Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival celebrates 40 years of Vietnamese cinema evolution
The fourth Đà Nẵng Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV) will celebrate 40 years of Vietnamese cinema from June 28 to July 4. This year's event marks the 40th anniversary of Việt Nam's Renewal era, which began in 1986. Organisers have prepared a special programme featuring 17 landmark films from the late 1980s to the 2000s. The festival will screen films that trace the evolution of Vietnamese storytelling, from early experiments like Thị Trấn Yê̂n Tĩnh (1986) and Thẵng Bờm (1987) to later works such as Gái Nhảy (2002) and Dòng Máu Anh Hùng (2006). These selections highlight the growing diversity of genres and voices in the country's film industry. Contemporary life is also explored in titles like Tướng Về Hưu (1988) and Gánh Xiê̂c Rong (1988).
More recent films, including *Cánh Đồng Bất Tận* (2010) and *Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere* (2014), demonstrate Vietnamese cinema's expanding reach on the international stage. The festival will also host talks, discussions, and a seminar titled *Vietnamese Cinema: 40 Years of Renewal*. The financial and structural growth of the industry in the 1990s and early 2000s was shaped by **Đổi Mới** reforms, which allowed private sector involvement. This shift stabilised the market by the mid-1990s, with films like *Dancing Girls* proving its commercial potential.
DANAFF IV offers a chance to revisit key moments in Vietnamese film history. The event runs for seven days in Đà Nẵng, with further details available at vfda.vn and danaff.vn. The programme reflects both artistic progress and the industry's changing economic landscape.
