This year's festival places special focus on the “Doi moi” (Renewal) period, bringing to the audience rare cinematic works that have never been screened in the UK before.

The highlight of the opening night was the screening of “Hat giua chieu mua” (Singing in the rainy afternoon, 1990) by director Tran Phuong, a film that had been archived for 35 years. The audience was immersed in a multi-dimensional artistic experience with contemporary music through the music video “For the Honour” by rapper Jianbo and a unique performance by DJ Nammy Wams.

Director Tuyet Van Huynh said that, launched in 2024, Star Nha Ease became the first Vietnamese film festival in the UK which attracted a wide audience of all ages, many of whom experienced Vietnamese cinema for the first time through the lens of Vietnamese storytellers. This success paved the way for the launch of the festival’s second season.

The event will take place from July to August in three major cities: London, Birmingham, and Manchester. Alongside “Hat giua chieu mua”, audiences will have the chance to enjoy films such as “Gai nhay” (Bar Girls, 2002), “Nhung dua tre trong suong” (Children of the Mist, 2021) - an Oscar-nominated documentary - and “Vi dang tinh yeu” (The Bitter Taste of Love)

A special highlight is the exhibition “Rewind and Reframe” from July 3 to August 13, which displays redesigned posters of Vietnamese films. Limited edition prints will be available for online auction until August 31./.