HÀ NỘI — Shooting on a joint film project between Việt Nam and South Korea has begun in Đà Lạt, the Central Highland Province of Lâm Đồng.

The film, entitled Thiên Đường (Paradise) and co-produced by Vietnamese IVonk Pictures and Korean Cion Pictures, tells of the romance between an artist and a video jockey (VJ). The two characters get acquainted with each other through email and find they have a lot in common.

Artist Quang Kha’s wife is a heart surgeon and they have a little boy. He loves his wife dearly, however their happy life ends when the wife dies in an accident. Artist Kha cannot forget his wife and sinks into misery. The artist then strikes up a new relationship with the VJ.

The script was penned by Nguyễn Hoàng Hạnh Nhân and Tứ Thư over three years. The movie is co-directed by Park Hee-jun and Hạnh Nhân.

"I’m very glad to carry out this project which I have nurtured for three years," Hạnh Nhân said at a press conference held recently in HCM City. "It is the biggest project for IVonk Pictures this year. I hope the co-operation between Vietnamese and Korean crews will bring success for the movie in both countries," said Nhân.

The scenes in Paradise are shot in Đà Lạt and HCM City where the two main characters reside. Korean actor Han Jae-suk and Vietnamese actress Kim Tuyến will play the two roles while the ill-fated wife will be played by businesswoman-turned-actress Lý Nhã Kỳ.

A-list star Han is popular not only in South Korea but also in many other Asian countries, including Viet Nam. South Korean television series and movies such as Model and Glass Shoes are popular among Vietnamese viewers. He has starred alongside popular actresses Lin Xinru from China and Cecilia Cheung from Hong Kong.

"We have to try our best because of the language barrier," said Han. "We can understand each other through gestures and expressions. All of us made great effort in our work and I promise to work hard for a perfect movie.”

The movie crew are Vietnamese and Korean including director of photography Choi Dug-gyu; designer Trần Trung Lĩnh and veteran actress Hồng Vân. Post-production will be done in Thailand and South Korea.

The film will be released in May 2019, in both Việt Nam and South Korea. — VNS