Director Nguyen Hong Anh of Vietnam delivers her speed after receiving the Special Jury Prize for her movie The Way Station at the Eurasia International Film Festival in Kazakhstan on July 28 (Photo coutersy of Nguyen Hong Anh)Among the nearly 300 entries in this year’s event, which closed on July 28, theselection of The Way Station in the final 12 itself was considered amiracle.
“Each of these films had two screenings. The Vietnamese production luredfilmgoers to fill the 209-seat room during both the screenings,” said Anh onher Facebook.
Anh could watch only five out of the 12, but she said three of them werestunning.
“To me, the presence of The Way Station at the festival, further fromSoutheast Asia, is already a big bonus. It would be a miracle if it can winhere. I wish the movie crew would be here with me to call out Vietnam’s name,”she posted before the awarding day.
The Way Station revolves around a small Vietnamese fishing village and therelationships between its inhabitants, each with their own inner struggles.
The film’s screenplay was adapted from a short story by local author Do PhuocTien.
“I am really happy because Eurasia is one of the leading festivals in theworld, which saw the participation of famous actors, my idols such as NicolasCage, John Málkovich and Adrien Brody. It is also judged byinternationally-recognised juries,” said Anh after the award ceremony.
“I am happy because foreign viewers and juries understood the soul and spiritof Vietnam, and its people,” she added.
The Way Station is Anh’s first movie. Before coming to Astana, it wasnominated in eight categories, setting a record at the 2017 ASEAN InternationalFilm Festival and Awards in Malaysia in May.
It was awarded for the Best Film, Best Leading Actor for Pham Hong Phuoc andBest DOP for Ly Thai Dung.
Under its theme of Bridging Culture, the Eurasia Festival was organised fromJuly 22 to July 28 in Astana. It is the biggest event in the central Asiaregion and is considered by the International Federation of Film ProducersAssociation to be at the same level as A-class film festival.
In 2012, Eurasia was listed as one of the 35 biggest festivals in the world byInternational Film Guide of United Kingdom.
The Way Station will continue to vie for prizes at other festivals,including Brisbane International Film Festival from August 17 to September 3,Asia Pacific Screen Awards in November, also in Brisbane, Australia, and theGoteborg Film Festival next January in Sweden.-VNA
VNA
