The fifth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF), themed “Cinema-Integration and Sustainable Development,” is about to take place tonight,  October 27 and runs until October 31.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Hanoi People’s Committee jointly organized a press conference upon the opening of the 2018 HANIFF in the Vietnamese capital city on Friday afternoon.

The event reportedly attracted 500 films from nearly 50 countries and territories, including the artworks winning recognition at prestigious international film awards and festivals such as Oscar, Cannes, and Berlinale.

After two rounds of selection by the Preliminary Selection Board and the Final Selection Board, the Organizing Committee has selected 147 films from 45 countries and territories to screen at the Hanoi event.

Among that, Vietnamese cinema will boast a feature film and ten short films including documentaries and animation, and 35 films of other genres selected for the Panorama Film Program and the Temporary Vietnam Film Program during this occasion.

More than 200 screening slots are scheduled for four cinema complexes in Hanoi, with tickets currently being distributed free of charge by the Organizing Committee at these venues.

In addition, the 2018 HANIFF also offers three outdoor screenings at 8:00 pm everyday from October 28 to 30.

At Friday’s meeting, Director of the Cinema Department Ngo Phuong Lan expressed her hope that the number of viewers going to the movies will be equal to or greater than the previous festivals.

The festival will officially open at 8:00 pm this evening, October 27, at the Cultural Friendship Palace. The launching program will be live broadcast on VTV2 channel.

Photo: Director of the Cinema Department Ngo Phuong Lan speaks at the press conference of the fifth Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in the Vietnamese capital on Oct 26, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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