Five talented filmmakers have been given VNĐ300 million (US$13,000) each from the CJ Short Film Making Project to make their own short films. Photo courtesy of CJ CGV Vietnam

HCM CITY — Five filmmakers have been given VNĐ300 million (US$13,000) each from the CJ Short Film Making Project to make short films.

Contest judges were Việt Nam’s leading filmmakers Phan Đăng Di, Nguyễn Hoàng Điệp, Trịnh Đình Lê Minh, Trần Thanh Huy, and Trần Thị Bích Ngọc, who were all present at the presentation and Q&A round held online on June 26.

The selected projects’ themes were inspired by real stories about love, family love, and love of nature and the country.

Filmmaker Trần Thị Hà Trang’s project called Cá Mặt Trăng (Moonfish) features a self-discovery journey of a hearing-impaired child, while Hương Kỳ Trong Trăng (Dreaming a Dream) of Lê Can Trường is about a man lost in his illusions.

Đàm Quang Trung tells a story about a tomb builder and his memories of a forgotten village in his film project Những Con Voi Bên Vệ Đường (Elephants on the Streets).

Meanwhile, Đào Thu Uyên’s Người Mẹ Nuốt Chửng (Swallowed Mother) is about a widow living with her disabled child, but stuck with a jealous boyfriend.

Hồ Thanh Thảo also features a widow’s fight against a stranger, who causes bad luck for her son, in her dreams in the work Điềm Báo (Fortune-telling).

During the filmmaking process, the filmmakers will be mentored by five judges to ensure that their films meet qualifications for international film festivals.

Film production will be finished on November 24, and all five films will premiere in January 2022.

The organisers, CJ Cultural Foundation and CJ CGV Vietnam, will offer financing to filmmakers to help them register to participate in top international film festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and Busan.  

The judges said that the five projects would have the opportunity to go further at top film festivals, because all contestants had a clear vision in directing and careful preparation.

The CJ Short Film Making Project, initiated in 2018, aims to bring works by Vietnamese filmmakers to top international film festivals.

Many productions from the contest have been selected to screen and compete at over 50 international film festivals around the world.

This year, the contest has received 298 entries.

All the entries feature different genres, and various topics and stories covering various aspects of life and humanity. — VNS