Collaborative films are back in vogue
The year 2025 marks the return of many co-productions between Vietnam and developed countries in cinema. One of the outstanding works released this summer is “Mang Me Di Bo”, a co-production between Vietnam and South Korea. The film is written and directed by Mo Hong-jin, who made an impression with the work “The Last Wish of a Prisoner 2037”.
The work tells the fate of Hoan - a young man who transforms into a "street clown" every day with the skill of cutting hair on the sidewalk to earn money to take care of his mother who has Alzheimer's. His mother's illness is not only a burden to make a living, but also takes away from Hoan a free life with unfulfilled dreams. One day, Hoan decides to "abandon" his mother to his brother in Korea, thereby opening up slices of his mother's life when she was young...
Notably, “Mang me di bo” is not a remake (remade from previous films), but was developed entirely from the original script, by Korean filmmakers who painstakingly researched and were inspired by the people, lifestyle, and culture of Vietnam.
Director Mo Hong-jin shared: “In 2022, I came to Vietnam for the first time and started to have feelings for this country. As a lover of family films, I wanted to tell a warm and humane story in Vietnam. In addition, I felt that the culture of this young country was developing extremely strongly and I also wanted to accompany that flow.”
The film brings together famous actors from both countries. Vietnam has Hong Dao, Tuan Tran, Juliet Bao Ngoc... Korea has Jung Il-woo - a male actor affectionately called "Vietnamese son-in-law" by the audience after a series of attractive films and especially from his trip across Vietnam that caused a stir on social networks.
Another Vietnamese-Korean co-production released on July 4, “The Last Wish,” is also expected to make a mark this year. The project is co-produced by Runup Vietnam and Contents Panda - the producer behind a series of blockbusters such as “Train to Busan” and “Peninsula,” and directed by Doan Si Nguyen. The film tells the story of the final wish of Hoang, an 18-year-old student with a terminal illness, who is accompanied by two close friends to fulfill his wish. The film stars Tien Luat, Dinh Y Nhung, Avin Lu, Hoang Ha, etc.
In addition, the film “My Beautiful Mom” co-directed by Dinh Tuan Vu (Vietnam) and Yoo Cheol Yong (Korea) is also expected to be released this year. The work uses a script written by a Korean screenwriter, but has pure Vietnamese content, telling the story of a disabled mother who sacrifices her whole life for her son. The film was filmed entirely in Vietnam and post-produced in Korea.
In cooperation with India, the project “Love in Vietnam” was 75% filmed in Vietnam, with the participation of actress Kha Ngan and two Bollywood stars, Shantanu Maheshwari and Avneet Kaur. Directed by Rahhat Shah Kazmi, the film promises to be a cross-border love song, connecting the cultures of two countries through a romantic and humane love story…
Vietnamese elements are no longer "inferior"
Seven years ago, audiences witnessed a wave of collaborative films with a series of projects such as “Lala: Let me love you” (Vietnam - Korea), “Girls 2: Girls and gangsters” (Vietnam - Hong Kong - China); “Close your eyes and see summer” (Vietnam - Japan)… However, the massive promotional campaign and international star cast could not save the loose and depthless script quality.
The most obvious point in previous international cooperation films is that Vietnamese cinema is often “overshadowed”. From the scriptwriting, directing to post-production, all are handled by the host country, while the Vietnamese crew only plays a supporting role or co-produces the form. This makes the Vietnamese element become obscure and the foreign element is also unclear. Perhaps that is why after that, this genre of film became quieter, appearing only once every few years and also not leaving an impression.
The recent return of international co-productions shows a clear change in quality. The works are no longer formal “handshake” projects, but have equal resonance between the parties, from production thinking to topic selection.
In the film “Mang me di bo”, the Korean side has director Mo Hong-jin and producer Kim Dae-kuen, the Vietnamese side has producer Phan Gia Nhat Linh. Nhat Linh said that she participated in the project as a consultant from the script stage to the production, post-production, and film promotion process, as well as contributing and preserving the Vietnamese elements in the work. The film “The Last Wish” by Runup Vietnam in collaboration with Contents Panda (Korea) also brings a purely Vietnamese story, blending Korean cinema and Vietnamese emotions.
Director Dinh Tuan Vu - co-director of the film "My Beautiful Mother", shared: "Korean cinema is very developed, admirable both in Asia and the world . Working with Korean colleagues is an opportunity for me to learn. But the most important thing is that we share the same love and vision for cinema".
Such equal cooperation, shared creative goals and mutual respect for identity promises to create cinematic works that not only carry the Vietnamese spirit but are also internationally competitive.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/phim-hop-tac-quoc-te-ky-vong-nhung-dau-an-moi-707215.html
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