Two Vietnamese films, Pao’s Story and The Rebel, will be among the 18 features competing for the Best ASEAN Film at next month’s Bangkok International Film Festival.
Pao’s Story (Chuyen cua Pao), directed by Ngo Quang Hai, depicts the lives of remote ethnic Mong villagers and a young girl named Pao, played by renowned actress Hai Yen who acted in the international hit The Quiet American.
Pao is raised by her stepmother after her real mother leaves her when she is little. One day, after her stepmother dies in an accident, Pao begins to track down her birth mother.
But her journey reveals more than she bargained for – like family events from the past that leave her shaken.
The film, produced by the state-run Feature Studio I, won the Special Jury Award at the 51st Asia-Pacific Film Festival in Taipei last November and four prizes at last year’s Golden Kite Awards in Vietnam.
The Rebel (Dong Mau Anh Hung), an action thriller produced by privately-owned The Chanh Phuong Film Studio, made its global debut at the third biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival in Los Angeles in April.
The US$1.5 million film, directed by overseas Vietnamese Charlie Nguyen, won the grand award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival in Los Angeles last month.
The two films will compete with 16 others in Thailand, including five from Malaysia, four from Thailand, and three from the Philippines.
Festival review
The Bangkok International Film Festival (BKKIFF) is one of the largest in Asia, and has been held in Bangkok every year since 2003.
To be held from July 19 to 29 this year, the festival has accepted some 100 films, with an emphasis on Asia.
On offer are the Golden Kinnaree Awards for the winning films and filmmakers, and awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematographer, and Best ASEAN Film.
It will also honor the Best Feature Documentary, Best New Director, and Best Asian Short Film.
The Kinnaree jury will consist Christian Jeune, head of France’s Cannes Film Festival, and filmmakers Peggy Chiao of Taiwan and Gary Dartnall of the US.
The ASEAN Best Film will be judged by a panel composed of film critic Chuck Stephen of the US, filmmaker Yon Fan of Hong Kong, and Bina Paul, head of India’s Kerala Film Festival.
At last year’s festival, Vietnam’s Bride of Silence (Hat Mua Roi Bao Lau) won the Best ASEAN Film award.
The film, directed by expatriate siblings Doan Minh Phuong and Doan Thanh Nghia, was among the 14 features from the region also in the running for the prestigious Golden Kinnaree Award.
One of the first films in Vietnam about women’s rights, Bride of Silence told the story of a young woman, ostracized and expelled from her family and village for becoming pregnant outside of marriage and refusing to reveal her lover’s name.
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