VietNamNet Bridge – Hai Phuong (Furie) starring Ngo Thanh Van will compete at the 14th Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) from March 8-17.

A scene from Hai Phuong (Furie) starring Ngo Thanh Van. — Photo courtesy of Studio68

The film tracks the journey of a mother who saves her daughter from human traffickers.

The film will be premiered nationwide on February 22 with English subtitles.

It’s one of 14 films competing for the Grand Prix and Most Promising Talent Award, according to information released on the official website of the festival.

Other entries in this section include The Girl in the Orange Dress (Philippines), Our Body (Korea), Asandhimitta (Sri Lanka), The Lady Improper (Hong Kong) and Tanabata’s Wife (Philippines).

Directed by Le Van Kiet, the film is likely to be Van’s last action film.

Van is known for her roles in The Rebel, Clash and The Tailor. She also participated in Rouge, a television series produced by MTV Asia and MediaCorp Singapore, the Hollywood film The Last Jedi and Netflix film Bright.

A scene from Hai Phuong (Furie) starring Ngo Thanh Van (right) and Mai Cat Vy.

At the age of 40, she says she is tired of action scenes and wants to give a chance for younger actors to shine.

The festival will feature 51 films from across the continent. It aims to create a chance for Asian filmmakers to exchange and promote the top films from the region. The OAFF also contributes to the development of cinema and economy of Osaka in particular and Japan in general. It connects people from the fields of culture, art, education, tourism and business from across Asia.

Last year, the Cô Ba Sài Gòn (The Tailor) also starring Van was selected for the Competition section but fell short.

Vietnamese cinema also has another representative at the OAFF.

Hồn Papa Da Con Gái (Daddy Issues) by Japanese director Ken Ochiai and Vietnamese producer Charlie Nguyen, will close the OAFF.

It reveals troubles between a father named Hai and his daughter named Chau when a magical event happens and they switch bodies. They try to understand each other and learn to live together in harmony.

The film stars Thai Hoa, a “comedy king” of Vietnamese cinema who is known for Let Hoi Decide and Saigon Bodyguards; and Kaity Nguyen, a young talent with debut film Jailbait. Ochiai is known widely among Vietnamese audiences as he directed Saigon Bodyguards starring Kim Ly and Thai Hoa. 

Source: VNS