Vietnamese entry wins top prize at French film festival

The film by Bui Thac Chuyen surpassed films from 10 countries in order to win the top prize, Montgolfiere d’or (rough translation: Golden Balloon), and a cash prize of 6,000 euros in France on November 27.

A representative of the film festival said the film won “for the poetic beauty of the world the film portrays, which is both shimmering and bewitching, as well as for the very loving and very mischievous portrayal of its three heroines.”

Set in a poor Vietnamese coastal village, “Glorious Ashes” revolves around the lives of three women caught in distinct yet strangely related love stories, wrapped in ongoing inner conflicts and suppression.

It is adapted from two short stories “Cui Muc Troi Ve” (Drifting Firewood) and “Glorious Ashes” by Vietnamese writer Nguyen Ngoc Tu, who won the 2008 Southeast Asian Writers Award.

The film will be screened nationwide starting December 2.

The Festival des 3 Continents has been organized annually since 1979 to honor cinematic works from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This year’s festival received 90 entries from around the world vying for top honors.