Forest and its role in dealing with climate change have inspired the winners of the festival of Photos – Reportage – Documentary Film on Environmental Protection and Climate Change in the ASEAN Community.

At an award-presentation ceremony in Hanoi on February 20, a collection of photos themed “the role of forest and climate change” by Vietnamese photographer Huynh Lam swept the first prize in the photo category.

Meanwhile, “Jungle Beat” produced by the Malaysian National Film Development Corporation won the first prize in the reportage – documentary film category.

Twenty-eight other outstanding works were also honoured.

Addressing the ceremony, Minister of Information and Technology Nguyen Bac Son said the event contributed to an ASEAN vision 2020 that looks to build a green and clean ASEAN.

It also contributed to forging cooperation and mutual understanding among the association’s members in the process of building a strong ASEAN Community and realising the ASEAN’s Charter, he said.

Since it was launched in July, 2013, the festival, hosted by Vietnam for the first time, received 536 photo and photo collection entries and 125 film entries from ASEAN countries.

According to Nguyen Truong Son, head of the Organisation Board, the entries had high quality, vividly introducing dynamic ASEAN countries together with their outstanding achievements in environmental protection and climate change prevention and external cooperation in the fields, and new environmentally-friendly technologies.-VNA