A wide range of films that have received awards at international festivals will be screened during the Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) from October 27-31.

Japanese drama film Shoplifters (2018) will open HANIFF this year. — Photo imdb.com

The organisers are attempting to bring world cinema closer to Vietnamese audiences while creating an exchange between Vietnamese and international filmmakers, according to Ngô Phương Lan, head of the Viet Nam Cinema Department.

The films will be screened at special programmes this year, including: Country in Focus: Polish Cinema, Iranian Cinema Programme and World Cinema Panorama Programme.

“Featured films selected at the HANIFF will provide an overview of contemporary cinema culture, society and humanity of each country where the films were made,” said Lan.

Japanese drama Shoplifters (2018) will open HANIFF this year, directed, written and edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Starring Lily Franky and Sakura Ando, it is about a family who rely on shoplifting to cope with a life of poverty.

The film premiered on May 13 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it went on to win the Palme d’Or. The film was released in Japan on June 8 and was a critical and commercial success. It is among the most successful film on the Japanese market with box office sales hitting US$37.8 million.

It was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards next year. It has been screened at some international film festivals before the screening at the HANIFF.

A Fantastic Woman (2017) by Chilean director Sebastian Lelio will close HANIFF.

The film won the Best Foreign Language Oscar (March 2018), the Teddy Award - Best Feature Film (an international award for films with LGBT topics, presented by the independent jury of the Berlin Film Festival) and the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Screenplay at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival.

With people increasingly separated, A Fantastic Woman is a bridge between the lack of understanding and understanding through the transcendent power of cinema. It’s a film about tolerance, acceptance and empathy.

Almost two years after the death of Andrzej Wajda, Polish film lovers still mourn the talented director. He’s considered a monument of modern Polish art, and one of the world’s leading directors. He won many prizes and prestigious titles at major film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin and Venice.

This year, HANIFF will present three of his films: Ashes and Diamonds (1958), Promised Land (1975) and Tatarak (2009).

All of these special films and many others from countries and territories representing five continents will be shown for the first time and free of charge at CGV cinemas and the National Cinema Centre.

With the theme "Cinema - Integration and Sustainable Development", the festival aims to honour outstanding cinematographic works with high artistic and humanistic values and creativity, while encouraging new movie talents. In the framework of HANIFF, seminars to share experience with filmmakers from Poland and Iran will help local artists, managers and the public understand more about world cinema. A script-writing camp, a film project market and free screenings and exchanges will also be held. The festival is expected to attract nearly 1,200 delegates, including 200 foreigners. The opening and closing ceremonies will be broadcast live on VTV1 and VTV2. — VNS