The winning films are announced in an award ceremony on May 23 2022, live-streamed on Yeah1's Facebook channel. (Photo: Netflix) Over 100,000 viewers tuned in to the highly-anticipated award ceremony,live-streamed on Yeah1's Facebook channel, on May 23.
The First Prize was granted to Pao'sForest (Khu rung của Pao) by Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat. The film tells thestory of Pao, a Mong man who married at 14. At the age of 18, he falls in lovefor the first time, forcing him to choose between love and familyresponsibilities. The project was filmed over one month in Moc Chau township ofSon La province, and all of the film's actors are from the Mong ethnic group.
The Second Prize went to LittleParrot (Vet con) by Nguyen Tran Ai Nhi. In Little Parrot, Erik, aGerman man, meets with Thu, the mother of his deceased lover, Minh. Thu wantsto bring Minh's ashes back to Vietnam, but Erik is not ready for that just yet.
Conceptualised in early December last year, pre-production for the film tookplace from mid-February to the end of March this year. The film was shot overfour days in Berlin, Germany. An international cinema, its production teamcomprises Vietnamese and German crew members, with three languages used on theset: English, Vietnamese and German.
The third prize was given to Betweenthe Lines (Dung giua lan ranh) by Phan Ngoc Thanh Ngan.
A man is joined by mysterious hitchhikers and strangers while on a taxi ride tomeet his family. Over four days, the film was shot in Củ Chi District, HCMCity.
"I decided to enter the "My Vietnam" short film competitionbecause it came at the right time. It was the time when my friend, Pha, came tome and shared his personal and family life, as well as the customs of theMong community and the challenges that Pha faces," said Nguyen Pham ThanhDat, creator of Pao's Forest.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Department of Film deputydirector Ly Phuong Dung said: "I appreciate the projects by all theVietnamese talent, in the country and abroad, who have participated in the 'MyVietnam' short film competition, powered by Netflix's Cinema Beauty -Vietnam Creative Economy Grant."
"I've seen in these projects the beauty of creativity, enthusiasm andprofessionalism. These projects bring a subtle discovery of life and tell thestories of Vietnamese people today — the customs, habits, and culturaltraditions of Vietnamese living in Vietnam and abroad, the disadvantaged peoplein society, nature and our environment. Each project proves the great lovethese aspiring filmmakers have for the nation and Vietnamese people."
Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Netflix Head of External Affairs, APAC, said: "We aredelighted to announce the top three winners of the competition. These arestories by talented Vietnamese filmmakers from Vietnam and about Vietnam, and Icould not be prouder to view these beautiful films that say so much about therich culture and history of the beautiful place that is Vietnam."
First launched in October 2021 with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismsupport, the grant marks Netflix's first Creative Economy Grant in Vietnam tosupport the country's creative economy and Vietnamese filmmakers fromunderrepresented groups, creating more opportunities for their voices to beheard./.
VNA
