With the slogan "Vietnamese Cinema - Sustainable development and international integration in the new era", this Film Festival is not only a place to honor outstanding cinematic works but also a strategic forum for the development of the industry.
This year's event has a special meaning when it is held on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the South, National Reunification Day and the 80th Anniversary of National Day. The core goal of the 24th Festival is to honor works rich in humanity, imbued with national identity, while promoting the market and improving the professionalism of Vietnamese cinema.
Within the framework of the event, the Organizing Committee has built a series of rich activities to connect the world and create momentum for the development of the industry. In addition to the film screenings, the festival also organizes professional activities including thematic seminars such as: Workshop on orientation for the development of the film industry in the new era; Workshop on analyzing the current situation and proposing solutions to attract film crews to film in localities and Workshop on promoting the value of archived animated images. These seminars are expected to create opportunities for professionals, from managers, investors to artists, to exchange experiences, improve professionalism and promote the industrialization of Vietnamese cinema.
The film festival also focuses on activities aimed at the public and the younger generation, such as a thematic exchange between director Ly Hai and students of film schools. The opening ceremony will be held at Thong Nhat Hall (Independence Palace), closing at the Army Theater, and the photo exhibition "Ho Chi Minh City Rising with the country through the perspective of cinema" at Lam Son Park, both introducing the city's history and creating a cultural and artistic space for the public.
This year's festival attracted a total of 126 registered films, including the competition film program and the full-scale film, covering all four genres: Feature films, documentaries, science films and animated films. The large number of participating films is a clear testament to the excitement and diversity in the industry's creative activities.
The feature film category includes 16 works, along with 14 other films screened in the Overview program. The list of feature films shows that the maturity in selecting and exploiting topics, with the participation of highly commercial works, has caused a great stir in revenue in recent times, in parallel with projects with heavy art and history. The diversity of genres from historical, action, social psychology to fantasy films, reflecting a film industry that is trying to find its own voice, both meeting the tastes of the general audience and improving the quality of art.
Meanwhile, documentaries continue to affirm their role as an important category with 36 films competing and 25 films showing all-encompassing. This large participation shows the efforts of production units, especially State-owned film studios and Television stations in preserving historical and national cultural values.
The animated film category recorded 21 films in the competition, showing the significant investment of the Vietnamese animation industry. The highlight is the appearance of long-term animation projects with high cinematic appearance (with a duration of over 80 minutes), reflecting the strong shift from traditional short films to larger projects. The diversity of topics from folk legends to modern stories brings hope for a mature Vietnamese animation scene with international competitiveness.
The 24th Vietnam Film Festival is expected to create a memorable mark, contributing to affirming the position of Vietnamese cinema in the journey of sustainable development and international integration.
