Mây Nhưng Không Mưa (Live in the Cloud - Cuckoo Land) by young directors Vũ Minh Nghĩa and Phạm Hoàng Minh Thy will compete in the Orizzonti Short Films Competition at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. Photo courtesy of producers

HCM CITY – Vietnamese film Mây Nhưng Không Mưa (Live in the Cloud - Cuckoo Land) has been nominated to the Orizzonti Short Films Competition at the 77th Venice International Film Festival to be held Italy in September.

The 19-minute film by young directors Vũ Minh Nghĩa and Phạm Hoàng Minh Thy will compete with 11 films from other countries.

Mây Nhưng Không Mưa is a love story about a saleswoman at a bridal shop and a vendor who once nearly missed each other. Through their story, a colourful society is portrayed.

Nghĩa and Thy won top prize at the 2019 CJ Short Film Making Project, one of the top short film contests in Việt Nam, for their project.

They received a VNĐ300 million (US$12,900) prize to turn their project into a film.

Thy is a self-taught filmmaker who started making films when she was 20 years old.

Her short film, Lễ Trưởng Thành của Edison (The Graduation of Edison), competed at the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition at the 31rd Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF) in 2019.

Nghĩa is a graduate of the HCM City University of Cinematography and Theatre. Last year, his film U Ơi! (Hey U!) was screened at the SIFF’s Special Programme: Contemporary Vietnamese Shorts.

The Orizzonti, running as a parallel to the Golden Lion, is a competition reserved for a maximum of 20 films, dedicated to films that represent the latest aesthetic and expressive trends in international cinema, especially debut films by young talents from lesser-known cinema.

The section includes prizes for best film, best director, jury prize, best actor, best actress, best screenplay and best short film.

Nominations for the short films section is selected on the basis of criteria such as quality and originality of language and expression.

The 77th Venice International Film Festival will take place from September 2-12. — VNS