More than 2,000 Vietnamese and international cinema artists and directors attended the opening of the Vietnam International Film Festival in Hanoi on Oct. 17.

Ten feature films from eight countries and territories and 12 documentaries and short films will be screened for the first time until Oct. 21 and selected for festival awards.

The festival, the first of its kind, was opened with French film “Arthur and the War of Two Worlds”.

The head of feature films’ jury and “The Quiet American” director Phillip Noyce said the criteria for this genre focuses on social issues and the film’s lofty humanity.

The jury also highly values films that offer new, interesting, creative and surprising angles, he added.

Noyce said he himself expects a breakthrough in Vietnam ’s cinematography in the coming time, especially young directors’ works.

This is the first time Vietnam has hosted the International Film Festival, which aims to honour the Asian film industry and promote the development of Southeast Asian cinematography.

During the five-day film festival, in addition to viewing the films, audiences will have the chance to meet with Vietnamese and international documentarians, animators and film crews.

The Vietnamese premiere of “Canh dong bat tan” (Floating Lives), an adaption of the tragic novel by Nguyen Ngoc Tu and directed by Nguyen Phan Quang Binh, seems to be the most anticipated entry in the film programme. It will be introduced on Oct. 20 at Platinum Cineplex, the Garden Mall, on Me Tri Road, Hanoi . The film promises stunning visuals as it tells the story of a heartbroken rice farmer in the Mekong Delta and his love affair with a prostitute.

Competing for Best Feature Film are two Vietnamese films, “Trung uy” (the Lieutenant) and “Long Thanh Cam Gia Ca” (The Fate of a Songstress in Thang Long) as well as films from China , Japan , the Philippines , Malaysia , Indonesia , Singapore and Thailand .

Head of the Vietnam Cinematography Department Lai Van Sinh, who is also head of the festival’s organising board, said that half of the proceeds from ticket sale will be donated to Vietnam ’s central flood victims./.