Vietnamese film The Third Wife wins Best Film award at Kolkata film fest

By An Nguyen    November 19, 2018 | 12:37 am PT
Nguyen Phuong Anh’s debut feature film has won the top prize at the Kolkata International Film Festival in India.
A scene in the film. 

A scene from The Third Wife, directed by Nguyen Phuong Anh.

In the international category, The Third Wife competed with 14 other films to claim the prize. A strong candidate in the category was the Egyptian film Yomeddine, which was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes International Film Festival (France).  

The Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) has been organized annually in Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, since 1995. This is the second oldest international film festival in India. The event this year was held November 10-17.

At the closing ceremony of the film festival, Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, the film producer, received the prize on behalf of director Nguyen Phuong Anh (Ash Mayfair) from film producer Shoojit Sircar and actress Tabu Hashmi.

Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (in red), the film producer, after the event. 

Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (in red), at the Kolkatta International Film Festival.

Ngoc congratulated the film crew, and expressed her surprise and happiness at the film’s achievement.

The $71,000 Best Film award is among the most valuable in international film festivals, the Indian Express reported.

In the Indian films category, Praveen Morchhale’s Widow of Silence won the Best Film award.

The Third Wife is based on a real story about May (Nguyen Phuong Tra My), a young girl who is arranged to be the third wife of a middle-aged man. The young girl hopes to give birth to a boy to enhance her status in the family.

Previously, the film claimed the NETPAC award at the Toronto International Film Festival (Canada) and the TVE-Another Look award at the San Sebastian Film Festival (Spain).

On December 4 and 6, The Third Wife will be shown at the Singapore International Film Festival.

This is the first full-length feature by director Nguyen Phuong Anh, following several short films like Grasshopper, No Exit and Men.

Born in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Phuong Anh has master’s degree in Theater Directing from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and another degree in film production from the New York University.

 
 
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