Story of isolation in Ha Noi wins gold
A scene from the award-winning film Ngoai Kia Co Gi (What’s Out There?), directed by Nguyen Diep Thuy Anh. – VNS Photo courtesy of TPD
HA NOI (VNS)– A feature film about an isolated boy living in urban Ha Noi won two gold medals during the closing ceremony of the Golden Lotus Bud Awards held yesterday evening in the capital city.
The film, Ngoai Kia Co Gi (What’s Out There?), directed by Nguyen Diep Thuy Anh, a student from the Ha Noi University, won two Golden Lotus Bud Awards following voting by the audience and the jury.
The film tells the story of a boy living in Ha Noi in the late 1990s. His busy parents often keep him indoors, despite the boy’s growing thirst for exploring the world outside and his desire to play with other children.
The awards are presented annually by the We Are Filmmakers (WAFM) project, which aims to encourage young people to get involved in filmmaking. It was launched in 2009 by the Ha Noi-based Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talent (TPD).
A jury panel of veteran filmmakers and actors such as Johnny Tri Nguyen, Phan Huyen Thu, Le Khanh and Phan Dang Di selected the winners from the 12 nominees, including five films and seven documentaries.
“The nominated entries feature interesting topics and reflect the multiple perspectives of young people in modern society,” said actress Khanh. “We are all surprised as among the 12 nominated directors are 11 women.”
Director Thu said she highly appreciated filmmakers who show “talent, technique and profession in making films at a young age.”
“I’m happy that more and more women are becoming involved with filmmaking,” she said. – VNS