Critically acclaimed: A scene from the war-themed drama Mui Co Chay (The Scent of Burning Grass) which won the Golden Kite Award as well as awards for Best Script, Best Cameraman and Best Music. — File Photo   Cool moves: Actress Quynh Hoa presents a dance at Saturday's ceremony. She won the Best Actress award for her role in the hip-hop-themed movie Sai Gon Yo!

HA NOI — The war-themed drama Mui Co Chay (The Scent of Burning Grass) from director Nguyen Huu Muoi won the Viet Nam Cinema Association's (VNCA) Golden Kite Award at a ceremony on Saturday night in Ha Noi.

The critically acclaimed movie is a production of the Viet Nam Television Film Studio Company. It scooped other awards including Best Script for poet Hoang Nhuan Cam, Best Cameraman for Pham Thanh Ha and Best Music for composer Do Hong Quan.

The movie also received a Certificate of Merit granted by the Ministry of Defence's General Political Department for being the best movie about war and revolutionary ideals.

Considered a powerful nominee for this year's Golden Kite Award, the Hotboy Noi Loan (Lost in Paradise) by the private BHD Studio received the media-elected award. The movie, which is the first Vietnamese production to feature a positive view of homosexual life, took away three major Golden Lotus awards at the National Film Festival last year. The awards include Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Cameraman.

Actor Hieu Hien won the title Best Supporting Actor for his role as a mentally challenged rubbish collector who falls in love with a call girl in the Lost in Paradise.

Unappreciated by critics due to its illogical detail, the two commercial movies Long Ruoi (Mr Long with a Beauty Spot) and Sai Gon Yo! received the Silver Kite Award. However, "the movies demonstrated creativity and human values, as well as having a positive social effect," head of the movie category's judgement board, People's Artist Bui Dinh Hac, explained.

Long Ruoi – a Vietnamese blockbuster earning a record turnover of more than VND40 billion (about US$2 million) – also took three other major awards: Best Actor for comedian/actor Thai Hoa, Best Director for Vietnamese-American director Charlie Nguyen, and Best Supporting Actress for Tina Tinh.

For Tinh, the title is the second significant award in her acting career. She earlier bagged the Promising Actress Award at the Golden Kite Awards in 2003 thanks to her humble role in the movie Tro Dua Cua Thien Loi (Thunder Genie's Joke).

The Best Actress award was granted to the young actress Quynh Hoa of the hip-hop-themed movie Sai Gon Yo!, who warmed up the stage of the ceremony by a dance to When I Grow Up by Pussycat Dolls.

The ceremony also paid tribute to People's Artists Bui Dinh Hac and Dang Nhat Minh – two veteran directors who have made great contributions to Viet Nam's cinema.

While Hac created many acclaimed documentaries and features about President Ho Chi Minh, Nhat Minh is internationally recognised for his award-winning films. Both Hac and Minh were awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in 2007.

There were 137 entries competing in seven categories at the Golden Kite Awards. In the movie category, 10 of 12 nominees were from private studios – a record number in the Golden Kite Award history since it was first held in 2003. — VNS