Launched in 2025, the project incubator under DANAFF Talents —the talent discovery and development programme of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival — officially returns with a range of practical activities for filmmakers from Viet Nam and abroad. This year, the programme continues to focus on its two flagship categories: Asian Art-house Projects and Vietnamese Genre Film Projects.
According to the festival organisers, the 2026 DANAFF Project Incubator has seen a surge in interest, receiving more than 350 submissions across the two categories.
Notably, this year’s programme welcomes the return of several established filmmakers.
In the Art-house Projects category, director Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi, who won the Best Asian Film award at DANAFF 2025 with “Deal at the Border”, returns with his new project “Zholdogu Bala” (Stuck Like Babies). Director Nguyen Trung Nghia, whose short film was selected for the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2024, is participating with “The Rat’s Wedding.”
This year also marks the return of South Asian projects or productions set in South Asia, including "Golden Swan" by Bangladeshi director Rajib Rafi and “Before the Earth Collapses” by Japanese filmmaker Noriko Yuasa, which is scheduled to be filmed in Japan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. These selections reflect DANAFF’s commitment to connecting with film industries and locations that are rarely represented on the international screen but deserve greater exploration.
![Director Nguyen Quang Dung joins the incubator with the project “Chiec Luoc Nga" (The Ivory Comb).](https://en-cdn.nhandan.vn/images/2b72a7c57ce71a0d3f4e21544ee3e5dcd93015519a30a9d13e47dd15783c3e93b25d110e17327b5477c9648d7a515f4cda1da9985ed2a847e881d3532516cdf1/vuonuom-chiecluocngajpg.jpg.avif "Director Nguyen Quang Dung joins the incubator with the project “Chiec Luoc Nga" (The Ivory Comb).")
Within the Script Lab programme, alongside promising young talents such as Tran Quang Thien, Ngo Thanh Phong, and Vu Nguyen Nam Khue, the list of participants also includes well-known figures from Vietnamese cinema, including directors Nguyen Quang Dung, Phan Gia Nhat Linh, and Dinh Tuan Vu, as well as screenwriters Tran Khanh Hoang, Kim, and ToTo Chan.
The Script Lab is an intensive 10-day screenwriting residency scheduled to take place in Da Nang this June and July. Eight outstanding feature-length screenplays will be selected for comprehensive development under the mentorship of professors and experts from Columbia University in the United States — one of the world’s most prestigious institutions for film education. Following the programme, participants will present their projects through pitching sessions before an international jury, while also gaining direct access to investors, producers, and distributors from both Viet Nam and overseas through one-on-one meetings at the Project Market.
Not only do the intensive workshops at DANAFF Talents provide a space where ideas can be tested, refined, and challenged through expert feedback, but they also act as a springboard to help filmmakers bring their projects to life through direct networking opportunities at the Project Market.
By integrating deeply into the global film ecosystem through partnerships with Columbia University, the Three Continents International Film Festival, and France’s Cinema du Monde Fund under the CNC, DANAFF Talents is gradually contributing to the establishment of a professional filmmaking environment, connecting young talents with international production networks and promoting the sustainable development of Viet Nam’s film industry.
This year, the Asian Art-house Projects category is divided into two streams for filmmakers from ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries. Participants will undergo intensive workshops, present their projects before an international jury, and engage directly with respected industry experts, producers, and distributors within the global network of major film festivals and art-house film distribution platforms.
Notably, after completing the DANAFF Talents programme, ASEAN projects will continue their development through two workshops within the Asia-Europe training network, taking place in Thailand in September and France in December.
In France, filmmakers will have the opportunity to connect with European co-producers through activities organised under the Cinema du Monde Fund of the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC). This three-country journey is supported by leading strategic partners, including the Production & Storytelling programme of the Three Continents International Film Festival in Nantes, the French Embassy in Viet Nam, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Institute, and the Cinema du Monde Fund (CNC).
Although only in its second year, the DANAFF Project Incubator has already begun to yield encouraging results. A notable example is “Thank You for Staying Awake with Me” by director Chung Chi Cong, one of the few Vietnamese musical films to surpass 44 billion VND at the box office. The film also received critical acclaim for the production team’s willingness to embrace a genre that remains relatively unfamiliar to local audiences.
Another success story is “Flying Cows” by Director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat and Producer Nguyen Huu Thi Tuong Vi, which won the Most Promising Project Award worth 5,000 USD presented by the Motion Picture Association (MPA).
The film has recently completed post-production and is scheduled for nationwide theatrical release this November. It features popular young actors Nguyen Hung, Ngoc Xuan, and Vo Dien Gia Huy, all of whom previously participated in DANAFF’s Talent Nurturing acting workshops in earlier editions.
