The country’s leading cinema exhibitor, Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) today launched the inaugural Vietnamese Film Festival (VFF) at GSC Pavilion KL. The week-long film festival will showcase five highly-acclaimed Vietnamese movies in five selected GSC locations in Peninsular Malaysia from 23 to 29 August 2018, in conjunction with the upcoming Vietnamese Independence Day on 2 September.

The launch event at GSC Pavilion KL was graced by Ms. Koh Mei Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Screen Cinemas; Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc, Counsellor of the Republic of Vietnam; Ms. Dinh Thi Thanh Huong, Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Media & Entertainment. Also present at the event were Mr. Irving Chee, General Manager; Mr. Heng Beng Fatt, Deputy General Manager; and Mr. Tung Yow Kong, General Manager of GSC Movies.

While Film Festivals at GSC are annually organised and championed by the foreign embassies in Malaysia as part of an effort to promote their respective countries and culture through film, VFF 2018 is a unique initiative, as it is wholly-organized by the GSC Group of Companies. The five films that are featured in the festival have been specially handpicked by GSC Movies, the GSC Group’s distribution arm, with the support of Galaxy Media & Entertainment in Vietnam and include many movies that have been produced by the latter.

“We see Film Festivals as an enabler in stimulating greater awareness of the arts and in bridging cultures through foreign language films. Owing to our strong partnership with Galaxy Media & Entertainment, we decided to collaborate with GSC Movies as a Group to host the VFF to further diversify the content that are available to Malaysian movie-goers. These five films are some of the most commercially-successful titles in Vietnam, and we believe they will appeal to our audiences as well, who will be able to equally relate to the values, lessons, and experiences of the characters within these stories,” said Ms. Koh Mei Lee.

GSC first ventured into Vietnam in 2013, when the company acquired a stake in Galaxy Studio Joint Stock Company (Galaxy Studio), an established film exhibitor and distributor. This opened doors for GSC to access a wide variety of Vietnamese movies. The positive growth and preference for Asian content, and the prevalence of Vietnamese culture in Malaysia, showcased the potential for distributing Vietnamese films in the country, thus encouraging GSC to embark on its own efforts to launch and host its first-ever Vietnamese Film Festival.

Set to be an eye-opener for those who have not seen or experienced Vietnam, whether in travel, culture, or food, this cinematic event caters to all groups of people, as it features a variety of genres including drama, comedy, romance, and much more. Screening exclusively at GSC Pavilion KL; GSC Mid Valley Megamall, GSC 1 Utama; GSC Paradigm JB and GSC Gurney Plaza Penang, these films will be a breath of fresh air from the usual Hollywood fare that Malaysians are accustomed to.

VFF 2018 is sponsored by AirAsia, Posh Nail Spa, and Super Saigon, while Cinema Online is the official media partner. These sponsorships enable customers who buy two tickets over the Box Office counters at participating GSC cinemas in the Klang Valley to redeem a 20% discount voucher to Posh Nail Spa, as well as RM10 vouchers for food & beverage at Super Saigon. Vouchers are limited and are only available while stocks last.

Additionally, customers who watch the films showing at VFF 2018 may join a contest called “Fly Me to Vietnam” when they purchase two movie tickets. Simply by answering two questions and completing a slogan in the most creative way, movie-goers can win a pair of AirAsia flight tickets to Nha Trang, Hanoi, and Saigon. Additionally, there are also many other awesome prizes to be won including movie tickets to Gold and Premiere Class!

Tickets are priced at only RM10 each and will go on sale from 21 August 2018, two days before the start of the festival. Movie-goers can purchase the tickets online via the GSC Website, Mobile App or via the Box Office counter and ticketing kiosk.

For more on the 2018 Vietnamese Film Festival, please visit http://bit.ly/2018VFF or check out the hashtag #GSCVFF18. Stay tuned to GSC’s website www.gsc.com.my or GSC’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/GSCinemas for more updates!