Films focused on domestic audiences are ready for lease

Encouraged by extremely high film sales in 2009, domestic producers are on the verge of completing projects for the coming Tet (Lunar New Year) holidays which fall in February next year.

Home movies: Domestic film Giai Cuu Than Chet (Safe from Death) had extremely high sales during last year’s Tet.

While the economic crisis has affected most fields of life in Viet Nam, the film industry seems to have escaped virtually unscathed. As a result, producers started preparing in March this year, earlier than the usual May or June.

Six films will be released for the Tet holidays in February 2010 including Khi Yeu Dung Quay Dau Lai (Love Means You Never Have to Say You’re Sorry), Nhat Ky Bach Tuyet (Snow White’s Diary), Nhung Nu Hon Ruc Ro (Bright Kisses), among others.

Nhat Ky Bach Tuyet,

directed by Le Bao Trung, is the funny story of a girl who becomes delusional after an accident and believes that she’s Snow White. She then sets off on a bittersweet adventure with seven dwarfs and a fake prince.

Khi Yeu Dung Quay Dau Lai

tells a mysterious love story between a dancing girl and a ghost while Nhung Nu Hon Ruc Ro involves around an unsuitable love affair of a female resort owner and a hotel security guard. De Mai Tinh (Leave It off till Tomorrow) depicts a famous singer who falls in love with a taxi driver. The remaining two are on music: Bui Duong (Street Dust) is the first Vietnamese movie on hip-hop and Cong Chua Teen Va Ngu Ho Tuong (Teenage and Five Bodyguards) features the obstacles that a teenage singer and her five bodyguards have to overcome for her singing career.

Besides interesting content, the movies will also attract audiences by the number of Tet "firsts". These include the first romantic thriller (Khi Yeu Dung Quay Dau Lai) and the first music movies in the true sense of the term. It is also the first time director Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh, who is famous for political movies, has tried his hand at filming for Tet.

The common target audience of these movies is teenagers so the general "fomula" that all directors use when making films is the combination of young and beautiful actresses, poetic landscapes, sexy costumes and a funny, romantic style.

Speaking to the press, most producers have confirmed that they are trying their best to avoid repetition in this year’s Tet movies.

"At this moment, we still keep all PR strategies to introduce Tet movies in secret because unique strategies are key factors in deciding who wins," said Phuoc Sang, director of the privately owned Phuoc Sang film studio.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News