Attending the event were Mr. Ta Quang Dong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Head of the Steering Committee of the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival; Ms. Dinh Thi Mai - Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, Deputy Head of the Film Festival Steering Committee; Ms. Vu Thu Ha - Vice Chairwoman of Hanoi People's Committee, Co-Head of the Film Festival Steering Committee and many guests, domestic and international artists.

With the slogan "Creative Cinema - Take Off", the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival takes place from November 7-11 in Hanoi. The event is directed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the City People's Committee; chaired by the Department of Cinema, in coordination with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, and related agencies and units.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the festival, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong, Head of the Film Festival Steering Committee, emphasized: This Hanoi International Film Festival with the slogan "Cinema: Creativity - Take Off" chaired by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Hanoi People's Committee has special significance when it is held on the occasion of the capital Hanoi and the whole country solemnly celebrating the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the capital, an important historical event for the Vietnamese people, an opportunity to honor the eternal value of history, traditional cultural values ​​and unique beauty of Hanoi with a thousand years of civilization.

With 117 films selected into the competition film categories, world cinema panorama program, German cinema spotlight, contemporary Vietnamese films, the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival attracted the participation of 51 cinemas from countries and territories, with genres of feature films, documentaries, and animations with diverse themes and methods of expression, bringing to the audience global issues, diverse aspects of social life, as well as the beauty and unique customs of each nation in the world.

According to Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong, the Hanoi International Film Festival has gone through 6 periods and this 7th period is an important event for Vietnamese cinema, continuing to open up opportunities for international cooperation, helping Vietnamese filmmakers meet and exchange, learn experiences with international directors, producers, and film artists, at the same time approaching advanced filmmaking trends and technologies, serving the production of high-quality films. The film festival is also an opportunity for professionals around the world to meet, exchange, and cooperate through high-quality professional activities.

In addition to film screenings and seminars at the Film Festival, the Project Market contributes to developing young talents and providing high-quality human resources for the Vietnamese film industry. The Film Festival is also an opportunity to introduce Vietnam as an attractive destination for international film crews with unique and special filming locations.

"It can be seen that the Hanoi International Film Festival is not only a unique cultural event but also contributes to promoting the sustainable development of the Vietnamese film industry, helping Vietnamese cinema affirm its position on the world map and make its mark in international integration. And this is also a political and artistic activity to concretize the Communist Party of Vietnam's guidelines on building an advanced culture imbued with national identity, contributing to preparing the best mindset in the era of national development" - Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong affirmed.

In her welcoming speech, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha said that the city is honored to accompany the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in organizing the Hanoi International Film Festival 2024. Hanoi - a creative city voted by UNESCO - the capital of beautiful Vietnam, is ready for all conditions to contribute to the overall success of the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival 2024.

Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Vu Thu Ha emphasized: Hanoi, the capital of a thousand years of culture, the heroic city, the city for peace, the creative city, with more than 1,000 years of history, has a rich and diverse cultural heritage, a place where artistic talents converge, crystallize, and shine, a place to nurture and promote cultural creativity, to create unique cultural products.

Implementing the Central Government's direction on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development, in recent years the City has focused on developing cultural industries on the principle of ensuring harmony between conservation and development, maximizing potentials, strengths, traditional cultural values ​​with strong identities, connecting, expanding networks and enhancing cooperation with international organizations, experienced cities, and prestigious countries in developing cultural industries. At the same time, affirming Vietnam, Hanoi as a safe, friendly destination, capable of organizing large-scale, quality events, building unique cultural events and products, creating the brand of the Capital and Vietnam in the international arena.

The opening ceremony took place impressively and spectacularly with traditional art performances interspersed with lyrical songs about Hanoi and modern, vibrant, attractive songs that attracted young people. In addition, the stage also recreated an ancient and poetic Hanoi with Khue Van Cac, the old town, especially the flower vendors and flower carts with a unique beauty, typical of the Capital in autumn.

The 7th Hanoi International Film Festival has 117 films from 51 countries and territories participating such as: United States, France, Germany, Sweden, Russian Federation, Denmark, Norway, China, Japan...

Of which, 10 feature films competed, including: 9 foreign feature films from Switzerland, Russia, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Estonia, South Korea, Iran, India; 1 feature film from Vietnam, "Once Upon a Time There Was a Love Story" (directed by Trinh Dinh Le Minh).

The 19 short films in the competition include: 11 foreign films from the following countries: Colombia, China, Iran, Serbia, Cambodia, the United States, Korea, Japan, Iran, Greece and 8 Vietnamese films including documentary, animation and feature film genres.

In addition to the feature films and short films in competition, within the framework of the Film Festival, many films will be introduced to domestic and foreign audiences, including: 7 films in the German Cinema Focus program; 38 films in the World Cinema Panorama program; 34 films in the contemporary Vietnamese film program, including feature films, documentaries and animations; 9 films in the Vietnamese film program celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2024)...

Before the opening ceremony, on November 7, many exciting events took place such as: Opening ceremony of the Film Project Market; Opening of the exhibition "Vietnam's heritage through cinema footage"; Opening screening of the 7th Hanoi International Film Festival with the new film by director Trinh Dinh Le Minh - "Once upon a time there was a love story" to interact with the film crew.

Within the framework of the Film Festival's activities, two seminars were held with the themes "Spotlight on German cinema" and "Development of film production exploiting historical themes and adapted from literary works".

Films participating in the Festival will be screened at 3 cinema complexes: National Cinema Center (87 Lang Ha, Dong Da, Hanoi); BHD Star Cineplex (8th floor of Vincom Trade Center, No. 2 Pham Ngoc Thach, Dong Da, Hanoi); CGV Mipec Tower, (5th floor of Mipec Tower, 229 Tay Son, Dong Da, Hanoi)./.