HÀ NỘI — Director Bùi Kim Quy’s feature film project Dear Sơn An has won the Pro Pitching Forum Award at the 37th Singapore International Film Festival.

The award was presented during the Pitching Forum organised by the Asian Producers Network (APN+ Track). Hà Lệ Diễm, the film’s producer, represented the project and received the award.

The APN Pitching Forum is a curated platform for eight members of the 2026 APN cohort to present projects at the financing stage to an industry panel.

Designed with a producer-centric approach, it offers targeted feedback, structured meetings and networking opportunities to help filmmakers secure financing, co-production agreements and distribution pre-sales.

Dear Sơn An tells the story of a mother with terminal cancer who quietly prepares for her death. Meanwhile, her nine-year-old son clings to faith and an imaginary world as he struggles with the fear of losing her and the prospect of being adopted. As they face their impending separation, mother and son must learn to love each other while accepting that they cannot stay together.

The film is Quy’s third feature project as a screenwriter and director. Her debut feature, The Inseminator, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in 2014 and was later screened at the Locarno and Rotterdam film festivals.

Her second feature, Miền Ký Ức (Memoryland), was selected for the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival. It also won the Golden Lady Harimaguada at the 2022 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival.

Diễm is a filmmaker who works as a director, producer and cinematographer. She is best known for her documentary Những Đứa Trẻ Trong Sương (Children of the Mist), which follows a young Hmong girl in the northern mountains as she navigates the transition from childhood to adulthood.

Children of the Mist premiered at the 2021 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, where Diễm won the Best Director award. It was later shortlisted among the 15 feature documentaries considered for the 95th Academy Awards. The film was also released in Vietnamese cinemas and distributed internationally across North America, Europe and Asia.

At the 23rd Việt Nam Film Festival, Children of the Mist won two Golden Lotus Awards, for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Director.

The award in Singapore marks an important milestone in the development of Dear Sơn An and gives the production team further opportunities to connect with international partners. — VNS