Female director's movie wins best film

Hong Anh's third film, Dao Cua Dan Ngu Cu (The Way Station), has won the Best Film at Asean International Films Festival & Awards (AIFFA 2017) in Malaysia.The female film director and producer won against four competitors from the Philippines and Indonesia at the awards ceremony last Saturday evening.

The film also won two major prizes, Best Leading Actor and Best Director of Photography, for young face Pham Hong Phuoc and People's Artist Ly Thai Dung. Dao Cua Dan Ngu Cu tells the stories of residents living in a small Vietnamese fishing village, focusing on their inner life. The screenplay was adapted from a short story by author Do Phuoc Tien.

The film was nominated for a record-setting total of eight award categories, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Film Editing.    The film's director Anh, who has nearly 20 years in the industry, wrote on her Facebook after her victory: "This award is not for today, but for more than the 10 years we have been working on our film."

AIFFA 2017 received 109 films from 10 member states of ASEAN. It considered 50 films for its prizes.The selected works focused on local culture, tradition and heritage, towards a united ASEAN.The event aims to introduce ASEAN films to the world, offering more opportunities for filmmakers and distributors.

-Agencies