From October 30 to November 2, the Goethe-Institut will host the 2025 German Film Festival (KinoFest) across several major Vietnamese cities, offering an exciting cinematic experience for just 20,000 VND (approximately $0.80) per ticket.

The symbolic ticket price aims to encourage Vietnamese audiences to embrace cultural investment and develop a habit of engaging with international art and cinema.

KinoFest 2025 is part of a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Germany and Vietnam.

The festival will showcase a curated selection of new German films spanning various genres, including drama, animation, adventure, family, and documentary. Each film has been chosen to reflect contemporary German society while highlighting creativity, imagination, and both realism and mystery.

Beyond showcasing German cinema, KinoFest 2025 celebrates the spirit of creative collaboration. It serves as a platform to honor young filmmakers from both Germany and Vietnam, who are contributing to a vibrant cultural dialogue between the two countries.

The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of October 30 at the National Cinema Center in Hanoi, featuring the acclaimed film Roter Himmel (Afire), which received the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival.

Audiences can also look forward to screenings of Everything Belongs to Me, Undercurrent, Niko and the Way to the Northern Lights, Cologne 75, Greetings from Mars, Only at Night Can We Be Sad, The Heroine, and The Sour Starfruit Hometown.

Each title has been selected not only for its cinematic merit but also for its accessibility to audiences of all ages, inviting viewers to explore diverse perspectives through the lens of contemporary German cinema.

According to Olivier Brandt, Director of the Goethe-Institut in Hanoi, KinoFest no longer offers free entry but instead adopts a symbolic ticketing model. “By setting the price at 20,000 VND, we’re encouraging audiences to see film-going as a cultural investment,” he explained.

KinoFest 2025 promises not only entertainment but an opportunity for reflection, artistic exchange, and expanded cultural horizons.

Huyen My