Short movie wins Singapore film fest award

Directed by Duong Dieu Linh, "Sweet, Salty" was screened in the Southeast Asian Short Film Competition at the festival with 17 other movies. It was awarded the Youth Jury Prize award at a ceremony on November 30 in Singapore.

"Sweet, Salty" features a 40-year-old pregnant woman who decides to confront her husband’s secret lover, but the showdown leads to a sticky situation that leaves her with a bittersweet realization. The short movie, which carries a message about gender discrimination in Vietnam, premiered at this year's Busan International Film Festival in South Korea.

A still cut from "Sweet, Salty". Photo by the Busan International Film Festival.

The 30-year-old Singapore film festival is one of Southeast Asia's most prestigious. Ninety films from 40 countries were screened in this year’s festival, held November 21 to December 1.

This year, four other Vietnamese short films were shown, besides "Sweet, Salty:" "Hay Thuc Tinh Va San Sang" (Stay Awake, Be Ready) by Pham Thien An; "Le Truong Thanh Cua Edison" (The Graduation of Edison) by Pham Hoang Minh Thy; "Gallery" by Vo Anh Vu; and "Nha Cay" (The Tree House) by Truong Minh Quy.

Three other Vietnamese films, "Một Khu Dat Tot" (Blessed Land) by Pham Ngoc Lan, "Hieu" by Richard Van and "Vuon Hoa Nha Anh Binh" (In Bloom) by Nguyen Duy Anh, were screened in the Asian Vision section.