The Da Nang Asian Film Festival is taking place from June 28 to July 5 in the coastal city of Da Nang. This year's edition, under the slogan "Bridging Asia to the World", reaffirms DANAFF IV's role as a meeting point linking film industries, artists, and audiences across the region. The festival aims to promote the creativity, humanistic values, and unique identity of Asian cinema to international audiences.
Diverse programme of cinematic activities
This year, the Asian Competition features 13 entries from Viet Nam, the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Thailand, Japan (two films), the Republic of Korea, China, Pakistan, and India, alongside one co-production involving Türkiye, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, and Saudi Arabia, and one Viet Nam–US co-production.
The Vietnamese Competition presents 11 films representing Vietnamese cinema, covering a broad range of themes, from comedy, family, and history to spirituality and social psychology.
In addition, the festival includes a variety of side programmes, including Panorama of Asian Cinema, Vietnamese Cinema Today, World Premiere Screenings, Focus on American Cinema, and 40 Years of Vietnamese Cinema in the Doi Moi Era (1986–2026), showcasing outstanding recent productions from around the world alongside landmark Vietnamese films.
Screenings will not only be held across Da Nang's cinema network but also at five outdoor venues organised by the city's Centre for Culture and Cinema.
This year, the public ticketing system has also been upgraded. Audiences will receive tickets online under stricter conditions, including IP address logging to prevent ticket holders from reserving seats without attending. According to the organisers, many screenings have already sold out.
Many domestic and international film delegations will meet audiences at both indoor and outdoor screening venues. Viewers will also have the opportunity to meet Vietnamese actors from different generations.
Alongside screenings and audience exchanges, a series of professional events will be held, including the symposium "Vietnamese Cinema in the Doi Moi Period" and the seminars "Artificial Intelligence, Digital Technology and Intellectual Property Protection in Cinema" and "The American Film Industry — Successful Models and Lessons for Viet Nam".
These events will bring together experts, filmmakers, artists and industry professionals to discuss cinematic heritage, the development of the film industry amid challenges such as copyright infringement and artificial intelligence, as well as successful models from the world's leading film industries.
DANAFF IV will present its Film Achievement Award to producer Bill Mechanic, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pandemonium Films, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the global art and film industry.
Expanding DANAFF film ecosystem
This year, DANAFF has broadened its programmes to discover, nurture, and support emerging filmmaking talent by introducing four new initiatives: Script Lab, DANAFF Industry Days, DANAFF's Cinephiles, and the DANAFF Pavilion.
These initiatives expand opportunities for project development, strengthen industry connections, build a young film-loving community, and promote exchanges among artists, businesses, and audiences.
Through these efforts, DANAFF is gradually evolving beyond the framework of a conventional film festival towards building a dynamic, well-connected, and sustainable cinematic ecosystem.
Launched in 2025, DANAFF Talents has made remarkable progress. This year, the programme received 191 submissions, selected 17 projects, and welcomed more than 50 participants, continuing its mission of nurturing emerging filmmakers. As one of the flagship programmes of DANAFF IV, DANAFF Talents seeks to discover, train, and connect young cinematic talents from Viet Nam and across the region.
The programme comprises two categories — Asian Art-house Projects and Vietnamese Genre Film Projects — which are being implemented through The Script Lab and Project Market.
The Script Lab received 89 submissions and selected eight feature film projects to participate in workshops beginning on June 26.
The Art-house Projects category attracted 102 submissions and selected 10 official projects, including six from Southeast Asia and four from the Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, and Japan.
These figures reflect the growing appeal of the DANAFF Project Incubator in connecting emerging filmmakers with international experts and global markets.
The Talent Incubation Workshop brings together more than 50 participants in two acting courses — Basic Acting and Advanced Acting — continuing to cultivate new faces for the film industry.
In addition, DANAFF Talents will host two in-depth masterclasses at Furama Resort Da Nang: Film Production with Bill Mechanic on July 1 and Acting with veteran actress Jane Seymour on June 30.
Following the launch of the DANAFF Project Market in 2025, DANAFF continues to broaden its professional orientation in 2026 with DANAFF Industry Days, a series of industry networking events bringing together 10 film studios and more than 20 international partners.
The programme aims to provide a platform for distributors, producers, and international investors to engage with key players in the Vietnamese film industry, explore upcoming film projects and expand opportunities for regional and global collaboration.
Through DANAFF Industry Days, the Da Nang Asian Film Festival hopes to strengthen the presence of Vietnamese cinema in international markets while creating new opportunities for film distribution, production, and investment.
DANAFF's Cinephiles is organised in partnership with universities in Da Nang, with the University of Education serving as the core partner. The programme seeks to gradually build a community of young cinema enthusiasts equipped with knowledge of filmmaking, especially art-house cinema, as well as skills in organising film clubs, events, and screenings.
The DANAFF Pavilion has been created as a space for networking, promotion, and immersive experiences, connecting cinema with businesses, brands, and the film-loving community. It is located at APEC Park in the heart of Da Nang, near Dragon Bridge and the Han River waterfront.
In addition to providing businesses with direct access to filmmakers, international guests, partners, and the DANAFF cinephile community, the pavilion also offers a platform for showcasing products, services, and brand stories within a culturally rich and highly connected artistic environment.
Building DANAFF film brand
At the press conference for the fourth Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV) 2026, Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, Vice Chairwoman of the Da Nang People's Committee, and Head of the Festival Organising Committee, emphasised: "After three editions, the Da Nang Asian Film Festival has gradually established itself as a significant cultural and cinematic event for Da Nang, while also becoming a meeting place for film enthusiasts from Viet Nam and around the world."
The vice chairwoman said that, in its fourth edition, the festival continues to reflect Da Nang's aspiration to build an open, dynamic, and creative cultural space, where cinema is celebrated not only as an art form but also as a bridge connecting people, cultures, and the city of Da Nang with friends across the region and the wider world.
The Da Nang People's Committee expressed its appreciation and sincere gratitude for the professional and responsible cooperation of the Viet Nam Film Development Association and its president, Dr Ngo Phuong Lan, as well as the dedication and sense of responsibility demonstrated by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, relevant departments, agencies, and organisations, members of the festival’s organising committee, together with artists, experts, partners, and sponsors who have worked alongside the organisers in preparing this year's event.
Dr Ngo Phuong Lan, President of the Viet Nam Film Development Association, Co-Chair of the Organising Committee and Director of DANAFF IV, said that since its inaugural edition in 2023, DANAFF has steadily matured and developed its own distinctive identity.
While DANAFF I focused primarily on film screenings and awards, subsequent editions have continuously introduced new pillars, including honouring cinematic heritage, nurturing emerging talent, and, this year, strengthening connections within the film market.
"The programme has become broader, more diverse, and increasingly professional. We are also committed to ensuring that DANAFF truly serves as a public cultural initiative, enabling audiences and the people of Da Nang to enjoy the values that cinema has to offer," Dr Ngo Phuong Lan said.
