(VNS) Vietnamese film Dam Me (Passion) is one of two Vietnamese films competing at the second Ha Noi International Film Festival in the Best Feature category. Directed by Phi Tien Son, the film was presented to the public for the first time last night at the National Film Centre in Ha Noi. Son talks with Culture Vulture about the film.

Could you tell us briefly what the film is about?

The film depicts a family where each member has his or her own passion. The father loves raising and conquering tigers. The eldest son loves his business career. The daughter dreams of becoming a famous model. They all look for ways to achieve their passion.

Passion is necessary because it motivates every human being to grow and try to achieve his or her ambitions. However, not all things are legitimate passions. Vile passions ought to be condemned. Tragedy is inevitable for those who pursue those passions.

Talking about passion is talking about the "ego," the "self" of someone. The film focuses on the biggest question of our society: what is human life?

The film will compete with 13 other films from the Asia-Pacific region. What do you think about your film taking part in this festival?

I am very happy and honoured to have the opportunity to take part in this festival. I highly appreciate the idea behind the festival: to honour excellent cinema works of high artistic value. I believe that Viet Nam's films can do much to bring Vietnamese culture abroad. Our country has a very rich culture with 4,000 years of history behind it. That's why we have many works to present to foreign friends.

As you know, in Viet Nam, many artistic films struggle to attract viewers. Does this sad reality make you concerned?

No, it does not. For me the quality of the film is the most important thing.

It's true that all directors want to see audiences line up to get tickets to see their films in the cinema. But I think that's not the only criterion to judge the success of a film. I also want my film to teach something to audiences.

There are many kinds of movie-goers and they watch movies for different reasons. It's the same for books. Some read just for entertainment, while others read to find useful information. But how long can entertainment last? What do movie-goers really need?

What do you expect from the festival?

Winning prizes is not very important to me. What's important is to be able to contribute something to the festival.

I think that the film festival is a good occasion for us to see if Vietnamese movies are good enough to be appreciated by a jury – and if the jury will understand Vietnamese movies, and the way we are making films. I believe that is more important than any prize. — VNS