represented his team to receive the gold prize in the category of reportage for an entry mentioning the flooding and landslide situation in Lào Cai Province.

“As people know, the mountainous province of Lào Cai suffered serious flooding and landslides, leading to many deaths and losses,” he said.

“Our reportage mentions the losses and difficulties the locals faced during the natural disasters. We also reflect how people help each other in times of difficulty.”

“I have attended many national television festivals but this is the first time I received a prize, so it’s very special to me. Through the festival, we have a chance to exchange and learn from colleagues.”

Trần Bình Minh, general director of Việt Nam Television, the event’s organiser, said this festival saw an increase in both the quantity and quality of the entries, which touched upon many tough topics using both modern and creative approaches.

The four day-event attracted 105 production units with over 500 entries in nine categories including programmes for children, documentaries, reports, science and education programmes, talk shows, television programmes in ethnic languages, music shows, television films, and stage programmes.

Three conferences were also held as part of the event, discussing the role of communication in environmental and climate change work, graphics in producing television programmes, and promoting ethnic culture on television.

The festival is held annually by Việt Nam Television to honour the best television programmes of the year while providing a venue for producers and broadcast professionals nationwide to meet and exchange knowledge and skills. — VNS