A scene from Hãy Thức Tỉnh và Sẵn Sàng (Stay Awake, Be Ready) by Phạm Thiên Ân, which will premiere at Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Directors' Fortnight) at Cannes Film Festival in France in May. Still photo from the trailer

The 14-minute film will also compete in the section’s Illy Awards with nine films from other countries.

Hãy Thức Tỉnh và Sẵn Sàng features a motorcycle accident in front of a street food stall. The incident unveils a secret story involving three young men.

“Bringing a film to Cannes is a dream of every filmmakers and me as well. I’m thrilled about my film screening at Cannes,” An said. “The film is part of a project for my first feature film, and Hãy Thức Tỉnh và Sẵn Sàng is the opening.”

His idea won top prize at the 2018 CJ Short Film Making Project, one of the top short film contests in Việt Nam. The VNĐ200 million (US$8,590) prize gave Ân a chance to turn his idea into a film.

Ân was born in Lâm Đồng Province in 1989, and graduated in Information Technology from Lotus University in HCM City.

He shifted to film because of personal interest and won a number of film awards, including the 48 Hours Film Project in HCM City in 2014.

In 2015, he moved to the US and continued to work as a freelance filmmaker.

His latest short film, Câm Lặng (The Mute), was screened as a World Premiere at the Palm Springs International Shortfest in the US in 2018. It also competed at 15 international short film festivals, including Winterthur in Switzerland, Tampere in Finland, Encounters in the UK, and Aspen in the US. — VNS