These movies have been selected from over 500 films sent to the festival preselection panel, said Vi Kien Thanh, Director of the Cinematography Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who is also head of this year festival organising board.

Among the 11 movies competing for the best feature-length film, there is only one of Vietnam. Entitled "Ngay Xua Co Mot Chuyen Tinh" (Love Upon a Time), it will be screened at the HANIFF opening ceremony.

There are 19 entries competing in the short film category, with eight Vietnamese films in documentary, animation, and narrative genres, and 11 international films.

Besides film screenings, the festival will organise two seminars to introduce German cinema and discuss historical film and literary adaptation production.

An exhibition to introduce UNESCO heritage sites of Vietnam will be an interesting event for international artists and filmmakers.

Participants to the film festival will also have a chance to join sideline activities, including outdoor film screening programmes, exchanges with actors and actresses, and sightseeing tours to some attractive destinations in Hanoi, among others.

HANIFF 7 is an opportunity to promote the Vietnamese cultural industry's development in the cinema field, Thanh said, adding that it is also expected to continue to affirm and elevate the brand as a destination for filmmakers./. VNA