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| A scene in ‘Deal at the Border’. Photo courtesy of Kyrgyz Film Studio |
ĐÀ NẴNG — The best films were honoured at the closing ceremony of the Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival 2025 (DANAFF III), with a spotlight on Chị Dâu (The Real Sister) in the Vietnamese film section and Deal at the Border, honoured as the Best Asian Film.
In the Asian Films Section, the Kyrgyzstani film Deal at the Border won the top award, the Grand Prize for Best Film.
Inspired by real events from the childhood of the scriptwriter and director’s brother, Aktan Ryskeldiev, the film tells a story of two drug couriers Aza and Samat, who encounter Nazik, a girl who escaped from slavery and is hiding from her pursuers.
When Nazik falls back into the hands of a local criminal and becomes his captive, Aza decides to do everything possible to save her.
The Special Prize of the Jury belonged to Mưa Trên Cánh Bướm (Don’t Cry, Butterfly), directed by emerging Vietnamese filmmaker Dương Diệu Linh.
The film won the 2024 Venice Film Festival Critics′ Week Grand Prize and the Most Innovative Film Award at Settimana Internazionale della Critica.
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| Vietnamese director Dương Diệu Linh receives the Special Prize of the Jury in the Asia Films section. Photo Anh Vũ/DANAFF |
“I feel deeply moved to receive this award in Đà Nẵng. It was also here, ten years ago, that I had just returned from overseas, joined the Autumn Meeting, and learnt how to make short films,” Linh said when receiving the award.
Guan Hu was voted the Best Asian Director with his work Black Dog.
The film director, Guan Hu, is a Chinese filmmaker associated with the Sixth Generation movement, known for their gritty realism movies, who is best known for Mr. Six, The Eight Hundred and Cow.
Before coming to DANAFF III, the film won at the Un Certain Regard section at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
The Best Screenplay Award of the Asian Film Section was awarded to Muddy Foot by Ladan Shirmard, Ebrahim Azizi from Iran.
Nurzhan Beksultanova in the Kazakhstan film Abel won the Best Leading Actress Award and Kang-sheng Lee in the film Stranger Eyes from Singapore and Taiwan (China) received the Best Leading Actor Award.
Chị Dâu won four awards
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| Khương Ngọc, director of ‘Chị Dâu’ (The Real Sister) receives four awards in DANAFF. Photo Anh Vũ/DANAFF |
Chị Dâu (The Real Sister) won the Grand Prize for Best Film at the Vietnamese Films Section, and its screenwriters, Phạm Thị Thanh Thu, Nguyễn Phạm Hoàng Quân and Trần Hữu Tấn, also received the Best Screenplay Award.
The leading actress, Việt Hương, was also honoured.
“From the very beginning, I told my collaborators that they should strive to make a film that balanced both artistic value and entertainment. People said they didn’t believe it was possible, but now, we have done it. The universe has rewarded me, just like I once dreamed of holding a trophy in my hands,” Khương Ngọc, the director of Chị Dâu, said.
Victor Vũ was honoured as the Best Director for the film Thám Tử Kiên: Kỳ Án Không Đầu (Detective Kiên: The Headless Horror).
“Stories about Vietnamese culture and people have always been a source of inspiration for me. They are the driving force that keeps me bringing these stories to the screen,” he said.
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| Victor Vũ was honoured as the Best Director for the film ‘Thám Tử Kiên: Kỳ Án Không Đầu’ (Detective Kiên: The Headless Horror). Photo Anh Vũ/DANAFF |
Actor Tuấn Trần won the Best Leading Actor Award with the film Làm Giàu với Ma (Betting with Ghost).
The Special Prize of the Jury belonged to the animation film Trạng Quỳnh Nhí: Truyền thuyết về Kim Ngưu (Legend of the Golden Buffalo).
The NETPAC Award for the Outstanding Vietnamese Film decided and selected by the NETPAC Jury from the Vietnamese Film Contests was also awarded to the film Chị Dâu.
The Audience’s Choice Award for Favourite Vietnamese Film, voted by the audience participating in the screenings of ‘Today’s Vietnamese Cinema’ programme, was for Dế Mèn: Cuộc phiêu lưu tới Xóm Lầy Lội (The Cricket’s Adventure to the Muddy Village).
The Critics’ Award for the most outstanding film in the Asian Cinema Panorama section was awarded to the film Sunday from Uzbekistan.
This award is a new highlight of this year’s DANAFF, which showcases outstanding Asian works that have gained success at international film festivals or are having their world premieres at DANAFF. — VNS
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