The movie picked up the ARTE International Open Doors and Sorfond Awards, according to the Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab. Meanwhile, film project Tro Tan Ruc Ro (Glorious Ashes) by director Bui Thac Chuyen and producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc won the CNC Prize.

From right to left, producers Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, Duong Dieu Linh and Le Quynh Anh are pictured with Locarno Film Festival awards.

Young directors Duong Dieu Linh and Le Quynh Anh won the Moulin d’André-CEC and Rotterdam Lam awards respectively. According to Variety, Culi Never Cries has impressed the international media when it was introduced in Open Doors programme within the Swiss film festival.

The film tells the story of Lady M., a blue-collar retiree in Vietnam, returning to Berlin after learning that her estranged German husband has died. He has left behind an urn with his ashes and a dog named Cu Li.

After coming back to Vietnam, she finds that her pregnant niece is rushing into marriage. Fearing that she will commit the same life mistakes as she did when she was young, Lady M. embarks on a journey retracing her memories, evoking Vietnam’s past.

The scene at Culi Never Cries.

Culi Never Cries was previously screened at Cannes’ Cinefondation L’Atelier, Busan’s Asian Project Market, SEAFIC x PAS, Produire au Sud’s Southeast Asia workshop, and Talents Tokyo.

To Glorious Ashes by filmmaker Chuyen, CNC Prize has enriched its international awards.

Adapted from short stories by renowned Vietnamese writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu, the film won Busan Award in Asian Project Market of Busan International Film Festival 2017. It was also presented at Cannes’ Cinefondation L’Atelier 2018.

Also in Locarno Film Festival this year, Nha Cay (The Tree House) by director Truong Minh Quy was screened in the category for new film talents and Dap Canh Giua Khong Trung (Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere) by director Nguyen Hoang Diep will be screened on August 15 in Open Doors Screening.

German films come to cities across Vietnam

Children, teenagers and movies buffs will have chance to see exciting and emotional German films at festivals in Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. 

Ba Ria-Vung Tau to host 21st Vietnam Film Festival

The 21st Vietnam Film Festival will take place in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau from November 23-27, with a wide range of activities, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. 

Vietnamese film wins top prize at VIS Vienna Shorts Festival

Vietnamese film ‘Mot Khu Dat Tot’ (Blessed Land) by Pham Ngoc Lan won the Best Film at the International Competition for Fiction & Documentaries at the 16th VIS Vienna Shorts Festival in Austria on June 2.

Vietnamese film The Third Wife set for theatrical release in US

Vietnamese movie The Third Wife will be released in 30 U.S. cinemas on May 15.

Vietnamese short film to compete in Cannes

Stay Awake, Be Ready has been selected to compete in the Director’s Fortnight section of Cannes Film Festival 2019.

Source: VNS/VNA