“The Third Wife” wins Toronto International Film Festival award
The debut feature by Nguyen Phuong Anh (a.k.a. Ash Mayfair) – a writer-director based in New York and Vietnam – The Third Wife, won the NETPAC award at the Toronto International Film Festival 2018.
The Third Wife is about the struggle of 14-year-old May who enters into an arranged marriage with a much older man in late 19th-century rural Vietnam. (Photo: tiff.net)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The debutfeature by Nguyen Phuong Anh (a.k.a. Ash Mayfair) – a writer-director based inNew York and Vietnam – The Third Wife, won the NETPAC award at theToronto International Film Festival 2018.
The award is presented to the best Asian featurefilm by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC).
Set in late-19th century rural Vietnam, TheThird Wife is the story of 14-year-old May (played by actress NguyenPhuong Tra My) who struggles with family politics, her own agency, and theprospect of motherhood after she becomes the third wife of a wealthy landowner.
The 96-minute feature stars renowned Vietnamesefemale actresses like Nhu Quynh, Tran Nu Yen Khe, Maya, Tra My and LamThanh My.
“Ash Mayfair’s debut feature The ThirdWife signalled the emergence of a young female director-writer whoseaesthetic sensibilities, cinematic language, and extraordinary ability toilluminate the past for contemporary audiences augur well for the future ofVietnamese and world cinema,” remarked the jury.
Before winning the NETPAC award, the filmreceived the Best Art Film Project prize at the Gap Go Mua Thu 2015 (AutumnMeeting) forum for independent film producers, the Non-Hong Kong Project Awardat the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum, White Light Post-Production Awardas well as an award from the Jerome Foundation in New York.
The Third Wife will compete in the New Directors category at the SaintSebastien International Film Festival to be held in Spain on September 21-29,and will be Asian premiere at the A Window on Asian Cinema programme at theBusan International Film Festival that will be held on October 4-13.
Ash Mayfair was born in Vietnam and educated inthe UK and the US, receiving a Master of Fine Arts in film-making from the NYUTisch School of the Arts. Her short films include The Silver Man, Sam, Heartof a Doll, Grasshopper, and Lupo. The ThirdWife is her debut feature film.-VNS/VNA
Vietnamese director Nguyen Phuong Anh’s movie The Third Wife has just won the Non-Hong Kong Project Award at the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF).
The central city of Da Nang is hosting the annual cinema festival from November 8 to 16, to encourage upcoming filmmakers and promote co-operation between Vietnamese and international filmmakers.
“Vo ba” (The Third Wife), a Vietnamese film by director Nguyen Phuong Anh and producer Tran Bich Ngoc, won the post-production and “Hong Kong to Cannes” awards at the 15th Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), which took place in Hong Kong (China) from March 13-15.
Vietnamese film industry will officially attend for the first time major events and activities on the sidelines of the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival scheduled for May 17-22.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The Third Wife is about the struggle of 14-year-old May who enters into an arranged marriage with a much older man in late 19th-century rural Vietnam. (Photo: tiff.net) 
