International media on DANAFF IV and Vietnamese cinema

The breadth of the coverage reflects DANAFF's growing profile among film festivals in the region.

Concluding in early July 2026, DANAFF IV attracted widespread attention from international media. More than 40 media organisations, ranging from leading Hollywood film publications to newspapers and entertainment news platforms across Asia and Europe, covered the festival, reflecting its increasingly prominent position on the regional film festival circuit.

Among them, Variety, one of Hollywood's leading film and entertainment publications, devoted extensive coverage to DANAFF IV, including an exclusive report on DANAFF Industry Days. In the RoK,  Chosun Ilbo and Hankook Ilbo closely followed the festival, alongside media outlets and entertainment platforms such as SBS News, Newsen, Sports Donga and Star News.

In South Asia, The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune and a number of Bangladeshi media outlets also covered DANAFF IV. The festival was also featured by Asian Movie Pulse, Italy's ANSA news agency, Turkish film websites and Produire au Sud, a programme of France's Festival des 3 Continents, showing  its growing reach beyond Asia.

The presence of RoK actors was among the aspects of DANAFF IV that attracted the greatest international media attention. The Chosun Daily published an article headlined "Korean Stars Overshadow American Feature at Da Nang Film Festival," highlighting the strong appeal of Korean stars at the festival. In another feature, Chosun Ilbo also reported on the growing presence of Korean cinema at DANAFF IV.

Ji Chang Wook's appearance and recognition at DANAFF IV attracted extensive coverage from the Korean media, including The Fact, Sports Donga, BNT News and ISPlus. Beyond reporting on the actor's popularity, outlets such as Star Daily News also viewed the event in the context of expanding film exchanges between Vietnam and the RoK.

Ji Seung-hyun returned to DANAFF for a second consecutive year with two new films, drawing continued coverage from SBS News, Newsen and Raon News. Actress Han Dong-hee was also featured by Star News, which highlighted her international appearance at DANAFF IV in Da Nang.

DANAFF IV also marked the launch of DANAFF Industry Days, a new industry platform designed to connect Vietnamese producers with international partners and film industry representatives.

In its exclusive coverage of the programme, Variety described DANAFF Industry Days as a significant expansion of the festival's structure, positioning DANAFF to serve as a platform for project networking, co-production and market development.

The publication also quoted Dinh Thanh Huong, Executive Chairwoman of Galaxy Studio, as saying that Vietnamese films accounted for 70.6% of the domestic box office during the first five months of 2026.

The awards presented at DANAFF IV also generated media attention in countries whose films and artists were recognised at the festival. Bangladeshi director Mejbaur Rahman Sumon's film Roid received the Critics' Award for Best Asian Film, prompting extensive coverage by The Daily Star, Dhaka Tribune, Daily Sun, bdnews24 and a number of Bangla-language media outlets.

Vietnamese-American actress Kieu Chinh also attracted international attention as she returned to Vietnam and competed at DANAFF for the first time with Chrysalis. Her story was featured by Variety in the article "Kieu Chinh Returns to Vietnam for the First Time in Competition at Danang Film Fest With 'Chrysalis'." Meanwhile, Turkish media reported on Caner Cindoruk's Best Actor award and director Emin Alper's Best Director award for the film Salvation.

Hankook Ilbo examined DANAFF IV in the context of Vietnam's rapidly growing film industry, noting that the sector still needs to strike a balance between commercial success and artistic quality.

In an interview with the newspaper, Dr. Ngo Phuong Lan, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Film Development Promotion Association, Director of DANAFF, said that without platforms such as DANAFF to help shape the industry's direction, Vietnam's film market could become overly commercialised.

She emphasized that film festivals not only provide venues for screenings and awards but also help raise professional standards, encourage creativity and establish new benchmarks for the industry.

Drawing on market developments and discussions at DANAFF IV, Hankook Ilbo said Vietnam's film industry is at a stage reminiscent of the revival of RoK cinema in the early 2000s. The newspaper highlighted DANAFF as one of Vietnam's prominent international film festivals after just four editions and said Vietnamese cinema could follow the RoK's path onto the global stage if investment continues and the quality of its productions continues to improve.

In Europe, Italy's ANSA news agency focused on the growth of Vietnam's domestic film industry and its ability to compete with international productions. Meanwhile, cooperation between DANAFF Talents and Produire au Sud, a programme of France's Festival des 3 Continents, indicated DANAFF's steadily expanding role in international networks for film talent and project development.

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