PERIOD PIECE: A poster from Người Vợ Cuối Cùng (The Last Wife), a film on Vietnamese women under the last feudal dynasty in the 19th century by blockbuster Vietnamese-American director Victor Vũ. It will be in cinemas this year. Photo courtesy of the producer

HCM CITY — Blockbuster Vietnamese-American director Victor Vũ is working on his latest film on Vietnamese women under the last feudal dynasty in the 19th century.

The film, entitled Người Vợ Cuối Cùng (The Last Wife), is scheduled to be in cinemas this year.

It tells the story of a young woman, played by Kaity Nguyễn, living in a wealthy family during the semi-feudal colonial society of Việt Nam. Social and family issues are featured.

Director Vũ used young actress Kaity Nguyễn, winner of the Best Actress award at the 20th National Film Festival by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2020, as a way to attract young fans.

“Kaity Nguyễn is young. I see a lot of potential in her,” Vũ said.

Vũ is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in the US. He began his career in Việt Nam in 2008. He combines Vietnamese and Hollywood styles in his art.

His films have been distributed in countries such as Australia, Canada, Hungary, France, Ireland, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the UK and US.

His blockbusters include Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes) released in 2019. The film has themes of youth and love. It was listed among the industry’s top 10 hits with more than VNĐ127 billion (US$5.5 million) of sales at the box office.

Mắt Biếc was chosen by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to compete in the Best Foreign Language Film Category at the Oscar awards ceremony in 2020.

Last year, Vũ’s TV thriller series called Trại Hoa Đỏ (Red Flowers Farm) was released on K+, a leading satellite digital television channel in Việt Nam.

The eight-episode show begins with the deaths of seven young women. The murders occurred at different times and locations.

The work attracted American director of photography Dominic Pereira and Vietnamese-American costume designer Ghia Fam.

American composer-music producer Garrett Crosby is also featured.

BUDDING STAR: Young actress Kaity Nguyễn plays a lead role in Người Vợ Cuối Cùng (The Last Wife), a film by blockbuster Vietnamese-American director Victor Vũ. Photo courtesy of the producer

Young actress Kaity Nguyễn earned her big break in the film Em Chưa 18 (Jailbait) in 2017, which raked in VNĐ13 billion (US$570,000) in its first three days.

One year later, she returned in the blockbuster Hồn Papa, Da Con Gái (Daddy Issues), a production by Japanese director Ken Ochiai. The film was in cinemas in Japan.

“I want to continue to prove my ability, want to work and try my best to achieve success. I don’t want people to think my success is due to luck. Moreover, I wanted to be an actress all my life,” said 23-year-old Nguyễn. — VNS