Film project on Southern culture begins

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Filming for Dat Rung Phuong Nam (Southern Land), a film on southern history and culture by blockbuster director Nguyen Quang Dung, has begun in HCM City. 

The work expected to be completed next year tells the adventures of a boy named Nam, who loses his family in a battle and lives in the southwestern region under the French colonists. 

He learns new things with the help of poor farmers and children, and travels around the region and witnesses the suffering of farmers during the war.

He joins the Viet Minh guerrillas to fight against the French troops. 

The producer, HK Film, invited talented director Dung, director of photography Diep The Vinh, and music producer Duc Tri to guarantee the film's high quality in images, sound and light effects.

The film Dat Rung Phuong Nam is based on the famous novel of the same name by late author Doan Gioi, winner of the State Awards for Literature and Arts in 2001. 

Gioi’s book was released by the Kim Dong Publishing House in Hanoi in 1958.

The 255-page work is a song in praise of southern people, their history and culture. It provides readers, particularly children, with new ideas about the nature, animals, rivers, plants and people of the south. 

The book has been printed in dozens of languages, such as English, Russian, Chinese, Spanish and Polish. Its chapter titled Song Nuoc Ca Mau (Rivers of Ca Mau) has been used in textbooks for secondary students. 

In 1997, the work was adapted into a 11-part TV series called Dat Phuong Nam (Song of the South) by director Nguyen Vinh Son. 

Son's work won the first prize for the Year’s Best TV Series at the 1997 National Film Festival presented by the Vietnam Cinematography Association.

It was subtitled in English and has been distributed in the US, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore.

Director Dung spent five years to prepare for his biggest film project Dat Rung Phuong Nam. 

He used movie stars Hua Vi Van and Tuan Tran, and Meritorious Artist Nguyen Cong Ninh to play lead roles. 

Filming will be shot in southern localities such as An Giang, Can Tho, Soc Trang, Tra Vinh and Dong Thap.

“I hope my new version of Dat Rung Phuong Nam will meet the demands of moviegoers, especially author Gioi’s readers, who are of all ages and backgrounds,” said director Dung, who has 25 years in the industry.

Dung's previous film, Thang Nam Ruc Ro (Splendid Years), a remake of a Korean hit called Sunny, earned more than 65 billion VND (2.85 million USD) in ticket sales in 2018./.