More than 350 applications submitted to DANAFF 2026 Project Incubator

With more than 350 submissions, the Project Incubator under DANAFF Talents, a program dedicated to discovering, training, and nurturing cinematic talents within the framework of the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) 2026, has continued to demonstrate the strong appeal of a platform connecting filmmakers across the region.

At DANAFF 2026, the program has been expanded in both scale and professional activities, focusing on two main categories, including Asian art film projects (Art-house Projects) and Vietnamese Commercial/Multi-genre Film Projects, organized under an in-depth script development workshop model (Script Lab).

In the art-house film category, the program continues to strengthen international cooperation through exchange, networking, and engagement activities with international producers and film distributors. Following the training program in Da Nang, ASEAN projects will take part in a series of practical exchange activities in Thailand and France under the Asia-Europe cooperation framework. This will provide filmmakers with greater opportunities to access international co-production networks as well as major film funds such as France’s Aide aux Cinémas du Monde (World Cinema Support).

This year’s lineup brings together many notable names in Asian cinema. Director Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi, winner of the Best Asian Film award at Da Nang Asian Film Festival 2025, returns with the project "Zholdogu Bala" (Stuck like Babies). Representing Vietnam is director Nguyen Trung Nghia with the project “Dam cuoi chuot” (The Rats’ Wedding).

The lineup also features international projects such as "Golden Swan" from Bangladesh and "Before the Earth Collapses", a co-production project involving Japan, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

In the Vietnamese commercial film category, this year’s program has been revamped under the Script Lab model. The eight most outstanding projects will participate in an intensive 10-day screenwriting course guided by professors and experts from Columbia University, the US. Following the training program, filmmaking teams will pitch their projects before an international panel while also meeting directly with investors, producers, and distributors at the Project Market.

This year’s lineup of Vietnamese commercial film projects features many familiar names in Vietnamese cinema, including director Nguyen Quang Dung with the project “Chiec luoc nga” (The Ivory Comb); director Phan Gia Nhat Linh with Phan Xich Long and the Uprising Across the Six Provinces of Nam Ky; and director Dinh Tuan Vu with “Nu binh” (Female Soldier), alongside emerging filmmakers such as Tran Quang Thien, Vu Nguyen Nam Khue, and Oscar Duong.

The 4th Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF) will take place over seven days, from June 28 to July 4, in Da Nang City. This year’s festival, themed “DANAFF—A Bridge from Asia to the World,” will reflect its ambition to connect Vietnamese cinema with the region and the global film community.