What Reflections Does ‘Love in Vietnam’ Director Have on 2025?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Authenticity in storytelling is crucial.
- International recognition can profoundly impact a filmmaker's journey.
- Filmmakers bear a responsibility to tell stories with care.
- True narratives can transcend cultural boundaries.
- Focus on truth rather than scale in filmmaking.
Mumbai, Dec 27 (NationPress) As the year 2025 draws to a close, filmmaker Rahhat Shah Kazmi, whose film “Love in Vietnam” has journeyed across Asia and garnered accolades, reflects on the sentiment that nothing prepares you for a “year like this”.
“Nothing prepares you for a year like this,” he remarked.
Kazmi elaborated: “You create a film with hopes of connecting with audiences. However, when strangers from distant nations approach you to share how your narrative touched them, transformed them, and lingered in their minds, it humbles you in a manner that awards never could.”
“We exist in an era where volume often overshadows sincerity,” Kazmi noted.
The film received significant recognition in South Korea, securing Best Asian Film and Best Director for Kazmi. Chinese distributors welcomed it for a comprehensive release. In Vietnam, where the film had its premiere at the Da Nang Asian Film Festival, audiences were captivated by its cross-cultural narrative.
“This year has reminded me that honesty retains its importance, perhaps even more than we realize. Cinema does not need to shout to resonate; it only needs to convey authenticity.”
Kazmi mentioned that 2025 has heightened his awareness.
“If anything, this year has deepened my understanding of the responsibility I bear as a filmmaker. When narratives transcend borders, you comprehend the meticulousness required in telling them.”
Looking forward, his vision for cinema has never been clearer. “I aspire to create films that endure beyond their opening weekends. Stories that audiences revisit years later, not due to their perfection, but because they resonate with authenticity.”
“If 2025 imparted any lesson, it’s this: when you cease pursuing scale and begin pursuing truth, the universe somehow navigates its way to your film.”
Featuring Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur, Love in Vietnam is a poignant cross-cultural romance, produced by Captain Rahul Bali, Rahhat Shah Kazmi, Omung Kumar, Sarvesh Goel, Tariq Khan, Zeba Sajid, Mohammad Antulay, Sahil Sheikh, and Pankaj Singh Chauhan, with co-producers Samten Hills Dalat, Vikas Sharma, Kritika Rampal, Devansh Bhardwaj, and Nguyen Cao Tung.