The most talented young filmmakers and members of the Film Pitching contest's jury board at the Film Pitching workshop in Hanoi on April 26 (Photo: VNA) The film by Ngan Zeta, a young freelance screenwriter, is a story about a13-year-old girl who goes to a Mammoth School for intelligent animals but isdiscriminated against for being human.
The second prize was awarded to Tu Luc Van Doan (Once Upon a Time in Hanoi) by DoanTan Dat, a film about the journey of a young man named Tam, who gets caught ina dangerous and unexpected trip by train to Saigon, then flees to France toform Tu Luc Van Doan, the biggest art and literature movement in Vietnam in thefirst half of 20th century.
The two winners were selected from 10 finalists with outstanding film projectsin Vietnam.
Their names were announced at a Film Pitching Workshop held in Hanoi on April26 as part of the contest after successfully defending their ideas in front ofa jury of Vietnamese and foreign experts.
After the contest, the first prize winner will participate in a short filmingcourse in the United States, while the second will be provided with a set offilmmaking accessories.
The 10 finalists were selected from 41 ideas to enter the pitching round, whichwas scheduled last year. However, the pandemic forced the organisers topostpone until this year.
The 10 selected projects include Dia va Nang (Land Genie and Fallen Fairy) byteam ALT; Death Goes On by team Nguyen My Anh and Tran Phuong Trang; Neu Nhu laDinh Menh (If It Is a Fate) by Nguyen Thy Phuong Anh; Nhiem Vu 2020 (Mission2020) by Nguyen Thi Lan Chi and Tran Vi Dai Phu; Tu Luc Van Doan (Once Upon aTime in Hanoi) by Doan Tan Dat; Dem A Dao (Midnigh) by Dang Thu Ha; Dan Ba ThoiDai by Tran Nhan Kien; Truong Hoc Ma Mut (The Mammoth School) by Ngan Zeta; BanSac (Identity) by JOS Creative; and Pho Indie by Nguyen Le Hoang Viet.
The films featured rich and diverse content covering various aspects of life,including love, culture, food and the pandemic.
Organisers said participants were very young filmmakers, with the youngest bornin 1997, and some had joined national and international competitions.
During the workshop, the 10 selected projects defended their ideas in front ofa jury of renowned experts, filmmakers and producers, including Stephen P.Jenner, the Motion Picture Association of America's Regional Director and Headof Communications for Asia - Pacific; Charlyn Ng, film producer, expert of theMotion Picture Association of America; Phan Dang Di, director, screenwriter andproducer; Ngo Thi Bich Hanh, Vice President of BHD Company; and Trinh Thi ThuyLien, VSTV Content Director (K ).
Speaking at the workshop, Dr Ngo Phuong Lan, Chairwoman of the VDFA, said thecontest was an opportunity for young cinema lovers to interact with and learnfrom the US and Vietnamese experts.
"Every film starts with a good unique idea that contributes an importantpart to the film's success. We hope the contest discovers new talents forVietnamese cinema," Lan said.
Lan also said she was looking forward to seeing great films from the selectedprojects, and that they should not just "stay as just ideas."
Jenner from the MPA said he hoped the first prize winner would enjoy thetraining course in Hollywood and turn it into practice when participating inprofessional film projects at home.
The MPA representative encouraged the young talented Vietnamese filmmakers tocreate more film projects, saying he regarded them as colleagues and hoped theMPA would accompany them in the future.
According to organisers, the participation of US jury members shows that thecinema industry has returned to normal after two years of suffering from thepandemic.
The Film Pitching contest was initiated and organised in 2020 by the VFDA incollaboration with the MPA, and other relevant agencies have attracted theattention of a large number of filmmakers, particularly the young.
"Green Screen" contest
The VFDA is organising another contest with the theme of environmentalprotection and sustainable development.
The Green Screen contest, co-hosted by Netflix, was launched in January 2022.
From now until the end of July 2022, film projects can apply for a chance to befunded by up to 20 million VND.
The contest features simple but inspirational stories focusing on environmentalprotection.
Contestants can convey a simple but inspirational story, or a strong topicalstory, about the impact of human choices and decisions on the environment.
The length of the competition film must be less than 10 minutes and must applygreen measures in the production process, such as recycled water bottles,maintenance without foam boxes, and environmentally friendly filmmakingequipment.
Entries must be produced after January 5, 2022, and must not have entered anyother competition. Contestants can submit scripts or projects to thepre-qualification round.
The Green Screen Short Film Contest award ceremony is scheduled for September2, 2022./.
VNA
