A Vietnamese movie will compete with nine other contenders for the short films award at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight, an independent section held in parallel to the annual 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

Closely associated with the Cannes Film Festival despite being its own event that runs side by side Cannes, Fortnight will celebrate its 51st anniversary at this year's festival, from May 14 to 25.

According to its newly-revealed 2019 lineup, Vietnamese young director Pham Thien An’s Stay Awake, Be Ready has been listed in the short film category alongside submissions from other countries such as Singapore, South Korea, Japan, the UK, France and Spain.

A poster of Stay Awake, Be Ready

Stay Awake, Be Ready is an award-winning short from the CJ Short Film Project organized by CJ Cultural Foundation and CGV Vietnam.

The movie features a motorcycle accident in front of a street pub, which unveils a secret story involving three young men.

“Being able to come to Cannes is a dream not only for me, but also for many filmmakers,” young director An told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper while sharing feelings upon the Cannes debut of his movie.

“I am really nervous waiting for my movie to be shown on the big screen there,” he said.

Pham Thien An, 30, won a number of film awards in Vietnam, including the 48 Hours Film Project in Ho Chi Minh City in 2014, before moving to the U.S. in 2015.

His latest short film, The Mute, was screened as a World Premiere at Palm Springs International Shortfest in the U.S., as well as touring 15 other international film festivals including Winterthur in Switzerland, Tampere in Finland, Hong Kong, Encounters in the UK, and Aspen in the United States.

Vietnamese young director Pham Thien An. Photo: TL

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