The 2017 Vietnamese Film Day will be organised in the Republic of Korea (RoK) for the first time, as part of activities to celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the RoK.

Organised by the Vietnam Cinema Department and the Korean Film Council, the event will run from from January 12 to 14 at the Lotte World Tower Cinema in Jamsil, eastern Seoul.

The event will showcase three Vietnamese films that have received accolades in recent years. Audience members will have the opportunity to watch all of the films free of charge as well as the chance to meet with the directors and actors at the screening.

The festival will open with “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass,” a coming-of-age film set in the Vietnamese countryside in the late 1980’s. 

The film, based on the bestselling novel of the same name, has been submitted to the Best Foreign Language Film category at this year’s 89th Academy Awards. 

Victor Vu, the director, is a Vietnamese-American director and screenwriter who has been the recipient of awards and commercial success in Vietnam.

Next up is a screening of “Yen’s Life” on January 13. The film won the grand festival prize at the World Premieres Film Festival in Manila, the Philippines, in 2016. 

At the screening, audiences will have the chance to meet with director Tuan Vu Dinh and other members of the cast.

Finally, the crime-drama “Farewell, Berlin Wall,” also known as “Quyen,” will be screened on January 14. 

The film, adapted from an eponymous Vietnamese novel by Nguyen Van Tho, tells the story of a woman from Hanoi and her husband who flee from Russia to Germany in search of their promised land. 

Last year, the film won the Vietnamese Golden Kite Award for Best Feature Film.

Additionally, a number of events will take place on the side-lines of the film festival. 

As part of the opening ceremony, a Korean-Vietnamese fashion show will be staged showcasing the colourful traditional costumes of both countries.

There will also be an exhibit highlighting film locations across Vietnam, and a networking conference for directors, producers, and other members of the film industry from both countries.

Nhan Dan