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"Sand life" chosen best film at Asia-Pacific festival

HANOI - "Sand life" by Vietnamese director Nguyen Thanh Van took the best feature film award Sunday night at the 45th Asia-Pacific Film festival awards ceremony in Hanoi. The film, about the bitter life of a midle-aged woman living in a coastal village who spent 20 years waiting for her boyfriend's return from the warfront, also won the Best Actress award for Mai Hoa and Best Subordinate Actress for Hong Anh.

Taiwanese director Chang Chih Yung was named Best Director for the romantic "Lament of the Sand River". Best Actor award went to South Korean star Choi Min-Sik in the "Happy end". The year's 57 best films from the 12 member nations of the Asia-Pacific Film Association were showcased at the festival.

Vietnam entered five feature films, three documentaries and two animations. The documentary award went to Vietnamese director Lai Van Sinh for "Mrs. Nam", a film about labour hero Do Kim Hong The best animation film award went to Japanese director Kazuki Omori's "The boy who saw the wind". Hong Kong's "In the mood for love" by Wong Kar-wai, got Best Editing and Best Cameraman awards.

Agence France Presse - December 11, 2000.


Vietnam wins four prizes at 45th Asia-Pacific film festival

HANOI - Viet Nam has won four prizes at the 45th Asia-Pacific Film Festival which closed last night, December 10, at the Friendship Culture Palace in Ha Noi. Vietnamese film "Doi Cat" (Sand Life) took three prizes, the best feature film, the best actress and the best supporting actress, at the closing ceremony of the festival.

The Best Actress award went to Mai Hoa, and the Best Subordinate Actress to Hong Anh. Directed by Nguyen Thanh Van, the movie portrays a post-war love triangle and reveals how far-reaching and unexpected the effects of war can be. It tells the story of a husband and wife who are separated by the escalating war, but the conflict's end brings them no peace. Viet Nam also won the best short film prize. This year, the honour went to film "Chi Nam Khung" (Mrs. Nam) by Director Lai Van Sinh, which praises Mrs. Nam Hong, a combat nurse, who spent 13 years finding the remains of fallen combatants -her team-mates. This is the third consecutive time Viet Nam has won the best short film prize at Asia-Pacific Films Festivals.

Taiwanese director Chang Chih-Yung won the Best Director award for his film "Lament of the Sand River", an emotional story about a young man striving to make it as a musician. The Best Actor award went to Choi Min-Sik from Seoul for his role in the "Happy End" film. The prize for the best supporting actor went to Sayanyo Wongkrachang from Bangkok for his role in the film Satang. In other categories, Best Screenplay award was given to Hong Snag-soo from Seoul, who penned the scrip of The Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors. The Taiwanese film Lament of the Sand River also won Ong Ching Shi a prize for best music.

The award for best sound went to Aziz Osman for the Malaysian film "Lieutenant Adnan". Hong Kong's film "In the mood for love" got the Best Editing and Cameraman awards. Yoshimobu Nishioka from Tokyo won The Best Art Director award with Nagasaki Bura-Bura. The Best Animated film award went to Tokyo Director Kazuki Omori's "The Boy who Saw the Wind". Indonesia's capital Jarkata will host next year's festival, which is scheduled to take place 12 months from now.

Vietnam News Agency - December 11, 2000.