HCM City Int’l Film Festival 2024 opens

Running from April 6-13, the festival includes three main competition categories, including Southeast Asian films, debut and short films, with many awards such as Golden Star Award for Best Southeast Asian Film; Best Emerging Director; Best Short Film; and Ho Chi Minh City Film awards.  In addition, there are awards for directors, actors, cinematographers, editors, and visual effects, among others.

There will be a wide range of sideline activities with the participation of international artists and visitors, including a gala film screening; training courses conducted by directors, actors, producers, and experts who have a lot of experience in the movie industry; music and fashion performances; a food fair; a film industry exhibition introducing the development history of the movie industry of HCM City, Vietnam and the world, famous producers, directors, and movie stars in Nguyen Hue walking street; and seminars on the importance of funding for film development.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's committee Duong Anh Duc said that the locality is considered a large market for film production and distribution in the country. The film industry is identified as one of eight key industries, with an average growth rate of about 12% a year and revenue reaching over VND5 trillion (US$200 million), of which Vietnamese films account for about 30% of revenue, contributing about 0.4% of the city's GRDP by 2025.

Duc also said HIFF 2024 is expected to improve the quality and reputation of the city’s movie industry, and promote HCM City as a destination for domestic and foreign filmmakers, towards becoming a film city and join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

The HIFF 2024 received more than 400 entries, with 56 projects participating in the Project Market and 87 scripts joining the Vietnamese Script Incubator (VietScript Lab).