Movie star and director/producer Ngo Thanh Van’s second film, Tam Cam - Chuyen Chua Ke (Tam Cam -The Untold Story), was released in cinemas today.

The 90-minute fantasy movie is based on Tam Cam, a fairy tale best known as the Vietnamese version of Cinderella. It tells the life of an orphan girl named Tam, who is beautiful, hard-working, and kind to everyone and animals.  

She lives with her stepmother and half-sister named Cam, who finds a way to harm her. After facing challenges, Tam finally gets married with the King and lives happily ever after.

“We invested more than VNĐ20 billion (nearly U$900,000) in filming to guarantee that our production would be high quality,” Van said.   

Van invited young actresses Ha Vi and Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc, winner of 2011 Golden Lotus Awards for best actress, to play Tam and Cam. Veteran comedians Thanh Loc and Ngoc Giau play supporting roles.  

The film includes 3D effects with soundtracks by the boy band 365.

"Our filmmakers face difficulties luring fans back to Vietnamese cinema and away from foreign productions. But we have never stopped to develop the industry in a professional way,” the 38-year-old said at a press conference in HCM City before the film’s release. 

Tam Cam - Chuyen Chua Ke was released in 37 cinema complexes in Hanoi, HCM City and provinces.

The film will not be released in the CGV cinema system owned by CGV Vietnam under the Korean-based CJ group, according to the film’s distributor BHD.

“Our deal on the profit sharing ratio in ticket sales failed,” said a representative of the distributor.

Fan reaction

“I love reading Vietnamese fairy tales, including Tam Cam . I watched the trailer of Tam Cam - Chuyen Chua Ke online," said 12-year-old Phan Hoang Thu Anh, a female fan of Van living in HCM City. 

"The film includes beautiful scenes featuring landscapes of Vietnam. We are going to the cinema this weekend.”

In 2014, Van’s first film, Ngay Nay Ngay Nay (The Lost Dragon), attracted more than 500,000 people in HCM City after the first three weeks of its release.

The film depicts the adventure of two women, who live on a planet far from earth. They travel to earth and both discover love and friendship during the trip.  

Van began her movie career in 2004 with a leading role in Rouge, a 13-part TV series produced by international channel MTV Asia, after spending years in music and on the catwalk.  

In 2006, she played a leading role in Dong Mau Anh Hung (The Rebel), a kung-fu film directed by Vietnamese-American Charlie Nguyen.

The film won the Grand Jury Award at 2007 Sharing Visions, a biennial international film festival for Vietnamese filmmakers, held in Los Angeles.

Van performed in several films directed by Vietnamese and overseas Vietnamese directors before becoming a director and producer. 

VNS