The Singaporean film, Sand Castle , won Best Feature Film and BestDirector at the Vietnam International Film Festival in Hanoi whichconcluded on October 21.
Sand Castle tells the story of afamily in Singapore which head of the jury board Australian directorPhillip Noyce says represented many families and described a period inthe country's history.
Ten films in the "In Competition Programme",with various styles and genres, from eight countries in East andSoutheast Asia , created a portrait of special and modern societies andhelped draw international filmmakers to the region, Noyce says.
"Five days of screenings allowed us to view the finest of new Asian,Vietnamese and French films, while also affording an overview ofindependent contemporary cinema."
The jury for feature filmsgathered filmmakers, including Francois Catonne from France, MarcoMueller from Italy , Kang Soo-yeon from the Republic of Koreaand Dang Nhat Minh from Vietnam .
"Congratulations on the firstedition of the festival," Kang says. "A film festival is more than justscreening films from other countries, but sharing various cultures andunderstanding their differences."
Best Actress prize went to twocontenders because of their excellence: Nhat Kim Anh of Vietnam andFiona Sit of Hongkong ( China ).
"To play my role in The Fateof a Songstress in Thang Long, I had to learn a lot," Anh says, "such asplaying a 16-chord zither, singing ceremonial songs and expressing thecharacter's inner feeling through crying with only one eye.
"I felt I grew up in this film and I'm proud of the role," she says.
The Documentary and Short Film Jury included Matthieu Poirot-Delpechfrom France , Juhani Alanen from Finland , and Vietnamese directorBui Dinh Hac.
"I really like Asian short films," says Alanen. "Forme, Asian short films are windows to Asian countries. They tell mesomething about Asia that you cannot find from news or television."
They granted the prize to the Vietnamese documentary Always Beside You, a debut for young director Nguyen Thi Kim Hai.
The festival focused on East Asian and Southeast Asian films andattracted filmmakers, producers and businessmen from 30 countries andterritories./.
Sand Castle tells the story of afamily in Singapore which head of the jury board Australian directorPhillip Noyce says represented many families and described a period inthe country's history.
Ten films in the "In Competition Programme",with various styles and genres, from eight countries in East andSoutheast Asia , created a portrait of special and modern societies andhelped draw international filmmakers to the region, Noyce says.
"Five days of screenings allowed us to view the finest of new Asian,Vietnamese and French films, while also affording an overview ofindependent contemporary cinema."
The jury for feature filmsgathered filmmakers, including Francois Catonne from France, MarcoMueller from Italy , Kang Soo-yeon from the Republic of Koreaand Dang Nhat Minh from Vietnam .
"Congratulations on the firstedition of the festival," Kang says. "A film festival is more than justscreening films from other countries, but sharing various cultures andunderstanding their differences."
Best Actress prize went to twocontenders because of their excellence: Nhat Kim Anh of Vietnam andFiona Sit of Hongkong ( China ).
"To play my role in The Fateof a Songstress in Thang Long, I had to learn a lot," Anh says, "such asplaying a 16-chord zither, singing ceremonial songs and expressing thecharacter's inner feeling through crying with only one eye.
"I felt I grew up in this film and I'm proud of the role," she says.
The Documentary and Short Film Jury included Matthieu Poirot-Delpechfrom France , Juhani Alanen from Finland , and Vietnamese directorBui Dinh Hac.
"I really like Asian short films," says Alanen. "Forme, Asian short films are windows to Asian countries. They tell mesomething about Asia that you cannot find from news or television."
They granted the prize to the Vietnamese documentary Always Beside You, a debut for young director Nguyen Thi Kim Hai.
The festival focused on East Asian and Southeast Asian films andattracted filmmakers, producers and businessmen from 30 countries andterritories./.
