Summer brings new Vietnamese films

HCM City (VNA) - Private film companies are releasing dramas, fantasies and comedies this summer as cinemas in HCM City continue to screen more locally made movies.

Teenagers are eagerly awaiting the film ‘Su Menh Trai Tim’ (Mission of Heart), to be screened at State-owned and private cinemas such as Dong Da, Tan Son Nhat and Cinebox.

Produced by Thien Phuc Film Studio, it is about a group of bomb disposal experts led by a young woman, played by Angela Phuong Trinh, who work in the Central Highlands region.

"I’ve come back” the 21 year old actress said in an interview with local media.

Last year, Trinh’s previous film, ‘Taxi, Em Ten Gi?’ (Taxi Driver, What’s Your Name?), attracted more than cinemagoers 250,000 in its first week.

In the film Trinh played a taxi driver in what is usually considered a male-dominated field. The film marked the return of Trinh after three years away from the big screen.

“I thought I had reached the peak of art. But I was wrong. Art is unlimited,” said Trinh, who found success in the industry when she was only 12 years old.

“With ‘Su Menh Trai Tim’, a 10 billion VND (450,000 USD) production, I hope my fans can see how I have changed and how I’ve tried to work carefully, selecting my roles based on my talents, rather than on personal feelings,” she added.

Movie star and pop singer/producer Ngo Thanh Van’s ‘Tam Cam-Chuyen Chua Ke’ (Tam and Cam-The Secret) will hit cinemas after failing to be released on Valentine’s Day.

The 90-minute movie is based on the fairy tale Tam Cam, best known as the Vietnamese version of Cinderella.

The story is about an orphan girl named Tam, played by Ha Vi, who is beautiful and hard-working. She is known for her kindness towards everyone, including animals, around her.

She lives with her stepmother and half-sister Cam, played by Lan Ngoc, who often finds ways to harm her. After facing challenges, Tam finally gets married to the King and lives happily ever after.

Van and her company, VAA, the film’s producer, invested 20 billion VND (nearly 900,000 USD) on the film to guarantee a high-quality production.

Both ‘Su Menh Trai Tim’ and ‘Tam Cam-Chuyen Chua Ke’ will be released in early July.

Young director Tran Kha My and his crew hope to achieve financial success with their comedy ‘Tik Tak Anh Yeu Em’ (Tik Tak I Love You), a love story involving an impoverished protagonist.

The film features veteran actor Thanh Loc and young actress Tu Vi.

Post-production activities were completed last month, and the movie is scheduled for release in August.

Actress-producer and director Hong Anh began shooting on the first scenes of her debut film, ‘Dao Cua Dan Ngu Cu’ (Lonely Island), last week.

The film revolves around five young urban women and men, who face challenges and conflicts in life and love.

The characters are played by young actors including Ngoc Thanh Tam and Pham Hong Phuoc.

The film’s director Anh spent nearly 10 years on the film’s screenplay, based on a short story written by Do Phuoc Tien.

“I didn’t want famous actors who are recognised as the ‘kings’ of the box office to attend the screening because I wanted to give a chance to young talent,” said Anh, in a recent interview with Saigon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon) newspaper.

According to Vietnamese-American director Dustin Nguyen, the industry has developed quickly with an average of 70 Vietnamese films being released each year.

“Cinemas have extended their timetables for screening Vietnamese movies,” he said.-VNA