Earlier, director Minh received eight international prizes for the film. He said he will arrange to be present at the awards ceremony to be held at the Hanoi Opera House.

The film also received the New Directors prize at the Chicago International Film Festival and the Special Prize From the Young Jury in Lorcano International Film Festival.

Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh, who completed his cinematography studies at the University of California in Los Angeles in 1998, has spent over three years making Mua Len Trau.

The screenplay was adapted from one of Vietnam’s most popular short stories written by Son Nam in his Huong Rung Ca Mau (Forest Fragrance in Ca Mau).

Set in the lowlands of southern Vietnam in 1940, Mua Len Trau tells an exciting story about national independence, survival, and man’s battle with nature.

As a first test of his manhood, 15-year-old Kim is allowed by his father to herd the family’s water buffaloes to the high pastures of the surrounding mountains to escape the severe floods of the six-month rainy season.

During his perilous journey, Kim discovers the world of the buffalo keepers - a harsh, male world fuelled by alcohol, and fraught with violence and betrayal, but with qualities of friendship and independence.

Director Le Luu said that the centre will grant annual prizes, worth VND50 million each, to the most outstanding art and literary works so as to encourage Vietnamese people living in and outside the country to create high-quality works for the public.

VNA