VietNamNet Bridge – Hundreds of stars and fans of national cinema joined the 8th Golden Kite awards at the Friendship Palace in Ha Noi last night, March 14, to celebrate the victory of Dung Dot (Don't Burn); which won six Golden Kite Awards last night.

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Dung Dot won Best Celluloid Feature Film, Best Sound Effects, Best Actress in a leading role, Best Decor, Viewers' Choice and Best Director. This is the first time Dang Nhat Minh, who received the Ho Chi Minh Prize on Cinema in 2007, has won a Golden Kite for best director.

Dung Dot has beaten Choi Voi in previous international and national festivals, and it won the Audience Award at the Fukuoka International Film Festival last year. Dung Dot was also the second Vietnamese movie to compete for an Oscar for Best Foreign Film after Bui Hong (Rose Bush) back in 2000.

Dung Dot tells the story of a mother who lived in Ha Noi. In the spring of 2005, she came across her late daughter's diary. The diary belonged to a young female doctor who worked at a field hospital of the liberation fighters for two years from 1968 to 1970, until her death. The diary was kept by a US military officer, who kept it for 35 years. The diary caused a sensation when it was published in Viet Nam.

Director Dang Nhat Minh (centre) has won a Golden Kite for best director. (Photo: VNN)

The Best Actor title went to overseas Vietnamese Trinh Hoi for his very first role in 14 Ngay Phep (14 Days Off).

Three categories were added to this year's award list. Pham Cuong in Khoan Noi Loi Yeu Thuong (Don't say Love Yet) and Truong Thi May in Duong Dua (Racetrack) received awards for Best Actor and Best Actress in a leading role in a television movie. Best Actor and Actress in a leading role in a television series were awarded to Hoang Son in Vit Keu Dong (Ducks in the Field) and Kim Tuyen in Chuyen Tinh Dao Ngoc (Love Story in Pearl Island). Also, Bao Thy in Cong chua teen va ngu ho tuong (Teenage Princess and Five Weird Bodyguards) won Potential Actress in a feature film.

To mark the first anniversary of Vietnamese Cinema day, there have been free screenings of the eight nominated feature films at the National Cinema Centre and Ngoc Khanh Cinema.

"I'm very happy with this year's movies. Most have created a new standard for quality and professionalism," said Tran Luan Kim, president of Viet Nam Cinema Association.

"Every stage of production shows professionalism, which shapes the new face of Viet Nam cinema. Audiences, especially youngsters, love these movies. This proves that we have a new yet mature and creative generation of filmmakers.

"Vietnamese filmmakers from abroad are like a morning breeze: they make such attractive movies."

The culture ministry's Cinema Department and the Viet Nam Cinema Association held a conference on Vietnamese Cinema and global integration on Saturday.

People's artist Dang Nhat Minh used the opportunity to emphasise the importance of movie promotion in time of globalisation.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News