VietNamNet Bridge – “The Safe,” which belongs to the ‘Heist film” type, by five-member Lam Thien group was awarded the title of Best Film 2011 in the Canon 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP).
The Safe will be sent to Filmapolooza Film Festival in New Mexico, the US to compete for the chance to feature at Cannes, presenting Vietnamese creativity at an internationally acclaimed forum.

The Safe is a heist film that tells the story of a thief who finds an image of a safe, a password and instructions to open it. But things do not go as planned.

This film also won the “Best Script”, “Using Best Characters” and “Most Favorite Film” titles. The group received VND40 million ($2,000) of bonus.

The awarding ceremony was held on November 12 at the Ha Noi Opera House, concluded the international filmmaking competition, in which teams or individuals have 48 hours to make a four to seven-minute short film.

Launched on October 14-16, the competition received submissions from 43 teams in Ha Noi and 75 in HCM City, breaking the record for the number of participants in other cities worldwide, said Ross Stewart, the 48HFP producer in Viet Nam.

"The Ha Noi and HCM City competitions have grown to be among the largest in the world, which just goes to show that Viet Nam's film industry is alive and well," he said.

"It's evident that the film industry has some new stars rising up from the youth of Viet Nam and that's why it's important to have international competitions like the 48HFP to help find this undiscovered talent and expose it to the world!"

The 48HFP assigned each team a genre, character, prop and line of dialogue at 7pm on Friday and expects to receive a finished film by 7.30pm Sunday. The teams are responsible for putting together a cast and crew, procuring equipment and handling all other production details.

The films made during this 48-hour period were judged by respected Vietnamese directors Nguyen Quang Dung, Nguyen Vinh Son, Phan Dang Di and internationally acclaimed film director Phillip Noyce.
"The winner of 48 Hour Film Project this year is a marvelous film," said Noyce.

"It pleased me in so many ways thanks to its cinematography, its acting and its story telling. It symbolizes the human endeavor."

Other winner is The First WAFM with “The First Day of Autumn” (the second prize and Using the Most Appropriate Props title).

Ross Stewart, the contest’s producer, said over 10 outstanding films will be screened outdoor near Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake in late November.

The 48-hour film quest was also held in HCM City from October 14 to 16, with 63 films. The award ceremony will take place in HCM City on December 8.

The award ceremony in photos:

PV