ĐÀ LẠT Hundreds of cinema industry artists will gather at the 23rd Việt Nam National Film Festival in Đà Lạt City in the Central Highlands Province of Lâm Đồng from November 21 to 25.

This is the first time the national film festival is taking place in the city known in Việt Nam as the city of flowers. 

"This is an opportunity for the city to spread to the festival goers the image of Đà Lạt with scenic spots, pleasant weather year-round and potential for developing investment," said Phạm S, deputy chairman of Lâm Đồng Province, at the press conference held on November 12 in the province. 

The festival includes two sections: The Competition and Việt Nam Cinema Today – Panorama, which will see nearly 150 motion pictures, documentaries, science films, and animations. 

Sixteen motion pictures, three documentaries, 19 science films, and 25 animations will compete for the Golden Lotus Awards for the best film and other individual awards, including best director, best actor, best actress, and more.

In Việt Nam Cinema Today - Panorama, there are 14 motion pictures, 20 documentaries, 4 science films and 18 animations to be shown. The motion pictures will vie for the Audience Choice Award.

The 23rd film festival attracts a record number of nearly 180 film entries, the most ever in different genres, said Tạ Quang Đông, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and head of the festival’s Steering Committee.

"Đà Lạt is a large film studio for filmmakers," Đông said. "Its people, nature and poetic landscapes of mountains, waterfalls, pine hills, and Xuân Hương Lake are unique in Việt Nam. These are advantages for filmmakers.”

A series of activities will be organised during the 5-day event, including a free film screening programme at Lâm Viên Square and in Lạc Dương, Đức Trọng, Lâm Hà, and Đam Rông districts. 

There will be seminars on copyright protection in film industry development and key issues in building the Vietnamese movie industry, an exhibition entitled Đà Lạt City - Source of Cinematic Inspiration for Filmmakers held by Việt Nam Film Institute, and exchanges between artists and audiences.

Đà Lạt is expected to welcome some 190,000 visitors during the film festival, according to Phạm S. 

The province will ensure security and food safety for tourists and delegates who participate in the film festival. In addition, it is an opportunity for the province to promote Đà Lạt as an ideal film shooting location to attract filmmakers, he added.

With the slogan "Building a Vietnamese film industry rich in national identity, modernity, and humanity", the biennial film festival aims to honour cinematographic works and individuals, and bring films to audiences, as well as serve as a bridge between cinema and tourism to create great spiritual values and promote economic development.

This year's version of the event is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with Lâm Đồng People's Committee.

The opening ceremony will be organised at Lâm Viên Square on November 21 and broadcast live on provincial television.

The closing and award ceremony will be aired on November 25 on Việt Nam National Television's Channel 2 at 8pm. VNS