Vietnamese director to be honored at Illinois festival

From WIRE REPORTS

          Officials of the 5th Annual Geneva Film Festival have informed Vietnamese director Cuong Ngo that he has won “Emerging Narrative Feature Film Maker Award” for his film, “Ngoc Vien Dong, ” or “Pearls of the Far East.”

          The international film festival dedicated to young independent film makers will be held in Geneva, Ill., from March 29 to 31.

          This year’s festival will feature 43 independent films from all over the world.

          The director will receive the award in a ceremony on March 30 and “Ngoc Vien Dong,” the only Vietnamese representative at the film fest, will be screened at 9 p.m. the same day.

          “Ngoc Vien Don,” whose script was based on a series of short stories by writer/director Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc, tells seven love stories of seven Vietnamese women living in very different circumstances.

          In February, the film, which opened in Viet Nam on March 8, won prizes for best cinematography and best music at the 14th California Independent Film Festival.

          “Ngoc Vien Dong” has been nominated to compete at other nearly 20 film festivals worldwide, according to the its producer, Oriental Pearls Productions.