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| A scene from the film Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes). — Photo courtesy of Galaxy M&E |
HONG KONG — The film Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes), directed by Victor Vũ, made a strong impact on audiences and attracted many moviegoers in Hong Kong during the 2024 ASEAN Film Festival.
Mắt Biếc is highly regarded by both Vietnamese and international audiences thanks to the film's broadly appealing cinematic language. The film portrays the lives of Vietnamese people through simple, intimate and beautiful scenes, contributing to its successful premiere in Hong Kong.
Chan Choi Hi, chief strategy officer of Hong Kong Airlines, said that Mắt Biếc is the second Vietnamese film that he has ever watched.
His favourite quote from the film is: "There are two things that one should not miss in life: the last train back home and the people you love."
Vietnamese Consul General in Hong Kong Lê Đức Hạnh highlighted the fact that cultural diplomacy activities like participating in film festivals can help bring Vietnamese culture closer to Hong Kong and international audiences.
She remarked that Hong Kong has one of the largest motion picture industries in the world, offering a wide platform for introducing Vietnamese cinema to the world.
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| Việt Nam Consul General in Hong Kong Lê Đức Hạnh delivers an opening speech at the premiere of the film Mắt Biếc. — VNA/VNS Photo Mạc Luyện |
Mắt Biếc is based on a novel of the same name written by best-selling children’s author Nguyễn Nhật Ánh. The book Mắt Biếc was published in 1990 and reprinted several times by Trẻ (Youth) Publishing House.
It tells the love story of Ngạn, a rural boy from Quảng Nam Province, and his childhood friend, Hà Lan, during their school days. Lan ends up falling in love with a rich man but is betrayed. Ngạn, however, continues to stand by Lan.
Directed by Victor Vũ, Mắt Biếc led the Vietnamese box office for 18 consecutive days in 2019, equalling the record of the global blockbuster Avengers: End Game when it was screened in Việt Nam.
With about VNĐ172 billion (US$7.6 million) in revenue, the movie ranked second in 2019 and seventh of all time for Vietnamese cinema revenues.
It won the top award, the Golden Lotus for Feature Film, at the 22nd Việt Nam Film Festival.
The second ASEAN Film Festival is taking place in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (China) from September 5 to 28, with more than 20 films introducing the region's distinctive culture.
The Hong Kong-ASEAN Association jointly organises the film festival with the Consulate General of ten ASEAN countries in Hong Kong along with many partners.
The festival highlights Hong Kong's role as an influential cultural exchange centre in the region, and Hong Kong audiences get to explore the diverse cultures of ASEAN countries from a cinematic perspective.
Aside from Mắt biếc, Hong Kong audiences can enjoy renowned films from the ASEAN region such as Lao film The Signal, The Missing from the Philippines and the Malaysian film Malbatt: Misi Bakara.
The films are screened at many well-known theatres across Hong Kong such as M+Cinema, Emperor Cinema and Asia Society Hong Kong Centre.
With the success of the Mắt Biếc screening, next year the Việt Nam Consulate General in Hong Kong aims to introduce more Vietnamese films from more diverse film genres. — VNS
