Pham Bang Bang was empty-handed at the Tokyo Film Festival, rumored to be "played badly" by Chinese judges

Pham Bang Bang attracted attention at the 2025 Tokyo International Film Festival when she left empty-handed despite being nominated for Best Actress. The female star expressed her regret and shared that she had gone through 7 challenging and resilient years.

The Tokyo International Film Festival 2025 has just ended, but the echoes of the event have not subsided as a series of controversies erupted around the award results. At the center of the noise is star Pham Bang Bang – who was nominated in the Best Actress category for the movie Mother Bhumi (Mother Earth), but ended up leaving empty-handed.

On her personal page, Pham Bang Bang shared emotionally: "Over the past seven years, I have gone through many harsh challenges. Life has forged me into a strong woman. I am proud that the entire crew has come together to create a great work. I love everyone!"

However, what surprised the audience was that this post was posted by her before the awards ceremony took place, raising suspicions that the actress knew the outcome in advance. Many people think that this incident has caused public discussion about the transparency of this year's Tokyo Film Festival.

According to QQ, in the jury of the Tokyo Film Festival 2025, there are two members from China – including director Van Yen and actress Que Luan My. In particular, it was director Van Yen who was said to be the one who opposed the award to Pham Bang Bang, even excluding her from the final round of voting.

The source said that the first reason came from the "local" factor: Van Yen supported actor Vuong Truyen Quan – also Chinese – for the Best Actor category. If Pham Bang Bang simultaneously wins the Queen Award, the Tokyo Film Festival will be considered "biased towards China" when both major awards fall into the hands of artists of the same nationality.

In addition, director Van Yen is said to refuse to go on stage to award awards if Pham Bang Bang wins. The media said that this may be an act of "retaliation" because previously, when working as a judge at the Berlin Film Festival 2024, Pham Bang Bang himself did not award the work The Girl Who Wants to Fly – directed by Van Yen, with the participation of Luu Hao Ton and Van Ky.

"Now their position is reversed: the person who was once overlooked is now in charge of the review, and the outcome is clearly personally affected," QQ commented.

Not only Pham Bang Bang, this year's Tokyo Film Festival was also entangled in a scandal when actress Bach Bach Ha accused the Xuan Thu film crew of "playing badly" in the scoring stage, showing a complicated behind-the-scenes picture.

In the face of these noises, actress Hac Loi – who has won many international awards – also expressed her opinion: "In this world, how can there be so many fair awards. Behind some of the results are manipulative and calculating forces." Hao Lei hinted that this year's Tokyo Film Festival has been dominated by the power group behind the scenes, rather than relying entirely on artistic quality.

Since the tax evasion scandal in 2018, Pham Bang Bang has been almost banned from broadcasting in China. The actress used to be the "red carpet queen" and Cbiz's top beauty icon, now she has to redirect her international activities, participating in projects in the US, South Korea and Europe to restore her reputation.

It is worth mentioning that Pham Bang Bang won the Best Actress award at the Tokyo Film Festival in 2010 with the film Quan Am Son, affirming that her acting ability is undeniable.

Luu Dai Cuong: From the role of Sha Tang for life, to the sad news that he just passed away at the age of 78 Thảo Vi14:02:36 08/11/2025Artist Luu Dai Cuong, a familiar face to Asian audiences through the role of Sha Tang in Journey to the West, died at the age of 78 after battling illness, shocking fans.