"Father Carrying Son" competes for awards at film festivals on par with Cannes and Venice.

"Father Carrying Son" by Luong Dinh Dung is participating in the 21st Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, held in Tallinn, Estonia.

The film "Father Carrying Son" has just officially won the "Best Feature Film" award at the 17th Asia-Pacific Latin America Film Festival held in Washington DC.

At the 6th American Independent Film Festival held in New York, the film "Father Carrying Son" continued its winning streak, taking home the "Best Director" and "Best Cinematography" awards, and had a screening for the festival audience on June 18th.

Coming soon in Toronto, Canada on July 3rd, the film "Father Carrying Son" will officially have its opening screening at the 13th Reel Heart International Film Festival. At the 13th Reel Heart Film Festival, "Father Carrying Son" has been nominated in important categories such as: "Best Cinematography", "Best Foreign Film", "Best Actor", and "Best Sound".

Director Luong Dinh Dung. Photo: Provided by the director.

Another piece of good news is that "Father Carrying Son" by director Luong Dinh Dung has been selected for the main competition at the 21st Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. This is one of the largest and most diverse film festivals in the Nordic region, welcoming over 1,000 international filmmakers each year, screening approximately 250 feature films, over 300 short films and animations, and attracting 80,000 attendees annually.

Director Luong Dinh Dung said he was busy with a new project, but had accepted the organizers' invitation to attend the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. Luong Dinh Dung revealed that "Father Carrying Son" will continue to participate in many film events, whether large or small, because for him, it's an opportunity to promote Vietnamese films to international friends.

Currently, the director, born in 1973, is busy preparing for the filming of his second movie project, titled "The Sleeping City." The film is expected to be 92 minutes long and is based on the novel of the same name he wrote in 2008.

Luong Dinh Dung's film "Father Carrying Son" has garnered numerous prestigious awards at international film festivals. Photo: Provided by the filmmaker.

"I'm very happy and clear-headed to write a story where the characters aren't conscious. I chose the title for the film when I started brainstorming, because it fits the story's content. This is a completely different story from 'Father Carrying Son,' a 180-degree turn, the most edgy story among the books I've written. It's been meticulously prepared and will be executed rigorously," - Luong Dinh Dung shared about "The Sleeping City."

"The Sleeping City" tells the story of a 25-year-old protagonist living in a nearly abandoned alley, earning a living by butchering chickens for hire, until one day three unidentified men arrive and take refuge in a dilapidated house in the alley, along with an abandoned girl. Unusual events begin to unfold, spiraling out of control for the characters and even the author…

Director Luong Dinh Dung stated that he continues to pursue his own storytelling style. In the film "The Sleeping City," the characters' development follows no predictable pattern. The main goal of "The Sleeping City" is to win over even the most demanding judges. Therefore, it requires and also allows him unlimited creativity in storytelling and staging. "'Father Carrying Son' satisfied me in every aspect; it's like a huge debt I've repaid, so 'The Sleeping City' will soar freely. Imagine the feeling of watching 'The Sleeping City' as a calm lake in the dark night, only you have to dive into a bottomless lake," Luong Dinh Dung said metaphorically.

Movie poster for "The Sleeping City".

Just like in his debut film, Luong Dinh Dung doesn't favor well-known faces familiar to the audience. He aims for new faces, truly embodying the characters.

The first images revealed of "The Sleeping City" are an example of color and light, of ambiguity. The film is like a collection of fragmented moments, each frame never fully satisfied in terms of light and color. The film depicts darkness as a path towards light, towards the humanistic aspects of life.

According to VOV