Two Vietnamese movies to compete at ASEAN International Film Festival

The festival will officially return after two years and director-actress Hong Anh is a representative from Vietnam in the Jury of the 2023 AIFFA.

This year’s festival will feature the participation of 120 films from various countries in Southeast Asia. The opening ceremony will be held in Kuching Island, Sarawak, Malaysia on August 2.

The movie ‘Memento Mori: Land’ by Marcus Manh Cuong Vu, is a psychological and family film about near-death cancer patients. It premiered in Vietnam in October 2022.

A scene from the film ‘A Brilliant Night’.

Meanwhile, the film ‘A Brilliant Night’ is about domestic violence in Vietnam. The film is directed by American director Aaron Toronto and his wife, actress Nha Uyen, who is also the main actress and screenwriter.

The AIFFA has been held biennially since 2013. After the pandemic, the 2021 edition of the festival was conducted on a small scale. Therefore, this year's 6th edition is expected to be a brilliant comeback, both in terms of scale and quality.

A new feature of this year's festival is a short film competition for students, themed “Sustainable Development Goals”. The 2023 AIFFA will present 12 official awards to Southeast Asian filmmakers.

Director Hong Anh is one of five jury members for the 2023 AIFFA. (Photo: phunuonline)

The awards ceremony is scheduled for August 4.

Previously at the 2017 AIFFA, the film “Island of the inhabitants” by director Hong Anh, won 8 nominations out of 9 official award categories. It won three important awards including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director of Photography.