An outdoor festival under the wildlife theme will be organized in Hanoi this weekend.

Titled “Wildlife Film and Music Festival – WildFest,” the free-admission event which is being held for the first time in Vietnam will screen films and honor the winners of three categories within one day.

It is scheduled to take place at 5:30 pm on November 8 at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.

WildFest is part of the Operation Game Change program jointly held by the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, the Vietnamese government and the Freeland Foundation, which is an NGO.

Kicking off in June, the festival has received many entries from filmmakers not only in Vietnam but also from other countries like South Africa, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia.

A variety of film types, including comedy, action, horror, short, documentary and animation, reflecting the situation of wild animal consumption in Vietnam, has been submitted to the organizers.

A total of 17 films are expected to be showcased at the event on Sunday, with 11 in-competition flicks selected to compete in three categories, three out-of-competition movies and three invited pictures.

The filmmakers have chosen many different ways to produce their films.

“When Our Gardens Grow Silent” by Nguyen My Dung tells the story of a Vietnamese woman living overseas, seeing the landscape outside and remembering her childhood.

Meanwhile, “Where’re the Animals, Daddy?” by Mai Dinh Khoi and “An 8-Year-Old Boy” by Anh Poly are family-themed and focus on enhancing the awareness of protecting wild animals.

Other movies like “A Rhino Horn Story” by Hoan Nguyen, “The Interview” by Nguyen Minh Huy and “Day by Day” by Le Binh Giang tell their stories from the perspectives of animals.

Katrina Kaufman’s “Guardians of the Pangolins” is an example of how humans try to fix their mistakes on wild animals.

WildFest In-Competition Trailer

“WildFest has surprised me with the films’ quality,” director Nguyen Hoang Diep admitted, adding she knew it was really tough for the filmmakers to express their ideas in attractive ways given the hard topic of the festival, as she did make an invited film.

“But when I see the films chosen for competing, I was like ‘wow’ since those movies allow their spectators to access the vivid worlds as well as to understand the stories the filmmakers want to deliver,” she said.

“They’re all honest and emotional films, not propaganda-heavy ones like I was afraid,” she added. “It proves that to filmmakers, wildlife is also an attractive topic.”

The jury includes local directors Bao Nguyen and Nguyen Quang Dung, Charlie Nguyen, actress Hong Anh and wildlife experts.

Juror Charlie Nguyen expressed his faith in the young generation whom he called “those who create long-lasting influences,” voicing his opinion on changing people’s minds of using wild animals as medicine.

Actress Hong Anh agreed that though the fest cannot change people’s minds immediately, “slowly they will think differently.”

Lisa Bess Wishman, representative of the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, hoped WildFest could encourage more creative approaches to battling wild animal trafficking, providing support for all those who want to use cinematography to make changes.

Besides showcasing movies, WildFest will see musical performances by local artists, including Suboi, Ha Le, PB Nation, Dinh Manh Ninh, To Minh Duc, Pham Tien Manh, Kyo York and Uyen Nhi, as well as exchanges with filmmakers.

Tickets to the event are being released for free at wildfest.org and facebook.com/OperationGameChange.

According to the organizers, the 11 competing films will later be screened globally at wildfest.org.

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