INTRIGUE: A scene from 'Cuộc Chiến Hào Môn' (Family War), the fifth part of the TV series 'Nghiệp Sinh Tử' (Karma), written and directed by Bùi Ngọc Nam Phương, features love and revenge in a rich family. Photo courtesy of Sao Phương Nam Company

By Phương Mai

TV series makers are rushing to produce their new projects to entertain viewers at home with quality work in 2023.

The Sao Phương Nam Company has just begun shooting a period drama called Cuộc Chiến Hào Môn (Family War).

The 50-episode series is written and directed by Bùi Ngọc Nam Phương, who is known for period dramas such as Lời Sám Hối (Repentance) and Trần Trung Kỳ Án (Justice Trần Trung).

Set in the 19th century, the film features love and revenge in a rich family.

It focuses on Văn Tài, a young man seeking revenge for his mother who was hurt and abandoned by a rich man.

TOP THESPIAN: Celebrated actor Hoà Hiệp is chosen to play the leading role in the period drama 'Cuộc Chiến Hào Môn' (Family War). Photo courtesy of Sao Phương Nam Company

Phương invited celebrated actor Hoà Hiệp to play the leading role, along with veteran actors Phương Dung, Thanh Thức and Ánh Nguyệt.

Hiệp told local media that, “the role of Văn Tài is complicated. I have read the script many times and learned from veteran colleagues to be ready for my performance.”

He said Family War conveyed many lessons on humanity and expects audiences to learn something from the series.

Family War is the fifth and latest part of its highly-rated series Nghiệp Sinh Tử (Karma), and includes stories about life and repercussions.

Phương, the series' creator and director, said, “My series is just a reminder of our ancestor’s lessons that what we’ve done, god knows. It is also a warning to people to live an honest life.”

The four parts of the series have been screened on the Vĩnh Long Television (THVL) channel since 2020, featuring veteran actors such as Meritorious artists Hùng Minh and Phi Điểu, and Công Hậu.

The fourth part of the series, Gia Đình Nhà Họ Trịnh (The Trịnh Family), was one of the most-viewed TV programmes in Việt Nam in 2022.

Period drama

PERIOD PIECE: Actress Nhật Kim Anh and actor Cao Minh Đạt play leading roles in the period drama 'Tiếng Sét Trong Mưa' (Thunder in the Rain) directed by Nguyễn Phương Điền, who has embarked on a new 60-episode series 'Thời Mở Cửa' (The Open-Door Era). Photo courtesy of THVL

Much-acclaimed Nguyễn Phương Điền expects to start filming his new drama series Thời Mở Cửa (The Open-Door Era) this month.

The film, written by veteran scriptwriters Hạ Thu and Bảo Hoàng, will feature southern society open to the state's renewal policy in the 1980s.

Thu, told local media that, “it took 10 years to complete the script. I did a lot of research, travelled to several localities, and interviewed many people to create the characters and the script.”

She insisted that the film would be a quality work, reflecting the populace's lives and historical events in the 1980s.

Director Điền and his staff have travelled to the Mekong Delta provinces of Tây Ninh, Vĩnh Long and An Giang, and Cần Thơ City to seek some filming locations.

The 53-year-old director said since the work was set in the past, the film crew took time to find appropriate locations and props.

He said: “The Open-Door Era reflects part of the country’s history, so we have to be careful with our preparation. I hope young audiences can learn about the country’s history through my work.”

Điền graduated in acting from the HCM City University of Theatre and Cinematography, and has participated in numerous TV series such as Đất Phương Nam (Southern Land) and Người Đẹp Tây Đô (The Beauty of Western Capital City).

He fell in love with directing and made his first TV miniseries Cải Ơi (Dear Cải) in 2006, which won him the Silver Kite award for the Best TV Series at the Golden Kite Awards in 2007.

In 2009, he won gold at the National Television Festival for the Âm Tính (The Negative) series about a young girl in a rural area who pursues fame and fortune at all costs.

He also earned top awards at both the National Television Festival and the Golden Kite Awards in 2014 for his TV drama Cha Rơi (Single Dads).

Điền’s reputation as a director specialising in period dramas was established with the 54-part TV series Tiếng Sét Trong Mưa (Thunder in the Rain) released in 2019.

The series, based on the play Lôi Vũ (Thunderstorm), follows love and tragedy in a rich family in the South in the 1940s and 1950s.

The film won a silver prize for the Best TV Series at the 39th National Television Festival, while Cao Minh Đạt, playing the leading role, was chosen as Best Actor.

Last year, Điền released the 109-episode Lưới Trời (Heaven’s Net), based on the book of the same name by the late writer Hồ Biểu Chánh, focusing on the lives of poor women in the Mekong Delta in the 1940s.

It became one of the ten most-watched TV series in the South. – VNS