Students of Multimedia Communications at the Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, DTU School of Languages, Humanities, & Social Sciences (LHSS), have won a Best Cinematography Award.
Tan Ngan (center) received the award in name of the Sunshine team. Photo: DTU
Inspiration from Hoi An ancient town
ASEAN UniFest is an international short-film competition held as part of the ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards (AIFFA) for students and other young people in Southeast Asia.
Drawing inspiration from Hoi An ancient town, which is recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site, the Sunshine team portrayed the enduring journey of artisans who make traditional lanterns.
Every frame of the film was carefully crafted in the hope that viewers would fully experience the creation of a Hoi An lantern - from each step requiring patient and skilled craftsmanship to the moment the lantern glows brilliantly in the artisan’s hands, carrying with it the breath, spirit, and soul of Vietnamese culture.
The short film “The Art of Hoi An Lantern Making - A Story of Weaving Magical Light”
The Sunshine team wishes to convey a message of respect, appreciation, and preservation of traditional values. They aim to inspire pride in the beauty of handicrafts while expressing a wish to share the beauty and value of Vietnamese traditional culture - especially the unique features of Danang, where they are studying and nurturing their creative passions.
“To realistically depict lantern-making in Hoi An, we made many field trips to traditional craft villages in the ancient town and other locations in Dien Ban ward,” Hoai Nhan, the group’s producer, explains.
“Throughout our journey, we met and spoke with many artisans, listened to their stories, and observed each stage of their craft.
“These experiences gave us a deep understanding of the cultural value of lantern-making, and we transformed those genuine emotions into a subtle and emotional cinematic language.”
The DTU students’ joy as they receive the award and pose for a picture
with organizers and international peers. Photo: DTU
From there, the eldest member of the team - Ngo Tan Ngan, who is also the heart of the project - took on the dual role of director and cinematographer (filming and editing) and he worked with a devoted young crew to create a high-quality film.
Every scene in the DTU students’ short was executed in meticulous detail. Photo: DTU
“Each member was an essential piece of the puzzle,” Tan Ngan explains. “We had a tight-knit, creative, and enthusiastic team. Everyone gave their all, from location scouting, interviewing, and logistics to color grading and sound design.
“We worked together to bring the ‘magical light’ of Hoi An to audiences across the region.”
All studying Multimedia Communications, the Sunshine team flexibly and creatively applied the knowledge they had learned in class to turn their idea into reality.
From cinematography techniques, composition, lighting, scripting, and storyboarding in television courses to interviewing, storytelling, and character development from supporting specialized classes - they cleverly blended it all throughout production.
Steady source of encouragement and support
“The theoretical lessons we learned in class became our professional tools, allowing us to transform knowledge into real-world experience and create a film that is full of depth, rich in emotions, and artful,” Thien Phu explains.
“The courses on photography, film editing, storytelling, and color grading in particular were applied effectively during post-production, helping us highlight the shimmering colors and personal emotions evoked when looking at Hoi An lanterns.”
The Sunshine team and their emotion-filled journey of filming a short about lantern-making in Hoi An. Photo: DTU
“The highlight of the short film lies in its authenticity and pure emotion, blended with powerful yet delicate visual language,” Tan Ngan affirms. “This helped the short make a strong impression and win the award for Best Cinematography.
“At the festival, I had the opportunity to connect with young filmmakers from across Asia and especially to meet cinema legend Simon Yam - an unforgettable and incredibly inspiring experience for me.
“After this trip, our team will continue working on short-film projects - to complete our Filmmaking coursework and also to apply the experience gained at AIFFA to improve our work and further affirm the creative spirit of DTU students.”
Tam Dan added: “Throughout the project and during the competition, the lecturers of the DTU Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities were a solid source of encouragement and support.
“They gave us dedicated guidance and kept an eye on us through each production stage, and they were the flame that fueled our confidence and gave us the courage to be creative and to break boundaries to give light to the stories of Vietnamese people and the glow of Hoi An lanterns and bring those to our international peers.”
(Media Center)