VietNamNet Bridge – In nearly two weeks, the 2015 Golden Kite Awards will honour the most outstanding cinematographic works and artists of the year. Initiated in 2003, the awards have not only has become a professional playground for insiders but also attract the attention of those who love the ‘seventh art’.

A scene in the film 'The Life of Yen'

‘Equal development’

‘Equal development’ is the general assessment by the organising board as well as veteran faces in cinema for the quality of this year’s submitted works.

A total of 138 films, including 18 feature films, 24 TV series, 14 cartoons, 37 documentaries, 12 science films, 33 short films, and six cinema research projects on cinematic theory and criticism have registered to compete at the 2015 Golden Kite Awards.

In the feature film category, the number and quality of films have been improved significantly.

Out of the submitted feature films, there are many well-known names including Nha tien tri (Predictor), Nguoi tro ve (Returner), Toi thay hoa vang tren co xanh (I See Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass), Cuoc doi cua Yen (The Life of Yen), Quyen and My nhan (Beautiful woman).

“We can see the diversity and creativity in expression of entries. I see yellow flowers on green grass has set a box office record, received strong praise from audiences and won top prizes at the 19th Vietnam National Film Festival. The Life of Yen explores the theme of women’s lives, meanwhile the film Quyen talks about overseas Vietnamese. There are also many films on leaders, the revolution and national history such as Returner, Predictor and Beautiful Woman, said famous playwright Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat.

The range of actors also brings many choices for the jury to present awards. Veterans like the People’s Artist Bui Bai Binh playing Uncle Ho in Predictor, and young faces like Trong Khang playing Tuong in I see yellow flowers on green grass have wowed audiences with their performance. Thuy Hang and La Thanh Huyen who played the leading roles in the films The Life of Yen and Returner also showed off their significant progress as well as natural acting skills.

According to Chairman of Vietnam Cinema Association People’s Artist Dang Xuan Hai, the jury began reviewing TV films and other categories in February; meanwhile the feature films will be juged from April 11-15 at the August Theatre in Hanoi.

One Golden Kite, one Silver Kite and one certificate of merit will be presented in each category for best entries and individuals. There are six jury boards for six categories in order to fully and accurately assess all elements making up a cinema work.

In addition, the association will hold a ceremony to honour writer Hoang Tich Chi – the first playwright to receive Ho Chi Minh Award on Culture and Arts– and People’s Teacher Le Dang Thuc, for their great contributions to Vietnamese cinema.

Innovation and expectations

This year, participating feature films will be screened for the public for free. Chairman of the Board of Directors of Giai Phong (Liberation) Film One-member Limited Company Nguyen Tien Hung said that different categories of films have different means of serving viewers; therefore it is necessary to show them widely to attract and inspire the attention of the community.

According to director Dang Thai Huyen (from the People's Army Film Studio), screening films before awards ceremony will contribute to making the competition more equal. Viewers can evaluate the quality of participating entries and prize winning films, while film makers can also assess their capacity more accurately.

The Golden Kite Awards have not yet found a wide audience, and many films have not been introduced widely to the public. For this reason, film production companies have not been enthusiastic about entering the competition

According to preliminary statistics, in 2015, the number of feature films produced by both state and private units reached nearly 40, but only 18 of them were sent to compete for the 2015 Golden Kite Awards. In addition, despite initial successes at international film festivals, independent film projects have not paid attention to these domestic cinema awards.

The feature and television films with copyrights bought from foreign countries were not allowed to compete at this year’s event. The film Em la ba noi cua anh (You are my grandmother) by Phan Gia Nhat Linh is a remake of a script from the Republic of Korea; therefore, although it was very popular and highly appreciated, it could not be submitted to the awards. According to the organising board, the Golden Kite aims to honour creativity and national cultural identities.

This year’s short film category witnesses the competition of young film makers from the Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Academies of Theatre and Cinema and the Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents with 33 works. The increase in the number of participating films has signaled a crowded and quality staff of young talents.

With efforts in bringing cinema closer to audiences, adjustment in organisation and the improvement in professional appraisal practice, the event’s quality and professionalism have been focused on in order to gradually remove the prejudices saying that the awards is purely a summation of a professional association.

In addition to being a panorama of the national cinema of the year, the award is also a launching platform for cinematographic works to confirm their artistry, creativity and nationalism. Hopefully, after the 2015 Golden Kite Awards, cinematographic works and artists will be more successful, bringing in more viewers who love the ‘seventh art’.  

Nhan Dan