The 2nd Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF II – 2024), which was kicked off in the central coastal city of Da Nang on July 2 evening, is treating festival-goers to a series of screening, conferences, and award activities.
The opening ceremony of the first annual film fest in Vietnam was attended by Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan.
At the ceremony, Ngo Phuong Lan, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Association of Film Promotion and Development (VAFPD) and co-chair of the organising committee, highlighted the success of the inaugural edition held in May in 2023, and selected by the Vietnam News Agency’s The thao & Van hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper as one of the top ten cultural events of the year.
Lan noted that the second edition has curated fresh and high-quality films from Vietnam, the Asia-Pacific, and the world at large. Featuring a diverse range of screenings, it has attracted renowned stars and filmmakers from around the world and Vietnam to serve on the jury or to present their films.
Le Trung Chinh, Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee, said lasting to July 6, the festival also includes various professional activities such as seminars, training workshops, exchanges, as well as indoor and outdoor film screenings. There are also opportunities for audience to interact with filmmakers and artists.
Chinh emphasised that the festival is expected to become a prominent event in Da Nang, contributing to the development of the city's cultural industries. It aims to promote the image, culture, and tourism of the central economic hub to international friends, aspiring to establish it as a city of cinematic events.
Themed "Bridging Asia", the highlight of DANAFF II is the competition in two categories of Asian and Vietnamese Film Awards. Notably, for the first time the festival presented the cinema achievement award to an outstanding filmmaker./.
VNA