Vietnamese film advances to Oscars shortlist for first time

​The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on December 21 announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 95th Academy Awards. It was a big surprise when a Vietnamese film, Nhung dua tre trong suong (Children of the Mist) entered the top 15 nominations of the Documentary Feature Film. This marks the first time a Vietnamese film has made the shortlist.

Directed by Ha Le Diem, "Children of the Mist" is narrated by a 12-year-old ethnic Hmong girl living in the northern town of Sa Pa.

The 90-minute-long documentary talks about the clash between ancient customs and modern values in a place where children from a traditional culture also have access to the outside world.

The documentary was screened at film festivals in many countries, including the US, France, Australia and Cambodia.

There are high hopes for the Vietnamese film at the Oscars as it has already won Best International Film at the 2022 Docaviv Film Festival in Israel, and the Best Directing award for Ha Le Diem at the International Documentary Film Festival in the Netherlands./.

VNA