Son met recently with the local press on the occasion of launching "Mong vuot" (Claws), the first Vietnamese film about wild animals’ attacks on people. In the film, a group of friends visit a suburban forest and the trip proves to be a nightmare when they are attacked by a strange creature.

Son, who is also the director of "Em chua 18"(Jailbait), held a press conference two years ago about "Claws".  At the event, the film crew said the major female role would be acted by Kaity Nguyen. However, Kaity later refused the role, resulting in many investors pulling out of the project.

This created difficulties because a large amount of money was spent to buy movie equipment and other items. Son had previously invited Kaity to act in "Jailbait", the film which turned Kaity into a star overnight. 

However, Son continued the project. Finally, Thao Tam replaced Kaity in the role.

At the meeting, Son, one of the directors pioneering the multi-billion Vietnamese film "wave" with "Jailbait", received a lot of questions about the record-high revenue of films produced by Tran Thanh and Ly Hai.

Son said this puts pressure on anyone in the "race after revenue". However, he said that many other movies, including "Song Lang" ("Behind the Curtain") by Leon Quang Le and "Muon vi nhan gian" ("The Taste of Things") by Tran Anh Hung, are still considered masterpieces thanks to their high quality, though they don’t have sky-high revenue.

“Vietnam’s cinema industry is not only built with box office records like films produced by Thanh and Hai. However, I am fascinated by the figures from box office. Because the positive response by the audience is the biggest gift for directors and film crews,” Son said.

After the success of "Jailbait", which gained high revenue, Son was called the hundred-billion dong director. He has realized that high-revenue films are no longer a surprise.

Asked to name some famous directors in Vietnamese cinema, Son mentioned Vo Thanh Hoa and Nguyen Quang Dung, saying that the directors can increase public confidence about the development of Vietnam’s film industry.

Gia Bao