A scene from Hai Phượng (Furie). Photo courtesy of Studio 68

HÀ NỘI  An action film dedicated to motherhood, Hai Phượng (Furie), will compete for an Oscar in 2020, the culture ministry's Department of Cinema announced yesterday.

The film will compete in the Best International Feature Film category, formerly known as the Best Foreign Language Film. The awards ceremony will take place on February 9 next year at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

Launched by the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the awards will honour the best films in 24 categories. 

The  film was produced by Ngô Thanh Vân, known as Veronica Ngo. She also plays Hai Phượng, the main character. Phượng is a former female gangster who wants to live a quiet life in the countryside with her daughter. Things change when the girl is kidnapped and Phượng begins a journey to save her daughter.

The film was distributed in the US by Well Go USA Entertainment. It was released in 600 cinemas in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, San Jose, Portland, Seattle and New York.

In Việt Nam, Hai Phượng earned around VNĐ200 billion (US$8.6 million) at the box office within a month of its release to become a blockbuster of Vietnamese cinema. VNS