Vietnamese actress nominated at international film fest

Vietnamese actress Hoang Thi Bich Phuong was nominated as best actress in Asia for her phenomenal performance at the 54th annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
May 18, 2021 | 08:07
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She won the Best International Actress award at the 2021 Paris International Film Festival in February and was nominated for Best Asian Actress at the 54th annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, though she lost out to Japanese actress Nao Hasegawa last month.

Vietnamese actress nominated at international film fest
Hoang Thi Bich Phuong in "Invisible Love" - Photo coutersy of the producers

"Thank you for all of these moments," Phuong wrote on her Facebook page about the praise.

Invisible Love, starring Phuong, received two other prestigious awards at Paris International Film Festival 2021, including Best Narrative Feature Film and Best International Collaboration.

The drama also won the Award of Excellence for its art direction, and the Award of Merit (Asian Film Feature) at Indie Fest in the US last month.

The film was scheduled to compete at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival but the event was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the movie, directed by Chinese director Guo Xiang, Phuong plays Nguyen Thi Hoa, a nurse trying to find love but beset hit by tragedy as she falls in love with American doctor James Marquis (Kazy Tauginas) in the 1930's Indochina.

Vietnamese actress nominated at international film fest
A "Tinh Yeu Vo Hinh" poster. Photo courtesy of the producer.

It is a collaboration of filmmakers in Vietnam, China, and the U.S., with Chair of the Broadcast Journalism department at New York Film Academy, Bill Einreinhofer as executive producer.

Hoang Phuong was born in 1996 in the northern Lang Son Province. She has acted in some TV series and also appeared in a Vietnam-Japan co-production "Along the Sea," which hit Japanese cinemas earlier this month.

The Houston International Film Festival is the third oldest film festival in North America, started in 1961, right after New York and San Francisco.

This year's festival, taking place from April 21-25, attracted more than 1,000 movies from 74 countries and terriories.

A Japan-Viet Nam co-production, Along the Sea was nominated at the San Sebastian International Film Festival 2020 and the Tokyo International Film Festival 2020, along with an award for Best Film dealing with Human Trafficking Issues at the 2020 Cairo International Film Festival, according to Vietnamnet.

Phuong (centre) wonthe Best International Actor award at the 2021 Paris International Film Festival. Photo theothaovanhoa.vn
Phuong (centre) wonthe Best International Actor award at the 2021 Paris International Film Festival. Photo theothaovanhoa.vn

"It is a movie with a lot of enthusiasm from both myself and the production team that is worth both watching and pondering. Thank you Japan, thank you! Due to the pandemic, we could not attend this moment. I hope that Along The Sea will touch the hearts of many viewers, particularly Japanese,” Phuong said.

“The film will probably cause diverse opinions, but when I received this project, I was really touched and sympathised with the main character in particular and the other similar fates in general who are trying to fulfil the dream of making a living in a foreign land!

"My hometown in Viet Nam is very beautiful, and whatever might happen, I have always wanted to live, develop and contribute to my own land!” she added.

“Invisible Love” won five prizes

Vietnamese film “Tinh Yeu Vo Hinh” (Invisible Love) has won five prizes at the Indie Fest and Paris International Film Festival.

At the Indie Fest in the U.S., which promotes independent filmmakers and unique voices, the movie won the Award of Excellence for its art direction, and the Award of Merit (Asian Film Feature).

It also won three awards at the Paris International Film Festival: Best Narrative Feature Film 2021; Best International Collaboration 2021; and Best International Actor 2021, which was bagged by actress Hong Phuong.

In the movie, directed by Chinese director Guo Xiang, Phuong plays Nguyen Thi Hoa, a nurse trying to find love but beset hit by tragedy as she falls in love with American doctor James Marquis (Kazy Tauginas) in the 1930's French Indochina.

The film is a collaboration of filmmakers in Vietnam, China, and the U.S., with Chair of the Broadcast Journalism department at New York Film Academy, Bill Einreinhofer as executive producer, and a budget of around $500,000, according to IMDb, an online database of information related to films and television programs.

"The subtext of the film is the nature of colonialism, and the corrosive effect it has on both the colonizers as well as those colonized," Einreinhofer explained.

Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that "Tinh Yeu Vo Hinh" has been licensed for screening in Vietnam. Producers have said the move will hit domestic giant screens this year.

Vietnam's “Invisible Love” takes five international film prizes Vietnam's “Invisible Love” takes five international film prizes

Vietnamese movie “Tinh Yeu Vo Hinh” (Invisible Love) has won five prizes at the Indie Fest and Paris International Film Festival.

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