Vietnamese film about child marriage wins award at 6th Hanoi International Film Festival

Director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat thanked the organizers for giving him the opportunity to introduce the film to domestic and international audiences. "The film is about Pao, a H'Mong boy, who got married according to traditional customs at the age of 14. At 18, Pao fell in love for the first time, constantly lost between two choices: personal love and family responsibility. This is also the story of my best friend - Pha - the male lead in the film. I would like to thank everyone who worked with me to make the film," Thanh Dat said.

"Páo's Forest" won Best Short Film at Haniff.

Giang A Pha (the film's male lead, playing Pao) said he was happy and surprised with the result. When he attended the ceremony, he didn't even know he would be walking the red carpet and didn't dress formally. Pha is H'Mong so he didn't have much difficulty acting in a film inspired by his own life.Pao's Forestcompeting with 19 short films from other countries.

Director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat.

In the feature film category, for the first time, the Best Actor award simultaneously honored seven actors from the same group.Maariyaof Sri Lanka. They include: Mahendra Perera, Priyantha Sirikumara, Hemal Ranasinghe, Darshan Dharamaraj, Ashan Dias, Suran Dissanayaka, Dasun Patirana. The film director, Aruna Jayawardana, received the award on behalf of the artists. However, he did not have time to speak. Miss Intercontinental 2022 Bao Ngoc was the award presenter. She said she admired film artists because they had to transform into many characters, lives and sacrifice for their roles.

Miss Bao Ngoc presented the Best Actor award to the representative of the film crew "Maariya".

The film tells the story of Wiillie, Bennet, Anthony, Oscar, Daiya and Tenny, who work together on a fishing boat. They accidentally meet Malan - a man who intends to cross the border to Australia - by taking advantage of the honest fishermen. The seven artists have equal roles in the film.

Best Picture Award goes toPalomafrom Brazil. Director Marcelo Gomes tells the story of Paloma - a transgender woman - and her journey to overcome prejudice and find happiness. She works hard, saves enough money to get married in church, but is rejected by the priest. The film raises issues of gender discrimination and religious injustice towards the LGBT community. Kiki Sena (as Paloma) won the award for Best Actress.

Although highly appreciated by experts before the award ceremony,Bone marrow transplantwon only one "Best Director" award for Hamid Reza Ghorbani (Iran). The jury evaluated the films competing for this year's awards as diverse and rich in subject matter.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong (left) presented the "Outstanding Feature Film" award to the representative of the film crew "Paloma".

The only Vietnamese representative in the feature film genre -Jasmineby director Dang Nhat Minh - was awarded a certificate of merit by the organizers for its contribution to the construction and development of the city. The Vietnamese Film Award for the audience's favorite film in the Panorama of Contemporary Vietnamese Films Program was given toGodfather.

The award ceremony lasted for an hour and a half, without many highlights. Apart from Vietnamese director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat, the winners did not speak. One of the most emotional performances was the songMilk flower(composed by musician Hong Dang), performed by Pham Thu Ha. The song was once a movie soundtrack.Hanoi bird nesting season(1978). Previously, the opening ceremony was also held simply. Mr. Vi Kien Thanh - Director of the Department of Cinema - said that due to the impact of the pandemic, the organizing committee received less sponsorship money than the fifth Hanoi International Film Festival (2018).

The 6th Hanoi International Film Festival takes place from November 8 to 12, bringing together 123 works from 56 countries and territories. Among them are 11 feature films, 20 short films, 7 films in the Korean Cinema Spotlight program, 63 films in the World Cinema Panorama program and 22 contemporary Vietnamese films. The 11 feature films and short films will compete for the awards of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress.

The Hanoi International Film Festival was first held in 2010, and has continued to take place every two years under the abbreviated name of Haniff (Hanoi International Film Festival). This film event has had the participation of many international stars such as two Hong Kong actors Ngo Ngan To - Truong Ka Huy (2010), Korean actress Kim Min Hee (2012), actor Go Soo (2014), David Wenham (2018, who participated in the seriesThe Lord of the Rings).In 2020, Haniff was not held due to Covid-19.

The Sixth Haniff Major Awards

Best Film: Paloma (Brazil)

Jury Prize: The Woman in the Attic (Poland, Sweden)

Outstanding Actor: Mahendra Perera, Priyantha Sirikumara, Hemal Ranasinghe, Darshan Dharamaraj, Ashan Dias, Suran Dissanayaka, Dasun Patirana (Maariya, Sri Lanka)

Best Actress: Kiki Sena (Paloma, Brazil)

Best Director: Hamid Reza Ghorbani (Bone Transplant, Iran)

Best Short Film: Pao's Forest (Vietnam)

Best Short Film Director: Surya Shahi (The Wheels of the Bus, Nepal)