Black Dog; Don't Cry, Butterfly; and Sleep with Your Eyes Open will be screened at the third Danang Asian Film Festival - DANAFF 2025. (Photo: VNA)
“Black Dog” (China) tells the story of those left behind during China’s rapid development before 2008 - the year the country fully prepared for the Beijing Olympics. The film won the Un Certain Regard Award at Cannes 2024.
“Don’t Cry Butterfly” (Vietnam) has been praised by Western media for its creative storytelling, feminine perspective, superstitious attitudes, and other unique elements of East Asian culture. It won the IWONDERFULL Grand Prize and Most Innovative Film award at Venice 2024.
“Sleep with Your Eyes Open” (Brazil, Taiwan, Argentina, Germany) won the FIPRESCI prize at the Berlin Film Festival for its delicate portrayal of the alienation experienced by Asian immigrants in Brazil in a globalised context.
In addition to these three films, the Panorama of Asian Cinema programme features 11 other films from Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, and others.
This year, DANAFF III will run for seven days and showcase over 100 selected films, up from 46 in the first edition and 63 in the second. The films will be screened free of charge across 200 showings at cinemas throughout Danang, doubling the number of screenings compared to 2024.
DANAFF, an annual film festival first held in Danang in 2023, will launch a film market project for the first time this year, focusing on activities such as consulting, training, and connecting young directors with international filmmakers, providing optimal conditions for independent film development, especially debut films.
The festival will also hold a Talent Incubators workshop led by instructors from the Republic of Korea and Japan, along with three film development seminars.
The festival will be held from June 29 to July 5.