The 7th Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF), a cultural and artistic event of the capital city, will honor films with exceptional and distinctive creative qualities of both Vietnamese and world cinema, as well as works of great artistic value and humanism.

Running from November 7 to 11, the festival aims to discover emerging cinematic talents and enhance Vietnam's film industry by connecting it with the global film market.

According to organizers, the Hanoi People's Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the festival, under the theme "Cinema - Soaring Creativity", is an activity to celebrate the country's major holidays in 2024 and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital.

A scene from the movie Love Upon a Time by Trinh Dinh Le Minh.

Director of the Department of Cinema Vi Kien Thanh said that the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival will see the participation of 117 films from 51 countries and territories, including the United States, France, Germany, Sweden, the Russian Federation, Denmark, Norway, China, and Japan.

Of these, 10 feature films are in competition, including nine foreign films from Switzerland, the Russian Federation, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, South Korea, Iran, and India; the Vietnamese entry is Love Upon a Time directed by Trinh Dinh Le Minh.

A total of 19 short films are competing, including 11 from countries such as Colombia, China, Iran, Serbia, Cambodia, the United States, South Korea, Japan, and Greece, as well as eight from Vietnam. The films span various genres, including documentary, animation, and feature films.

In addition to the feature films and shorts in competition, the festival will showcase a variety of motion pictures to domestic and foreign audiences, including seven films in the German Cinema Spotlight program; 38 films in the World Cinema Panorama program; 34 films in the Contemporary Vietnamese Film program, including feature films, documentaries and animation; nine films in the Vietnamese Film Program celebrating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital (October 10, 1954-2024).

Deputy Director of Hanoi's Department of Culture and Sports Le Thi Anh Mai speaks at the press conference. Photo: Lai Tan/The Hanoi Times

Director of the Department of Cinema Vi Kien Thanh said that about 800 delegates, both domestic and foreign, will come to Hanoi to attend this festival.

The opening, closing and award ceremonies will be held at the Ho Guom Opera House in Hanoi.

The script for these two ceremonies draws inspiration from the traditional folk art interwoven with Hanoi's contemporary architectural highlights.

In addition to the film screenings, the festival will feature the exhibition Vietnam's Heritage through Films; two seminars on Spotlight on German Cinema and Developing the Production of Films Based on History and Adapted from Literary Works.

The Film Project Market will provide a venue for producers, directors and screenwriters in the Asia-Pacific region to present their film projects to domestic and international investors and film professionals.

Movies will be shown at National Cinema Center (87 Lang Ha Street, Dong Da, Hanoi); BHD Star Cineplex (Vincom Center, 2 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, Dong Da, Hanoi); CGV Mipec Tower, (Mipec Tower, 229 Tay Son Street, Dong Da, Hanoi).