Hanoi kicks off 3rd International Film Festival

Hanoi, November 25 (VNA) - The 3rd Hanoi International Film Festival was kicked off in Hanoi on November 23 with the theme “Cinema – Integration and Sustainable Development”. At the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao expressed his belief that the festival will draw public attention to Vietnamese cinema and support the development of the industry. He also hoped that via the festival, Vietnam’s films will be able to make inroads into global cinema and help promote the country’s image. Out of 411 movies sent from all over the world, 130 from 32 countries and territories were selected to attend the festival. They will compete in different categories including Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Feature Film Director, Best Short Film Director, Best Actor and Actress in Leading Roles. Vietnam sends two feature films and 12 short films to the festival. The films will be screened in National Cinema Centre, Cineplex CGV Vincom Centre, CGV Cinema Mipec Tower, August Cinema and Kim Dong Theatre with free admission. A number of activities will be held on the sidelines of the event, including a workshop on cooperation on film production, a conference on independent film production and experience from the Philippines, a film project market, HANIFF 2014 Campus for talents and an exhibition to introduce Vietnam’s film scene and popular destinations. The festival, running through to November 27, is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in conjunction the Hanoi People’s Committee, the municipal department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Cinema Department.-VNA