Kieu was being shot at the ancient village of Phuoc Tich
Kieu in movie
The movie Kieu, an adaptation of “Tale of Kieu" by the great poet Nguyen Du, has just started to be shot at many places in Hue. According to the director and producer Mai Thu Huyen, "Kieu" is a historical-costumed film, so it needs ancient setting with old architecture.
Hue meets all those requirements. In addition to the Imperial Citadel, many special residences and royal mausoleums, Hue also offers poetic landscape. After surveying the three main areas of Vietnam, the North, the Central and the South, the film makers decided to shoot nearly 70% of the movie in Thua Thien Hue.
The Imperial City, the mausoleum of Emperor Gia Long, the eco village of Ve Nguon, the residence of Thao Nhi (Hue City), the ancient village of Phuoc Tich, Bau Lay (in Phong Dien, Huong Tra), etc., will appear in the movie. It is hoped that the movie will be welcomed by the public when it is launched in January 2021.
At the ancient village of Phuoc Tich, lots of villagers came to see the shooting and 30 of them were chosen to take part in the movie as extras.
According to Mr. Doan Quyet Thang, Deputy Manager of Phuoc Tich Ancient Village, the village used to serve as setting for many big movies such as “Hue - Season of Red Apricot", "The Mother", "The Special Court Case of Minh Tam”, etc.
As for the movie Kieu, which has recently been shot, the director chose the wharf of Cay Bang to reproduce the market in the old days and some other scenes. The village management board has created all favorable conditions for the filmmakers. “Through the movie, we wish to introduce the nature and people of Phuoc Tich Ancient Village to the audience both in and out of the country and thus promote the value of the ancient village.”
Shooting of Kieu at Thao Nhi Residence (Hue City)
Promoting Hue tourism
For many years now, Hue has been chosen by film directors, both domestic and international, as the studio for many famous and prize-winning movies such as “Indochina,” the first foreign film allowed to be shot in the royal palaces and mausoleums in the 1990s. After being shown in France in 1992, the film won an Oscar (for Best Foreign Language Film,) making the number of European tourists to Vietnam, especially French, surprisingly increase.
The film "The Girl on the River" by the director Dang Nhat Minh won the Silver Lotus Award at the Vietnam Film Festival 1987. It was the first film of Vietnam Cinema which was completely shot in Hue. The film "The Royal Candle" set mainly in Hue Citadel won the Golden Kite Award in 2004 for Best Serial Television Drama.
The movie "The Moon at the Bottom of the Well" set in Hue won the Silver Kite Award for Asian films at the Madrid International Film Festival in Spain in 2008.
According to Mr. Duong Hong Lam, Head of the cultural management bureau of Culture and Sports Department, before granting the permit to movies set in Hue, they always require that the films meet criteria such as having suitable contents to Hue culture and honoring Hue so that they can promote the value of the heritage city and Hue tourism.
The film directors Mai Thu Huyen and Nguyen Lan Vy (Hue native) at the closing ceremony of Kieu
In recent years, many directors and filmmakers have continued to choose Thua Thien Hue as setting for their movies. Besides exploiting the ancient constructions in the Citadel, many directors have taken advantage of the romantic and poetic landscape of Hue to make many films of artistic value. Through their movies “The Muse of Hue” and “The Royal Bride,” Tran Bao Nhan and Nam Cito introduced the beauty of Hue culture, cuisine, tourism and honored the lifestyle of Hue people in particular and Vietnamese people in general.
The film "Dreamy Eyes" was set mainly in the countryside of Hue. It has really created a “fever.” People wanted to check in the places which had appeared in the movie. Bao Nhan's movies, Mai Thu Huyen's and some documentaries filmed in Hue promise to bring real and beautiful moments and unexpected feelings for the viewer.
“Watching movies set in Hue, many people were surprised and felt excited to see familiar and famous sights such as palaces, mausoleums, pagodas and poetic spaces of Hue viewed from new and impressive angles. This contributes to promoting the tourism and service industry of Thua Thien Hue,” affirmed Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Provincial Department of Culture and Sports.
According to Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Hue will host the 22th Vietnam Film Festival in 2021. It will be an opportunity for filmmakers to meet Hue people, survey and experience the nature, the culture and the art of Hue. Hopefully they will come up with new creative ideas for more exciting movies.
Story and photos: Hai Hue