Female director’s movie wins Best Film at AIFFA 2017

Female director Hồng Ánh (left), actress Ngọc Thanh Tâm and AIFFA 2017 Best Actor Phạm Hồng Phước, of Đảo Của Dân Ngụ Cư, at the Asean International Film Festival & Awards.-Photo courtesy of Blue Productions

The female film director and producer won against four competitors from the Philippines and Indonesia at the awards ceremony last Saturday evening.

The film also won two major prizes, Best Leading Actor and Best Director of Photography, for young face Phạm Hồng Phước and People’s Artist Lý Thái Dũng.

Đảo Của Dân Ngụ Cư tells the stories of residents living in a small Vietnamese fishing village, focusing on their inner life. The screenplay was adapted from a short story by author Đỗ Phước Tiến.

The film was nominated for a record-setting total of eight award categories, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Film Editing.

The film’s director Ánh, who has nearly 20 years in the industry, wrote on her Facebook after her victory: “This award is not for today, but for more than the 10 years we have been working on our film.”

AIFFA 2017 received 109 films from 10 member states of ASEAN. It considered 50 films for its prizes.

The selected works focused on local culture, tradition and heritage, towards a united ASEAN.

The event aims to introduce ASEAN films to the world, offering more opportunities for filmmakers and distributors.

Born in 1977 in Trà Vinh Province, Ánh began her career as a dancer when she was 14.

In 1995, she turned to film after winning a top prize at the Movie Actors with Potential Contest launched by HCM City’s Cinematography Association.

She has performed in dozens of award-winning films and TV shows produced by State-owned and private film companies, including Việt Nam Film Studios and HCM City Television’s Film Studio.

Ánh won two Best Actress awards at the Golden Kite Festival and Việt Nam Film Festival in 2001 and 2008, launched by the Việt Nam Cinematography Department and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In 2013, she began working as a film director and producer after opening Blue Productions, a film agency.

Her previous films, Đường Đua (Race) and Chuyến Đi Cuối Cùng Của Chị Phụng (The Last Journey of Madam Phụng), impressed audiences and critics.

Ánh’s Đảo Của Dân Ngụ Cư will be screened at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on May 20. It will be presented later at the Việt Nam Film Week in Barcelona.