Taking place on the evening of May 13th, 2023, the Closing Ceremony and Awards Ceremony of the 1st Da Nang Asian Film Festival 2023 (DANAFF I) honored excellent cinematographic works, rich in humanistic values, with new discoveries and unique artistic expressions.
The Closing Ceremony and Awards Ceremony have officially closed the curtain on the 1st Danang Asian Film Festival 2023. With the theme “Bringing Asia to Da Nang – Bringing Da Nang to Asia”, the film festival has affirmed its success with a plethora of exciting activities, professional event planning and programing quality that has received the attention and praises of filmmakers, producers, artists, screenwriters and audiences both domestic and international.
The Closing Ceremony – Awards Ceremony were honored by the presences of politicians, delegates, leaders, representatives of various agencies of Danang City, international VIPs, famous stars and film experts from Asia and the world over; famous Vietnamese filmmakers, artists such as Miss Kim Duyen, Miss Thuy Tien…
MC Khanh Vy and Miss Thuy Tien hosted the red carpet segment, while MC Phi Linh, MC Vinh Phu hosted the main ceremonies. Singer Vo Ha Tram, singer Nguyen Ha, singer Vu Bao and Saigon Pops Orchestra were the main performers of the event.
Opening with the performance of “Love song” by singer Vo Ha Tram, the Da Nang Asian Film Festival 2023 impressed the audience with its grandiose space and modern lighting effects. Interlaced with traditional music, the closing and award ceremony created an immersive cultural space around the spectators.
According to UniMedia CEO Tran Viet Bao Hoang (event organizer), the Closing Ceremony and Awards Ceremony had a classic and classy style, upholding the spirit of “Vietnam – Integration”. Imprinted throughout the festival are the symbolic images of the Da Nang city’s famous bridge and the trophies conveying the message: Vietnam and Da Nang are ready for international integration through films and arts, as potential destinations for foreign filmmakers; Da Nang wishes to become the launchpad for domestic film industry into world cinema, thereby conveying Vietnamese messages with modern, youthful and open materials.
“I want to draw on Vietnamese and international materials, combine it with a more youthful and modern way of doing things, along with projection art, lighting, choreography, and symphonic music. The team wants to convey the message that Vietnam in general and Da Nang in particular has more to offer than what people normally think. With materials from social network platforms such as highly viral dances popular on Tiktok, to more academic materials such as symphony orchestras, we hope that filmmakers from the world over could relate, and young audiences could find in DANAFF a playground for future generations: vibrant, fresh and promising” – CEO Bao Hoang emphasized the concept and expectations of the organizers.
Closing Ceremony – Awards Ceremony utilize modern storytelling, using academic art albeit with a fresh, youthful take to honor traditional values. By allocating most of the evening to the awards ceremony, the organizers focused on honoring the best filmmakers, artists and cinematographic works.
While the opening night utilized pop arts, the closing night showed that Vietnam also has musical materials that are considered academic, yet renewed in a youthful and worldly fashion.
After numerous days of diligent works, the Jury has selected outstanding cinematographic works, as well as excellent directors and actors to present the prestigious awards of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival.
The awards are divided into 2 categories: Asian films and Vietnamese films with a total of 14 awards, honoring individuals and organizations with distinctive achievements and contributions to the film industry in the past year. Young Vietnamese and international artists took the spotlight as they took individual awards by strides, rising as as Best Actors/Actresses, Best Directors, Best Films.
According to the Organizing Committee, the Jury Council consists of veteran artists in the industry, including famous figures those from the regional film industries. Each category is based on relevant criteria, with considerable cinematic achievements.
Taking place from May 9th to 13th, the 2023 Da Nang Asian Film Festival – with its numerous outstanding activities and programs – has left a significant impression on the public and the film industry. With its meticulous planning and organization from opening to closing, UniMedia has contributed to the success of this edition of Da Nang Asian Film Festival.
