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Pakistan, Cambodia, India, South Korea make 2023 Oscars international feature shortlist

The documentary “Nhung Dua Tre Trong Suong” (“Children of the Mist”) is the first Vietnamese film to be short-listed for the Oscars Documentary Feature Film category. 

Of the 144 films eligible in the documentary feature film category, “Children of the Mist” was among the top 15 nominations advancing in the division for the 95th Academy Awards. 

“Children of the Mist,” directed by Ha Le Diem, is a 90-minute documentary following the challenges of Di, a 13-year-old Hmong girl living in the mountains of northern Vietnam. 

The 30-year-old director’s film previously won Best International Film at Israel’s 2022 Docaviv Film Festival and the Best Directing Award at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. 

Diem, a Tay ethnic woman from the Bac Kan province of Vietnam, dreamt of traveling to many places with the intent to discover and inform others about what she learned. However, she soon realized her introverted personality did not complement the demanding positions of newspaper and television channels. 

She decided to become an independent documentary filmmaker after taking courses at the Center for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents, as well as Varan Vietnam. 

The official nominations for the 95th Academy Awards are scheduled to be announced on Jan. 24, 2023, and the Oscars ceremony will be held on March 12, 2023.

See the trailer for “Children of the Mist” below:

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