Vietnamese films explode at the box office, opening the door to the Film Festival
This year's feature film category has 16 official awards, including: "The Four Guardians", "Mai", "The Billion Dollar Kiss", "The Earth: Sun in the dark", "The Old Lady Goes Dust", "Sister-in-law", "Cong Tu Bac Lieu", "Detective Kien: The Unforgettable War", "The War in the Air", "The Young Moon", "Red Rain", "The Ancestor", "Kaleidoscope: taking revenge on the ghost", "Mother Goes Out", "Getting Rich with the ghost: The Chaos of the Ocean", "The praise of the Ocean".
Of these, 11 films have surpassed the 100 billion VND mark, many films have surpassed 200 billion VND, creating an unprecedented precedent: High-grossing box office films have entered the race for big awards.
The heat does not only come from ticket sales, but from uniformity in skills. The list of contestants is therefore expanded to the following categories: History - war, psychology - society, family, detective, action to spirituality. When many film genres are stronger, the Film Festival is no longer a place to "competit for chopsticks and flags", but a vibrant, colorful market picture of Vietnamese cinema after 2 years of strong growth.
A notable highlight is the return of State-ordered films and public-private partnership projects. Red Rain, Death in the Air, geography: Sun in the dark are considered outstanding candidate groups thanks to their historical - war themes, large production scale and widespread social effects.
This is a positive signal for the long-term development of Vietnamese cinema, and at the same time shows that State and private resources can meet in projects that are both large and effective.
This year's Ho Chi Minh City Film Festival has a symbolic meaning when the city is recognized by UNESCO as a Cinema city. This is an opportunity for the film industry to look back at the central role of Ho Chi Minh City in production, distribution and human resource training, while promoting cooperation and helping Vietnamese films integrate into industrial standards.
Revenue does not decide everything
At the opening press conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong emphasized that revenue only contributes a part to the award criteria; the value of art, ideas, "good things, beauty" and the ability to reflect the flow of the new era are the foundation for the Jury to decide.
He also said that the award system still retains traditional categories such as Golden Lotus, Silver Lotus, Jury Award, Outstanding Technique, etc., and adds certificates of merit to honor contributions to Vietnamese cinema between the two festivals.
The balance of film awards between commercial and artistic factors sets a fair principle for the hottest season in many years: The film industry does not follow the box office, but does not take the public's voice lightly. Best-selling films do not necessarily win, but best-selling films can win if they meet artistic standards.
The good news is that the new film market is showing clear maturity. Many entertainment works have stopped to depend on stars or media tricks, but have focused on stories, character building, choreography and the way to "cinematize" the audience experience.
When a film conquers the audience and leaves an artistic mark, revenue reflects social consensus, while awards are a measure of artistic value. In this relationship, commercial films and quality films are not opposite, but can be harmonious if done correctly.
On the other hand, the festival's focus on artistic quality is a reminder that ticket sales are only the beginning, the sustainable value lies in storytelling ability and cinematic mechanics. This pressure pushes commercial films to raise standards, shortening the gap between good films and Best-selling films. This year, when hundreds of billions of VND worth of films are put on the scale with author films, the commercial - artistic boundary is being renewed with quality.
After the "golden season" of box office, Vietnamese cinema entered the "golden season" of awards with more confidence. If a commercial film meets the criteria set by the Jury, the honor will be a worthy reward, not only for the crew, but for the entire mature market.
