A Vietnamese film has been nominated in the short film category of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, to be held next month.

“Another City,” produced in late 2014 by director Pham Ngoc Lan, will compete for the Golden Bear award in the short film category against other competitors from all over the world.

The 25-minute flick features the loneliness of a group of staff living in a growing city.

In early 2015, it was selected by Short Film Station, a project offering talents the opportunity to further develop their short film script and meet with potential partners to produce their picture.

Pham Ngoc Lan graduated from the Ho Chi Minh University of Architecture, majoring in planning. Besides filming, he also takes still photos and produces videos.

The project got financial help from three support centers for young filmmakers including Gap Go Mua Thu (Autumn Meeting), Hanoi Doclab, and The Center for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD).

“The production cost US$8,000, of which $6,000 came from the Denmark-Vietnam Cultural Development and Exchange Fund,” newswire Vietnamplus quoted  producer Ngo Dai Trang as saying.

Lan said human resources are very important to him, so that is why he focused on convincing talented people to join his project instead of finding ways to make money.

Equipment, venues and costumes were all gathered from different sources.

“The idea must be good or inspiring enough to them. After all, this project is like a photo that captures our youth. Therefore, it’s worth spending money and exerting effort,” Lan said.

Last year, the film “Cha, Con va…” (Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories) was also selected to join the film festival’s 65th edition.

Directed by Phan Dang Di, it is set in Ho Chi Minh City in the early 1990s and revolves around young people during Vietnam’s transition to a market-oriented economy.

This year, the 66th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival will welcome 24 entries from 21 countries around the world, including Brazil, France, the U.S., China, Japan, Sweden, and Thailand.

The event will be organized from February 11 to 22 in Berlin and is one of the world’s three largest film fests after the Oscars and Cannes.

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