About 30 works were chosen for Excellence Awards including Chuyen Ong Mo (The Boatman), directed by Luong Dinh Dung.

The film tells the moving story of Mr. Mo, who has spent 20 years rowing across the Ca Lo river in Vinh Phuc province despite being blind.

Director Dung once wanted to make a 120-minute feature film, but time constraints and other difficulties pushed him instead toward the documentary, which he made with a view to competing at the Tokyo festival.

“It took one month to complete the documentary,” Dung said. “I remember shooting a wedding scene in the boat. Too many people were in the boat and it began to sink.”

Dung will travel to Japan to attend the awards ceremony, scheduled for March 3.

The 29th Tokyo Video Festival, an international event showcasing personal video creations, has drawn a record 3,491 entries from 55 countries and regions around the world, according to officials.

Another Vietnamese film, Con Di Tren Vet Tre Tron (Treading in the Track of a Bamboo Pole), directed by Lam Thanh Qui, won an Excellence Award two years ago.

Source: Nhan Dan