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News 日本語
"The Partner" Sweeps Vietnam's Premier Film Festival-Special Drama Commemorating 40th Year of Japan-Vietnam Diplomatic Relations Wins Five Award
2013.10.18
At this year's Vietnam Film Festival, "The Partner"-a joint production between Japan's TBS and Vietnam's national television station VTV-has swept five out of eight awards in the Direct-to-Video Film category, including the grand prize, or Golden Lotus. The first-ever joint production between a Japanese and Vietnamese television network, "The Partner" presents the untold real-life love story of Phan Boi Chau, a pioneer in the struggle for Vietnamese independence, and Sakitaro Asaba, a Japanese physician. The drama aired during prime time in both countries on Sunday September 29, striking an immediate chord with television viewers and becoming a national sensation. The drama owes its success to stellar performances by the entire Japanese and Vietnamese cast-including starring actors Noriyuki Higashiyama (Dr. Sakitaro Asaba) and Pham Huynh Dong (Phan Boi Chau) and supporting actress Emi Takei (nurse Akane Oiwa)-as well as to the close cooperation of the TBS and VTV teams during filming in Vietnam and Japan. No sooner had the drama aired than viewers began inundating the networks' websites and newspapers' editorial pages with enthusiastic responses. Held once every two to three years under the auspices of the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, the Vietnam Film Festival is considered the country's premier awards ceremony for the cinema arts industry. This year's festival-the 18th since it began-was held from October 14 to 16 in Ha Long. The Golden Lotus for Best Direct-to-Video Film is not necessarily awarded every time the festival is held. At the previous festival in 2011, the jury decided that no entry in the competition merited the grand prize. Given this extremely high standard, it is a remarkable achievement for one film to dominate its category by winning five out of eight awards, including the grand prize. The awards are the culmination of months of hard work on the part of the cast and production teams of TBS and VTV and a sign of the drama's tremendous impact on Vietnamese audiences. In addition to the Golden Lotus for Best Direct-to-Video Film, "The Partner" also received awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Design, Best Actor (Pham Huynh Dong), and Best Actress (Emi Takei) in the Direct-to-Video Film category. |
