Local war film submitted to Academy Awards

The war film “Mui co chay” (The Scent of Burnt Grass) by director Huu Muoi has recently been submitted to the 85th Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Language Film category.

According to the council in charge of choosing Vietnam’s best film for the Oscar Awards, which was established in August by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, the movie was chosen to be the country’s representative at this year’s Oscars since it reflects a young Vietnamese generation in the past with touching historical stories.

The film, which is an adaptation from memoirs and diaries of war-veterans and produced by Vietnam Feature Film Studio, has received many national awards, including the Best Picture (Golden Kite) prize of the Golden Kite Awards 2012, organized by the Vietnam Cinema Association in March.

Under the plan, the Academy will announce a list of eligible submissions in October. Nine finalists from among the dozens of entries will be shortlisted in mid-January, with the final five nominees to be announced on January 24, 2013. This year’s Academy Awards official ceremony will take place at the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood on February 24, 2013.

Since 2006, Vietnam has received invitations to submit entries for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards. Last year, Luu Trong Ninh’s “Khat Vong Thang Long” (The Prince and the Pagoda Boy) was chosen wasn’t able to enter the list of official nominees.