Success in Web Endeavors and Thai Cinematic Projects at DANAFF Talents Awards

The Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) has once again proven its status as a creative and collaborative hub in the region, with the DANAFF Talents programme playing a pivotal role in its success. This year, the festival welcomed 50 young talents from Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, and beyond, as part of the DANAFF Talents initiative.

The programme, a key component of DANAFF, focuses on nurturing emerging filmmakers through comprehensive training, project development, and networking opportunities. It offers a range of activities including the Talent Incubator acting workshop, Project Incubator, and masterclasses for filmmakers.

One such masterclass is the Project Incubator, a four-day event featuring masterclasses with international mentors and a live networking session for filmmakers. Another highlight is the Talent Incubator acting workshop, which offers both basic and advanced training sessions, led by industry experts Lydia Park and Tada Junnosuke respectively.

The impact of DANAFF Talents on the festival is substantial. By providing structured support and professional platforms for emerging filmmakers, it strengthens DANAFF's mission to nurture talent and showcase outstanding Asian cinema. This year, three Vietnamese and one Thai film projects won the Best Project Awards as part of DANAFF Talents.

One of the winning Vietnamese projects is "Flying Cows" (Bò sữa bay), directed by Nguyễn Phạm Thành Đạt. The film received a US$5,000 prize sponsored by the Motion Picture Association (MPA). Another notable Vietnamese project is "The Young Theorist's Club," directed by Đàm Quang Trung, which earned him a three-month mentorship under the mylab programme.

Đàm Quang Trung's previous film, "Những con voi bên vệ đường (The Elephants by the Roadside)," won Best Director and Best Cinematography at the 2024 Singapore International Film Festival. His latest film, "The Young Theorist's Club," tells a story about a 16-year-old girl torn between theoretical debates and her father's job as a 'sleep-for-hire' watchman in a small district in the Mekong Delta.

Meanwhile, the Thai film "Ghost of the Currents," directed by Itt Patiparn Boontarig and co-directed by Kalil Pitsuwan, received €8,000 (US$9,000) from Cinémas du Monde, a financial support fund managed by France's National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image. The film is about a man returning to his Mekong riverside village after a flood, where he encounters a vengeful "River Ghost" and his lost lover's spirit. It was one of three Thai films presented at the Thai Pitch event during Cannes 2025.

The festival also showcases films that tackle social issues, such as "Trâu," a film about a struggling farmhand at a dairy farm undergoing industrial change. Trâu is given a mission to steal a secret milk formula to lift his family out of poverty, but his growing love for San, the boss's daughter and the scientist of the milk formula, forces him to choose between his family's future and the girl he can no longer betray.

In addition to these projects, DANAFF Talents serves as a professional platform where young creatives can learn, collaborate, and connect with both local and international industry professionals. The festival's talent development efforts also include thematic seminars discussing best practices and strategies for fostering high-quality film industry human resources, with a strong focus on Vietnamese and Asia-Pacific filmmakers.

This growth is part of the festival’s evolution into a major cultural event with increasing scale, quality, and industry significance. By promoting new talent and innovative projects, DANAFF Talents contributes to the festival's broader goals of encouraging new cinematic discoveries, supporting sustainable development of young filmmakers, and elevating the artistic standards of Asian and Vietnamese cinema showcased at the festival.

The Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) could potentially expand its focus to include AI in the future, using it to analyze and predict trends in the film industry, enhancing the festival's status as a creative and collaborative hub in the region.
As part of DANAFF's commitment to fostering high-quality film industry human resources and promoting environmentally conscious cinema, the festival could organize seminars discussing the impact of climate change on the film industry and the importance of sustainable production practices in the entertainment sector.
With the success of DANAFF Talents in nurturing emerging filmmakers, it would be intriguing to envision a collaboration between labor unions and the festival to address issues such as fair wages, working conditions, and training opportunities in the film industry, contributing to a more equitable and sustainable cultural environment.