Vietnam will send two movies to vie for titles at the ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) 2023, which is scheduled to take place in Kuching, Malaysia from August 2 to August 4.

Memento Mori: Land directed by Marcus Manh Cuong Vu and Dem toi ruc ro (The Brilliant Darkness) by Aaron Toronto have been selected to compete against 120 others at the festival.

A scene in Memento Mori: Land directed by Marcus Manh Cuong Vu.

Memento Mori: Land premiered in Vietnam in October, 2022, drawing inspiration from the true story of the book entitled Destination of Life by Vietnamese author Dang Hoang Giang.

The movie tells the story of Van, a young mother who accepts that her cancer is in its final stage. Struggling between reality, memories, and dreams, she finds a way to leave messages for her two young daughters Nguyet and Nga. She also wishes to donate her organs for medical services and studies.

The Shining Darkness begins with the funeral of a grandfather whose relatives believe he left them a fortune. But his children discover that their father lost a fortune gambling and that the mafia is coming to collect the debt. So they must pay before dawn or else there will be another funeral.

The film won the Best Feature Film at the 2021 Golden Kite Awards, whilst also being awarded Best Story and Best Performance (female) awards at the 2022 Santa Fe Film Festival Award in February in New Mexico.

Director and actress Hong Anh (L) at ASEAN International Film Festival 2017. Photo courtesy of the artist

Vietnamese film director Hong Anh will be one of the judges at AIFFA 2023. In the last AIFFA, Hong Anh's Vietnamese film Dao Cua Dan Ngu Cu (The Way Station) won three awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Photography.

Hong Anh was joined on the jury by U-Wei Bin Haji Saari - Head of Jury (Malaysia), Ihsan Nurullah Kabil (Turkey), Viva Westi (Indonesia), and Effendee Mazlan (Malaysia).

Hong Anh said she was honored but nervous and excited to be a member of the AIFFA 2023 jury.

"For me, this is a 'return'. Kuching Island is an interesting place. This is also the place where my production The Way Station received recognition from the international film industry. I am especially happy that two motion pictures from Vietnam participating in this event are made by filmmakers I respect," she said.

AIFFA announces list of five jury members.

The biennial AIFFA began in 2013 to celebrate Southeast Asian cinema. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of the festival was made available online on a small scale. Therefore, this year's 6th edition is expected to be a big comeback, both in terms of scale and quality.

A new feature of this year's AIFFA is a short film competition for university students on the theme of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). AIFFA 2023 will present 12 official awards to Southeast Asian filmmakers.