Bảo MyRecently on his personal page, Taro Imai said that although he did not submit a work for the competition, he was happy to have his film Mitsuki nominated by the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in the Short Film category, which he produced.
Producer Taro Imai (Photo: Facebook profile).
Accordingly, the HANIFF organizing committee sent an invitation for one member of the team to attend the event. However, since the director was busy, he introduced the lead actor to attend.
Later, he received another notification that he could attend the HANIFF as a producer. However, due to budget constraints, the HANIFF also informed him that only one member of the Mitsuki team could attend the event.
Therefore, he decided to let the actor represent the film alone.
However, Taro Imai was informed that the HANIFF had purchased a plane ticket for him, and if he wanted the actor to accompany him, he would have to pay for the companion's plane ticket and hotel expenses, as the HANIFF only covered the costs for him.
The producer stated that he had purchased a plane ticket for his actor. They will depart for Vietnam on November 6th, but they have not received the screening schedule for Mitsuki or confirmation regarding hotel accommodations and plane tickets.
Speaking to a reporter from Dan Tri, Mr. Vi Kien Thanh - Head of the Cinema Department, Head of the HANIFF organizing committee - stated that all the information on social media is one-sided. Only one member of short film teams is invited to attend the HANIFF. If the film team wants two people to attend, the HANIFF will provide accommodation for them.
"Currently, the HANIFF team is very busy and cannot address issues on social media. However, we always provide maximum support to film teams under the circumstances," Mr. Thanh said.
During a press conference on November 5th about the HANIFF, Mr. Vi Kien Thanh also discussed the difficulties of inviting international artists and film teams to the event.
Mr. Vi Kien Thanh - Head of the Cinema Department, Head of the HANIFF organizing committee, shared that there are about 800 domestic and international guests attending the HANIFF (Photo: Nam Nguyen).
Mr. Thanh provided two reasons: First, the HANIFF usually takes place in November or December. This is the time when directors, producers, and artists are working on new film projects.
There are stars willing to come to Vietnam for the HANIFF, but due to being busy with film projects, they cannot leave their projects.
"We will consider, study, and report to the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to choose a more suitable time to organize the HANIFF. Perhaps from May to June each year would be more appropriate for international stars to come to Vietnam," Mr. Thanh said.
The second reason is that international stars coming to Vietnam often have many accompanying requirements. In addition to the requirements that can be met locally, such as a 5-star hotel and a business class plane ticket, international stars usually have 3 to 5 entourage members. If they also use business class tickets and stay in a 5-star hotel, it is very difficult for the HANIFF organizing committee.
"We want to invite international stars to the HANIFF, but due to regulations on the use of state budget funds, we encounter many difficulties...," Mr. Thanh said.
Out of over 500 films registered for participation, the HANIFF has selected 117 feature films and short films from 51 countries and territories to be screened in the festival's film programs.
Out of the 10 feature films in competition, there is only 1 representative from Vietnam, the film Once Upon a Time in a Love Story directed by Trinh Dinh Le Minh. This film has also been selected for the opening screening on the evening of November 7th at the National Cinema Center.
The HANIFF will open on November 7th and the closing ceremony will take place on November 11th at the Hanoi Opera House.
