Senior director Dang Nhat Minh’s “Dung Dot” or “Don’t Burn” has been selected as Vietnam’s representative for the Oscars in 2010.

Don’t Burn recently won the Audience Choice Award at the Fukouka Film Festival in Japan.

The film selection council met on September 29 to choose a Vietnamese movie to compete for Best Foreign Film at the 82^nd Oscar and “Don’t Burn” was selected, said Do Duy Anh, chief of the Cinema Agency’s International Cooperation Division.

The official said the Vietnam Cinema Agency received the invitation to send a movie to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) on September 26.

In previous years, the invitation letter was often sent to Vietnam in mid-July. This year, the letter came late. The Vietnam Cinema Agency several times asked the AMPAS for the invitation. The AMPAS said that the invitation letter was sent for a long time ago by post.

Following the incident, AMPAS allowed Vietnam to register its movie by email. As the deadline for registration is October 1, the film selection council had to meet on September 29 to choose a movie.

The council agreed that “Don’t Burn” satisfies all conditions set by AMPAS to join the Best Foreign Film competition: it was issued during October 1, 2008 to September 30 2008 and screened commercially for at least seven days in Vietnam.This movie is also praised for its quality and content and has English subtitle.

Both Choi Voi (Adrift) and Trang Noi Day Gieng (Moon at the Bottom of the Well) have impressed at international film festivals, but were not considered by the council because they have not screened commercially in Vietnam yet.

Bich Hanh