Launched in 2025, the Workshop and Project Market is part of DANAFF Talents, a program dedicated to discovering, training, and developing cinematic talent within the framework of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival. It features two strategic categories: Asian Art-house Projects and Vietnamese Genre Film Projects.
The DANAFF Workshop and Project Market recorded early achievements with A little dream of me (Cảm ơn người đã thức cùng tôi) by director Chung Chi Cong. Selected during the program's inaugural season, the project went on to gross over 44 billion VND at the Vietnamese box office and received high critical acclaim. Additionally, Flying Cows (Bò sữa bay) by director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat and producer Nguyen Huu Thi Tuong Vi won the Most Promising Project Award, which includes a $5,000 prize presented by the Motion Picture Association (MPA). The film is currently preparing for its nationwide theatrical release.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, Chairperson of the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA) and head of the festival's organizing committee, noted that cinema is constantly evolving. New technologies, including artificial intelligence, are altering how stories are created and shared. However, she emphasized that one core element remains unchanged: great films always begin with meaningful stories, creative thinking, and human emotion. This is why supporting filmmakers and film projects at various stages of development is so vital.
"Among the delegates here today are rising young talents as well as established names in the film industry. Yet, you all share a common passion: developing compelling stories and bringing them closer to audiences. This program was created as a space for learning, exchange, and networking," Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan stated.
Held within the framework of the 4th Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV), the DANAFF Talents 2026 Project Incubator serves as a key professional gathering. Its comprehensive structure consists of three core activities: intensive training, project pitching, and partner networking at the project market. This year's program focuses on two strategic categories: Vietnamese Genre Film Projects - conducted as a Script Lab - and Asian Art-house Projects.
The Script Lab is a continuous, 8-day intensive screenwriting workshop aimed at supporting filmmakers in enhancing the quality of original script development.
From the submitted applications, the executive board selected eight feature film scripts with strong development potential. Throughout the course, participants engage in discussions and receive direct feedback and consultations from mentors who are international film experts, professors, directors, film curators, and prominent critics. Partnering with the Script Lab this year is Columbia University (USA), one of the world's most prestigious institutions for cinematic education.
The training sessions for the Script Lab group run from June 26 to July 3.
This year, the Asian Art-house Projects category has expanded its scope with two specialized branches for filmmakers inside and outside the ASEAN region. Participants undergo intensive training from June 28 to July 4, pitch their projects to an international jury, and connect directly with experts, producers, and distributors within the film network.
Notably, after completing the training in Da Nang, the ASEAN projects will continue their development path through two international workshops in Thailand (September) and France (December). In France, the filmmakers will have the opportunity to seek collaboration with European co-producers during a series of activities under the Aide aux cinémas du monde fund of the French National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC).
This collaborative training initiative is supported by strategic partners, including the Production & Storytelling program (Three Continents Festival, Nantes, France), the Embassy of France in Vietnam, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the French Institute, the Purin Film Fund, and the Cinéma du Monde Fund (CNC).
The program will officially conclude with the DANAFF Talents Closing and Award Ceremony, scheduled for 4:00 PM on July 3 at the Novotel Hotel in Da Nang.
