The 90-minute comedy was a hit and earned more than VND70 billion (US$3 million) in ticket sales in Vietnam last year.

It is based on Papa to Musume no Nanokakan, a novel by author Takahisa Igarashi.

Its producer, Vietnamese-American Charlie Nguyen, invited comedian Thai Hoa and young star Kaity Nguyen, winner of the Golden Lotus prize for best actress at the 20th Vietnamese Film Festival in Da Nang in 2017.

Veteran comic artists Hong Van and Thanh Loc, who each have more than 20 years in the industry, are also featured in the film.

The movie is about Hai (played by Hoa) and Chau (played by Kaity) as father and daughter whose bodies are switched because of a mysterious and magical curse.

Kaity made its debut in Em Chưa 18 (Jailbait), a drama-comedy which raked in VND13 billion ($570,000) in its first three days of release and earned VND170 billion ($7.5 million) with 2.5 million tickets sold in the first three weeks.

It became the highest-grossing film in the country of all time, overcoming Hollywood blockbusters Kong: Skull Island and Fast and Furious 8.

The movie also won Kaity the Best Actress award at 20th National Film Festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In her second film, Hồn Papa, Da Con Gái, Kaity, who studied in the US before returning to HCM City for her career, has developed her art in a professional way. With the film’s success, she was added to the list of young stars.

“Passion for work is not enough for young women to overcome difficulties in this industry. You should be dynamic and energetic, and be prepared for failure at any time,” said 19-year-old Kaity, who has nearly 665,000 fans on her Facebook fanpage.

Hồn Papa, Da Con Gái will be in cinemas in Tokyo and Osaka on November 17.

Independent films struggle in Vietnam

Making independent films has long been considered a risky investment in Vietnam. There are obstacles in the production process as well as distribution, according to directors.

Vietnamese filmmakers urged to focus on art films

State-owned and private film studios should work together to produce more art films, experts said at a seminar held last Friday (March 29) in HCM City.

VNS