The 3rd Da Nang Asian Film Festival recently concluded, bringing a vibrant cinematic atmosphere to various corners of this coastal city. A multitude of film-related activities took place with great enthusiasm, attracting considerable public interest and participation.
This year’s festival left a strong impression with a line-up of acclaimed films from Asian filmmakers, including works that have previously won awards or received high praise at prestigious international film festivals.
Among the Asian in-competition entries was ‘Abel’ by Kazakhstani director Elzat Eskendir, his debut feature, which won three awards at the 2025 Vesoul International Film festival of Asian Cinemas: Best Film (Critics’ Award), the Grand Jury Prize, and the NETPAC Award.
The film 'Stranger Eye', a Singapore–Taiwan (China) co-production directed by Yeo Siew Hua, who has garnered numerous international accolades including from the Locarno Film Festival, the Golden Horse Awards, and Singapore’s Young Artist Award, also featured prominently.
‘Sleep With Your Eyes Open’, a co-production between Brazil, Argentina, and Taiwan (China) by director Nele Wohlatz, had previously won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film in the Encounters section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.
The inclusion of many award-winning films or works by highly decorated directors underlines the growing prestige of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival within the region.
This momentum has also attracted significant interest from Asian filmmakers, with this year’s festival featuring numerous films choosing DANAFF as their platform for either international or world premieres.
This year, in both the Asian In-competition Films category and the Panorama of Asian Cinema programme, as many as 11 films opted for DANAFF as their ‘World premiere’ or ‘International premiere’ venue.
Attracting numerous premiere screenings is one of the key factors that builds a film festival’s brand. This is an encouraging sign for DANAFF, as filmmakers across the region are now familiar with the festival and trust it as the platform to debut their cinematic works at the 3rd DANAFF.
This year’s festival also achieved a record number of screenings: over 100 films across the Asian In-competition, Vietnamese In-competition, Panorama of Asian Cinema, and Focus on the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Cinema programmes, the highest number in the festival’s three-year history.
Da Nang Asian Film Festival 2025 was further distinguished by the presence of several high-profile figures from Asian cinema. No other international film festival in Viet Nam has ever simultaneously hosted three directors from two of Asia’s most significant film festivals—Tokyo and Busan.
This year, Shozo Ichiyama, Director of the Tokyo International Film Festival, appeared alongside two of his peers: Kim Dongho, founder and former Director of the Busan International Film Festival, and Park Kwang-su, the current Director of Busan. Shozo Ichiyama served as a member of the Jury for the Asian In-competition Films, while Kim Dongho and Park Kwang-su participated as speakers in professional roundtable discussions.
Alongside veteran Asian filmmakers, the DANAFF also welcomed a host of leading Asian actors and stars, including the RoK’s actors Moon So Ri and Park Sungwoong; Filipino television star Richard R. Faulkerso Jr.; Indian actor Shantanu Maheshwari; and K-pop groups.
It is no coincidence that many filmmakers and artists remark that despite being only three years old, the Da Nang Asian Film Festival has made remarkable strides, increasingly capturing the attention of audiences and industry professionals across the region. As director Jang Joon-hwan, Head of the Jury for the Asian In-competition Films, noted: “This year, there are many films choosing DANAFF for their international premieres. This means that DANAFF is developing rapidly and drawing significant interest from Asian filmmakers.”
Though just three years young, the DANAFF, with its expanding scale and improving quality, is not only adding vibrancy to Da Nang, a city fast becoming an attractive filming destination, but is also firmly establishing itself as a new cinematic hub in Asia.
