VIỆT KIÊU STAR - Vietnamese-American actress Hồng Đào (left) performs a lead role in Linh Miêu (The Cat), a thriller by blockbuster film director Lưu Thành Luân of HCM City. The film will be in cinemas in October. Photo courtesy of Galaxy Studio.

HCM CITY— Blockbuster film director Lưu Thành Luân of HCM City is working on his latest work called Linh Miêu (The Cat).

The thriller is based on Vietnamese folk stories.

It tells the story of young women living in a wealthy family in the 1960s. Love’s dark side: glory, money, and betrayal are featured.

Social and family issues are also included.

NINE LIVES - Poster of the thriller Linh Miêu (The Cat) by blockbuster film director Lưu Thành Luân of HCM City. It is based on Vietnamese folk stories. (Photo courtesy of Thiên Ngân Galaxy)

Director Luân used Vietnamese-American actress Hồng Đào, who has more than 35 years in the industry, to play a lead role.

Đào graduated from the HCM City University of Theatre & Cinematography. She quickly became widely known in both theatre and movies in the 1980s-90s. She left HCM City to resettle in San Jose, California, United States. She has performed in several films by talented filmmakers in HCM City.

“I love working in my homeland, Việt Nam. I hope my performance in Linh Miêu by young director Luân will surprise my fans,” said Đào, in an interview with local media.

TALL TALES - Film director Lưu Thành Luân’s new film, Linh Miêu (The Cat), features a story inspired by Vietnamese urban legends and folklore. Photo courtesy of Galaxy Studio.

According to Luân, Vietnamese folklore has many stories with spiritual and supernatural features that stimulate the creativity of filmmakers. “My new film, Linh Miêu, features a story inspired by Vietnamese urban legends and folklore,” he said.

Luân’s previous film, Quỷ Cầu (Demon Dog), is also a thriller based on a supernatural folk story. The story is about dogs possessed by spirits rising on their hind legs and instigating demons to disturb people in their homes until their bodies become malicious spirits.

The film focuses on the spiritual and psychological aspects of a family involved in the long-standing dog meat trade, depicting how dogs are killed, creating haunting and chilling scenes.

It earned more than VNĐ108 billion (US$4.24 million) at the box office after its release last year, making it a big surprise for Vietnamese cinema, despite criticism of its computer-generated imagery (CGI) effects.

The film Linh Miêu is expected to be in cinemas in the Halloween season in October. — VNS