HÀ NỘI — Hai Phượng (Furie) starring Ngô Thanh Vân will compete at the 14th Osaka Asian Film Festival (OAFF) from March 8-17.

The film tracks the journey of a mother who saves her daughter from human traffickers.

The film will be premiered nationwide on February 22 with English subtitles.

It’s one of 14 films competing for the Grand Prix and Most Promising Talent Award, according to information released on the official website of the festival.

Other entries in this section include The Girl in the Orange Dress (Philippines), Our Body (Korea), Asandhimitta (Sri Lanka), The Lady Improper (Hong Kong) and Tanabata’s Wife (Philippines).

Directed by Lê Văn Kiệt, the film is likely to be Vân’s last action film.

Vân is known for her roles in The Rebel, Clash and The Tailor. She also participated in Rouge, a television series produced by MTV Asia and MediaCorp Singapore, the Hollywood film The Last Jedi and Netflix film Bright.

A scene from Hai Phượng (Furie) starring Ngô Thanh Vân (right) and Mai Cát Vy.

At the age of 40, she says she is tired of action scenes and wants to give a chance for younger actors to shine.

The festival will feature 51 films from across the continent. It aims to create a chance for Asian filmmakers to exchange and promote the top films from the region. The OAFF also contributes to the development of cinema and economy of Osaka in particular and Japan in general. It connects people from the fields of culture, art, education, tourism and business from across Asia.

Last year, the Cô Ba Sài Gòn (The Tailor) also starring Vân was selected for the Competition section but fell short.

Vietnamese cinema also has another representative at the OAFF.

Hồn Papa Da Con Gái (Daddy Issues) by Japanese director  Ken Ochiai and Vietnamese producer Charlie Nguyễn, will close the OAFF.

It reveals troubles between a father named Hải and his daughter named Châu when a magical event happens and they switch bodies. They try to understand each other and learn to live together in harmony.

The film stars Thái Hoà, a “comedy king” of Vietnamese cinema who is known for Let Hoi Decide and Saigon Bodyguards; and Kaity Nguyễn, a young talent with debut film Jailbait. Ochiai is known widely among Vietnamese audiences as he directed Saigon Bodyguards starring Kim Lý and Thái Hòa. — VNS