HCM City Int’l Film Festival 2024 opens (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - The Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival 2024(HIFF 2024) opened in the southern metropolis on April 6.
Running from April 6-13, the festivalincludes three main competition categories, including Southeast Asian films,debut and short films, with many awards such as Golden Star Award for Best Southeast AsianFilm; Best Emerging Director; Best Short Film; and Ho Chi Minh City Film awards. In addition, there are awards for directors,actors, cinematographers, editors, and visual effects, among others.
There will be a wide range of sideline activitieswith the participation of international artists and visitors, including a galafilm screening; training courses conducted by directors, actors, producers, andexperts who have a lot of experience in the movie industry; music and fashionperformances; a food fair; a film industry exhibition introducing the development history of the movie industry of HCM City, Vietnam and the world, famousproducers, directors, and movie stars in Nguyen Hue walking street; and seminars onthe importance of funding for film development.
Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of themunicipal People's committee Duong Anh Duc said that the locality is considereda large market for film production and distribution in the country.The film industry is identified as one of eight key industries, with an averagegrowth rate of about 12% a year and revenue reaching over 5 trillion VND (200 million USD), ofwhich Vietnamese films account for about 30% of revenue, contributing about0.4% of the city's GRDP by 2025.
Duc also said HIFF 2024 is expected to improve the qualityand reputation of the city’s movie industry, and promote HCM City as a destination for domestic and foreign filmmakers, towards becoming a film city and join the UNESCOCreative Cities Network.
The HIFF 2024 received more than 400 entries, with 56projects participating in the Project Market and 87 scripts joining theVietnamese Script Incubator (VietScript Lab)./.
