Phan Dang Di's latest film will premiere at the 65th BerlinInternational Film Festival (Berlinale), becoming the first Vietnamesefilm to compete for the top prize at the film fest.
The filmentitled, Cha, Con Va (Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories) starsDo Thi Hai Yen (Quiet American, Pao's Story and Adrift), Le Cong Hoangand Truong The Vinh. Yen is also the producer of the film.
Disaid he is happy to see that a Vietnamese film has finally made it inthe global film industry, catching up with other international filmprojects on a competitive stage. "It will compete with them for thegrand award, the ‘comme il faut,'" he said.
The movie tells thestory of young people trying to scrape together a living on Sai Gon'smean streets and even allowing themselves to be sterilised for cash intheir desperation.
"Cha, Con Va" is one of three Asian filmscompeting at the 65th Berlinale, including Gone with the Bullets by WenJiang (China) and Taxi by Jafar Panahi (Iran).
The Berlinaleannounced the list of films to be considered for Golden and Silver BearAwards on January 14. The list is comprised of Cha, Con Va and other 15films. The complete programme for the competition and screening schedulewill be announced next week.
Di's film was chosen over 130projects from 48 countries to receive a grant 40,000 Euros from theWorld Cinema Fund (WCF) at the Berlinale. It is one among four filmprojects funded by the WCF.
WCF was founded by the Berlinale andthe German Federal Cultural Foundation in 2004, which in turn is fundedby the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Goethe Institute. Manymovie projects supported by the WCF have won prizes at the world's topfilm festivals.
This is the second film of director Di after Bi,or Don't Be Afraid. The film was also funded by the WCF in 2008. It wenton to win two prizes in the Critics Week category at the Cannes FilmFestival in 2010. Last year, a film project directed by Nguyen HoangDiep, with Di as the producer—Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere—received50,000 Euros from the WCF.
In addition to director Di andproducer–actress Yen and their film crew, director Nguyen Thi Tham andscreenwriter Nguyen My Trang of the documentary The Last Journey ofMadame Phung will also represent Vietnamese cinema at the 65thBerlinale.
The documentary exposes the hard life of transgenderentertainers in a travelling troupe in southern Vietnam. It won thespecial award at the second Chopshots, a Documentary Film Festival inSoutheast Asia.
Founded in 1951, the Berlinale is considered asone among the three oldest and most prestigious film festivals, togetherwith Cannes (France) and the Venice (Italy) film festivals.
Thisyear's festival will be held from February 5 to 15. With director,screenwriter and producer Darren Aronofsky serving as Jury President,the international jury will decide who receives the Golden Bear andSilver Bear awards at the 2015 Berlinale.-VNA
The filmentitled, Cha, Con Va (Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories) starsDo Thi Hai Yen (Quiet American, Pao's Story and Adrift), Le Cong Hoangand Truong The Vinh. Yen is also the producer of the film.
Disaid he is happy to see that a Vietnamese film has finally made it inthe global film industry, catching up with other international filmprojects on a competitive stage. "It will compete with them for thegrand award, the ‘comme il faut,'" he said.
The movie tells thestory of young people trying to scrape together a living on Sai Gon'smean streets and even allowing themselves to be sterilised for cash intheir desperation.
"Cha, Con Va" is one of three Asian filmscompeting at the 65th Berlinale, including Gone with the Bullets by WenJiang (China) and Taxi by Jafar Panahi (Iran).
The Berlinaleannounced the list of films to be considered for Golden and Silver BearAwards on January 14. The list is comprised of Cha, Con Va and other 15films. The complete programme for the competition and screening schedulewill be announced next week.
Di's film was chosen over 130projects from 48 countries to receive a grant 40,000 Euros from theWorld Cinema Fund (WCF) at the Berlinale. It is one among four filmprojects funded by the WCF.
WCF was founded by the Berlinale andthe German Federal Cultural Foundation in 2004, which in turn is fundedby the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Goethe Institute. Manymovie projects supported by the WCF have won prizes at the world's topfilm festivals.
This is the second film of director Di after Bi,or Don't Be Afraid. The film was also funded by the WCF in 2008. It wenton to win two prizes in the Critics Week category at the Cannes FilmFestival in 2010. Last year, a film project directed by Nguyen HoangDiep, with Di as the producer—Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere—received50,000 Euros from the WCF.
In addition to director Di andproducer–actress Yen and their film crew, director Nguyen Thi Tham andscreenwriter Nguyen My Trang of the documentary The Last Journey ofMadame Phung will also represent Vietnamese cinema at the 65thBerlinale.
The documentary exposes the hard life of transgenderentertainers in a travelling troupe in southern Vietnam. It won thespecial award at the second Chopshots, a Documentary Film Festival inSoutheast Asia.
Founded in 1951, the Berlinale is considered asone among the three oldest and most prestigious film festivals, togetherwith Cannes (France) and the Venice (Italy) film festivals.
Thisyear's festival will be held from February 5 to 15. With director,screenwriter and producer Darren Aronofsky serving as Jury President,the international jury will decide who receives the Golden Bear andSilver Bear awards at the 2015 Berlinale.-VNA
