A scene from the film "Roommate" by director Nguyen Le Hoang Viet (Photo: VOV)

33-year-old director Nguyen Le Hoang Viet, who won several international film prizes with “Roommate” and “The cat and the orange seeds”, acknowledged the opportunities and experiences that international film festivals bring to independent filmmakers.

“Participating in a film festival is an opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their work to many viewers. At festivals, we can meet many veteran directors and also interact with younger colleagues. It’s a chance to connect with audiences,” said Viet.

Film festivals bring together film industry professionals who are on the lookout for films that suit their distribution channel. They help connect filmmakers with the right distributors, allowing filmmakers to profit and reinvest in their work.

For her documentary film “Children of the Mist”, Ha Le Diem won the “Best Director” award in the “International Competition” category for debut films at the 2021 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), now the largest documentary film festival.

“IDFA supported me extensively in the production and post-production stages of the film. In three years my film has been screened at more than 200 film festivals and major cinemas in the US, France, Taiwan (China), and Singapore,” said Diem.

A scene from the documentary “Children of the Mist” by Ha Le Diem

According to Antonio Termenini, Artistic Director of the Asian Film Festival in Rome, over the past 10 years, many Vietnamese films have stood out because of their high quality and engaging content. Vietnamese filmmakers are now collaborating more internationally.

For instance, the movie "Don't Cry Butterfly", a collaborative production with a Singaporean producer by director Duong Dieu Linh, won her a prize at the Venice Film Festival. Vietnam’s film co-production model has proved effective and many Vietnamese movies have received acclaim on the international stage.

According to film critic Le Hong Lam, film festivals not only benefit filmmakers, they also give the public an exposure to foreign cinema. Film festivals allow audiences to see independent films and participate in discussions with the filmmakers.

“International film festivals are extremely important, as they give independent and art filmmakers an opportunity to elevate their position. These events include workshops and funding programs for filmmakers,” he said.

Cinema can be a bridge that brings Vietnamese culture to the world and international film festivals help to create the connections.