Casting for Vietnamese-Language Psychological Thriller “Inferno”

Victor Vu (in white shirt) on the set of PASSPORT TO LOVE in Saigon, Viet Nam.

Saiga Films & Chanh Phuong Films are casting lead roles for writer/director Victor Vu’s newest feature film, the psychological thriller “INFERNO” - to be filmed entirely in Saigon, Vietnam, October - November 2009.

SYNOPSIS: This karmic tale of love, fate and redemption tells the story of a man who loses his memory and is nearly burned to death in a terrible car accident. As he attempts to piece together his shattered life, he unravels the shocking truth behind his own identity and the mystery surrounding his accident.

LOOKING FOR:

Males and females who are fluent in Vietnamese.

*MALE (early 30s) A sharp and handsome business-man who turns violent.

*FEMALE (early to mid 20s) Attractive, sophisticated house-wife with dark secrets.

All travel and accommodations, fees and compensation will be provided.

Please email HEADSHOTS and RESUMES to:

Mr. Nguyen An Vo (Saiga Films / Star Media Group JSC)
voannguyen77@gmail.com

Saiga Films / Star Media Group JSC
12B Phan Ke Binh
Dakao Ward, District 1, Saigon, Vietnam
Tel:  (84.8) 3911.8810
Fax: (84.8) 3911.8831

Chanh Phuong Films
25A - Floor 1, Nguyen Binh Khiem Str.,
Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Saigon, Vietnam
Tel: (84.8) 3291.2179
Fax: (84.8) 3291.2178

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS: Victor Vu is the director of such films as “SPIRITS (Oan Hon)” and “PASSPORT TO LOVE (Chuyen Tinh Xa Xu),” the romantic comedy sensation that won Best Supporting Actress (Kathy Uyen) and Audience Choice at Vietnam’s Golden Kite Awards 2009.   With “INFERNO,” Vu and executive producer Ngo Duc Trung of Saiga Films have joined forces with Chanh Phuong Films, the production company responsible for the martial arts epic “THE REBEL (Dong Mau Anh Hung)” and the critically acclaimed “OWL AND THE SPARROW.”

“PASSPORT TO LOVE” (Chuyen Tinh Xa Xu) is set to be released in the United States through Everest Productions October 2009.

Timothy Linh Bui’s POWDER BLUE Released on DVD

A new film directed by Timothy Linh Bui is now available on DVD, reuniting Timothy with Oscar-winning star Forest Whitaker and Patrick Swayze, plus other big names such as Jessica Biel and Ray Liotta.

The film can be rented at Blockbuster or online on Netflix, and other places where movies are rented.

Timothy is, of course, the older of the Bui brothers that brought us Three Seasons and Green Dragon. It was on Green Dragon that Timothy first directed Whitaker and Swayze.

The film’s story, based on the oft-observed presmise that life is full of strange coincidences and serendipitous intersections, is co-written by Timothy and another Viet filmmaker, Stephane Gauger the director of Owl and the Sparrow. (Read more about Owl here and here.)

The four principal characters lead their separate, and desperate, lives - except for one guy, a mortician named after the typewriter keyboard (Qwerty), who’s strange but not desperate. These lives then intersect in the most extraordinary ways. If the Bolsavik were glib, he’d say this film is something like “Boulevard of Broken Dreams meets Crash.”

In Powder Blue, Forest Whitaker (first photo above; The Crying Game; Panic Room; Oscar winner for The Last King of Scotland) plays an ex-priest with a death wish. Unable to commit suicide as against Catholic teaching, he goes around with a loaded gun and a suitcase of cash seeking someone willing to off him.

Ray Liotta (second photo; Goodfellas; Smokin Aces) plays an ex-con, a former hit man just out of a long 25-year sentence. Facing a world totally transformed, he’s seeking redemption with one big good deed.

Jessica Biel (third photo; TV’s 7th Heaven; Blade: Trinity; Stealth) is a single mother with a son in a coma, and she does odd jobs an dancing in a bar to meet the mounting medical bills. Patrick Swayze (right) plays the slick guy in the bar, but he’s not her consolation - that one comes in the form of her pet dog. She becomes truly desperate when the dog went missing.

But the ex-priest does not meet the other two - yet. The one he meets is a young eccentric mortician who’s named after the typing keyboard - Qwerty Doolittle, played by Eddie Redmayne, a star of British television. In danger of losing his business, and with the ex-priest’s proposal, Qwerty faces a decision that could change his life.

Other big names appearing in the film include Kris Kristofferson (A Start Is Born; Country Music Hall of Fame) and Lisa Kudrow (TV’s Friends; Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion; The Opposite of Sex).

Courtesy www.Bolsavik.com

Bolinao 52 Won 2 EMMY® Awards

Filmmaker Duc Nguyen and Producer Mai-Phuong Nguyen, M.D.

Monday, May 18, 2009- The 38th Annual Northern California Area EMMY® Awards were presented Saturday evening, May 16th 2009 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. BOLINAO 52 received the honor in two categories:

NEWS AND PROGRAM SPECIALTY- Documentary

“Bolinao 52,” KTEH 54 / Rhimp Productions / Center for Asian American Media / ITVS

Duc H. Nguyen, Producer/Director

CRAFT ACHIEVEMENT- Musical Composition/Arrangement

“Bolinao 52,” KTEH 54 / Rhimp Productions / Center for Asian American Media / ITVS

Mark G. Izu, Composer

The Emmy® is awarded for outstanding achievement in Television by The National Academy of

Television Arts and Sciences. San Francisco/Northern California is one of the twenty chapters awarding regional Emmys®. Northern California is composed of television and cable stations from Visalia to the Oregon border and includes Hawaii and Reno, Nevada. Entries were aired during the 2008 calendar year.

809 entries were received in 62 categories, 239 were nominated and 77 receive the Emmy® statuette.

The ballots were tallied by the accounting firm of Spalding & Company of San Francisco.

The Complete list of Emmy® Award recipients can be viewed at: www.emmysf.tv/emmy09winpr.pdf

Film Synopsis:

Following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, millions of refugees took the perilous voyage across the South China Sea to find freedom. Many died of drowning, starvation and thirst. Some were lost at sea for days while others were pillaged and raped by pirates. More than thirty years later, filmmaker Duc Nguyen, himself a boat refugee, retraces the odyssey of the Bolinao 52 - and reveals an incredible tale of survival, reconciliation and closure.  One hundred and ten refugees boarded a crowded boat one night in May 1988. Soon after leaving Vietnam, the boat’s engine died. They were ignored by over 20 passing ships. Nineteen days later, the USS Dubuque stopped but the ship’s captain refused to pick up the dying refugees. Facing death, they

resorted to cannibalism. After 37 days at sea, only 52 people survived. Finally, humble fishermen

rescued them to the coastal town of Bolinao in the Philippines. This is the true story of the Bolinao 52.

Bolinao 52 DVD was recently released.  The documentary won the Best Audience Choice Award at the 3^rd biennial Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF) in 2007.

For more information about the film and its progress please go to www.bolinao52.com or the BOLINAO 52 blog: bolinao52.blogspot.com.

A Touch Of Life

3 min / color video
USA 2007
Director : Tuan Nguyen
The surreal and real mix together to create an
ambiance of beauty and peace.

The Finished People

The Finished People is a drama/semi-documentary about troubled life on the street. Set in the heart of south-western Sydney, this film features the story of the three young people who struggle to pass through the days with no bright future.

Although the film consists of a cast of young actors appearing on screen for the first time, their performances are compelling. It is a powerful film where the characters stay with you even after the film ends. Van, a 20-years-old teenager, would rather sleep in the car park than at home due to conflicts with his dad. Van is depressed and does not see what the future will bestow on him. One day he meets Carla while stealing a shirt from her clothesline. Instead of reprimanding Van for stealing, Carla offers him a jacket. In turn, Van starts to change as their relationship deepens. When things get better for Van, however, he finds out a hidden truth about Carla that leaves him devastated. Having used drugs since he was 13, Tommy’s fight with addiction is not easy for him to overcome. After a friend’s death, Tommy tries to get clean and start his life over. With the help and support from Sara, Tommy’s childhood friend, he begins hunting for a job. After several unsuccessful interviews, Tommy is left with disappointment and depression, which leads him on the road of addiction once again. At 17, Des not only has to take care of himself but his pregnant girlfriend, Sophie, as well. Although Des is the type of person who runs away from his problems, he insists on staying with Sophie so that they can raise their child together. He does not want to become like his dad who had abandoned his mother and him. Despite these efforts, he soon finds out that being a responsible husband and father is not an easy job. He fails at every attempt to find a job. In desperation, he joins a gang and works for a local drug dealer.

This film establishes a sense of place on the streets of Cabramatta for these hopeless wandering souls. It also demonstrates one idea: people go on with their lives, good or bad. Although these three young people’s circumstances are different, they are connected in their struggle with poverty. Because of the lack of opportunity that is afforded to them, their grueling lives worsen, even as they strive to change for the better.
- Helena Tran

Austrailia / 2003 / 80 min / 35 mm color
Producer: Post 75 productions
Director : Khoa Do
Writers: Khoa Do, Rodney Anderson, Joe Le, Jason McGoldrick
Cinematographers : Oliver Lawrance, Murray Lui
Sound: Julius Chan, Rainier Davenport
Music: Abigail Hatherley
Editor : Alison Croft
Main Cast: Rodney Anderson, Viet Dang, Mylinh Dinh, Anh Do, Daniela Italiano, Steve Kourouche, Joe Le, Mirian Marquez, Sam MacDonald, Jason McGoldrick, Ivan Topic, and Sarah Vongmany

The Love Market

52 min / color video
Australia 2008
Director : Shalom Almond
In the highlands of North Vietnam lies the remote town of
Sapa, home to a mosaic of colorful hill tribes. Sapa opened
to tourism in the late 1990’s and now roughly 200 hill tribe
girls aged 7-18 years live independently on the streets
of Sapa to sell embroidery. A few years ago Australian
filmmaker, Shalom Almond, visited Sapa as a tourist and
became friends with four Hmong girls. The girls are savvy,
street smart and dream of life beyond selling souvenirs.
But how will these young girls survive the leap from
remote tribal culture to 21st century Asia? Over the next
three years Shalom returns to Vietnam with her camera to
find out.

Match Made

48 min / color video
USA 2006
Director : Mirabelle Ang
Each day, men from various parts of Asia make a stop in Ho
Chi Minh City (Saigon) where they embark on their search
for a perfect match. Using verité footage and interviews,
Match Made offers a glimpse into the intricate network of
the buying and selling of women as brides from villages
around Saigon.

It’s Also A Life

12 min / color video
USA 2008
Director : Nguyen Dinh Thang
This documentary tells the story of 261 Vietnamese workers
trafficked to Jordan, where they were exploited, abused,
beaten, and humiliated. After being rescued by international
organizations, 156 of them have returned home to face a
grim future.

Never Perfect

Never Perfect explores the complex journey of a young Vietnamese American woman’s struggle with
popular perceptions of beauty and body image as she fights the stigma of racial self-hatred in her
decision to undergo cosmetic surgery. In 1982 her family left behind a tight-knit Vietnamese community
for the suburban sprawl of California , U.S.A. Now 27-years-old, having been reared amidst a backdrop
of American malls, movies and magazines and living in the same suburban house in which she was
raised, Mai-Anh challenges her self-diagnosed “quarter-life crisis” by way of a“ new location, new
lifestyle, new look.”
She begins a literal and symbolic transformation and reinvention of herself: a relocation from quiet
suburbia to the heart of urban Los Angeles, a new lifestyle defined by living on her own for the first
time, and finally, a new physical makeover: double eyelid surgery only days after starting her new life.
But will she find the answers to her crisis on the operating room table?

USA / 2007
65 min / color video
Producers : Regina Park, Edward Robinson, Jr.
Director / Editor : Regina Park
Cinematographer : Edward Robinson Jr.
Music: Asian Crisis, Henry Hung
Main Cast: Mai-Anh Tran

Blindness Series

Blindness Series: Kore

17 min / 1994
Tran T. Kim Trang / USA
Kore is a project which investigates the conjunction of sexuality
with 1) the eye as purveyor of desire; 2) the sexual fear and fantasy
of blindness and the blindfold; and 3) women and AIDS. Can the
blindfold embody a touch-based pleasure associated with female
sexuality, in contrast with a vision-based pleasure assigned to
male sexuality? Can the choice to not-see facilitate ecstasy for the
subject? How do fear and fantasy contrast with the reality of vision
loss in the advanced stages of AIDS?

BLINDNESS SERIES: Operculum

14 min / 1993
Tran T. Kim Trang / USA
This experimental documentary juxtaposes footage from visits with seven
cosmetic surgeons specializing in blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) within the
Beverly Hills/West Hollywood area with text describing a 1950’s lobotomy
procedure to treat hysterical patients. This juxtaposition comments on
cosmetic surgery as a ‘desperate cure’. Blepharoplasty on Asian women
is regarded as a self-effacing fantasy of attaining the standard of beauty,
a standard that demands conformity to the norm. The artist poses as a
potential patient in consultation with the seven cosmetic surgeons.

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