Two short feature films by Hanoian high school students have jointly won the Bup Sen Vang (Golden Lotus Bud) prize at a competition organised for young filmmakers.

The judges picked The School Uniform, by 11th grader Nguyen Bich Diep, from the Kim Lien High School , for the top prize, while audiences voted for The Illusion by 12th grader Nguyen Trung Kien, from the Dong Da High School.

The short film The School Uniform is about a poor boy who earns a living by collecting rubbish for recycling. He ends up stealing a school uniform. The uniform's owner and his father tracks the thief down to a city rubbish dump, where he lives. When they discover that he stole the uniform for his dead younger brother they are moved to pity.

"I was haunted by the The School Uniform. It is hard to believe that it was made by an amateur filmmaker who is in school," said Thac Chuyen, a film director and vice director of the competition.

In the documentary category, the judges awarded the Golden Lotus Bud Prize to Khi Ta 20 (When We Are 20), by Nguyen Anh Thu. It is a story about three young girls who have been close friends for years. They each come from very different backgrounds, which motivates them to make different choices in life.

The second and third prizes went to Nhoc Nhan Than (Life of Coalminers), by Le My Cuong; and Me va Con (Mother and Daughter), by Phan Huyen My.

The Mother and Daughter was also selected by audiences for the prize.

"Although the filmmakers are young, they have strong views, which were presented in a lively and spontaneous manner in their films. It can be said that all the winning films had the personal hallmark of the filmmakers," Chuyen said.

"Even though I'm a professional filmmaker, I could learn quite a lot from them."

The awards are part of the "We Are Filmmakers" project for young filmmakers, which was launched last year.

Run by the Centre for Assistance and Development of Young Movie Talents, under the Vietnam Cinematography Association, the project aims to promote the arts to youngsters.

Under the two-year project, four-month long courses on documentary and feature filmmaking will be organised for 6th-8th graders, 10th-11th graders and students at college.

The courses were being held in Hanoi , HCM City , Ha Giang, Quang Ninh, Hue , Da Nang and Can Tho.

According to Chuyen, during the first year of the project, more than 200 pupils and students attended 10 courses. Some 60 documentaries and 10 features have since been produced./.