Director Bui Thac Chuyen: 'The story of Cu Chi tunnels haunts me'

" GOLD MINE" INSPIRES MOVING

Can you share the reason why you cherished the idea and wrote the script for a film about Cu Chi tunnels for 10 years? What about the "Land of Steel and Copper" haunts you so much?

In 2014, I had the opportunity to return to Cu Chi, not as a tourist. Learning more about the history of the people here really surprised me. Perhaps the resistance war against America of the people of Cu Chi was completely unlike anywhere else in the world . It was an underground war.

The farmers of Cu Chi dug hundreds of kilometers of tunnels and thanks to the tunnels, they fought against an enemy a thousand times more powerful. The stories about Cu Chi tunnels were so good that I felt like I had found a gold mine and I thought I would have to make a film about this land.

Director Bui Thac Chuyen

PHOTO: NVCC

During the research and field trips to write the script, were there any stories about the land and people of Cu Chi that you found unforgettable and inspired you to make the film?

I have heard a lot about the Cu Chi tunnels, and have crawled into the long, deep tunnels with lots of bats. But if it weren’t for the trip in 2014, I wouldn’t have understood how the tunnels worked. It is really special. It explains why the Cu Chi guerrillas were able to drive the Americans crazy without being able to do anything. They were there from 1965 until the day the Americans were forced to withdraw from Vietnam. Stories like how they dug the tunnels, how they ate in the tunnels, how they made weapons, how they breathed… are really impressive, very cinematic, and especially the way the Cu Chi people told about their fight and death very calmly, and I admire that.

Movie poster Tunnels: Sun in the Dark

PHOTO: DPCC

He once shared that he was "possessed" when writing the script...

When I started writing the script, I realized that there had never been a feature film that truly told the stories of the Cu Chi tunnels. And at that time, I understood the huge barrier of wanting to film scenes in the narrow tunnels. A film crew of 300 people could not film in the real tunnels. Then there were a series of other technical problems in a war film that required huge costs, required very good collaborators, and many other things that Vietnamese cinema still lacked... But somehow the stories of the Cu Chi tunnels continued to haunt me and did not allow me to stop. I actually wrote the script for 2 years. The energy from the fighting stories of the Cu Chi people gave me the belief that I had to make this film.

Scene from the movie Tunnels: Sun in the Dark

PHOTO: DPCC

HE KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT AND WIN

When choosing actor Thai Hoa for the role of Bay Theo, what about him made you believe he was the best choice for the main role in the film?

Thai Hoa fits the role both in appearance and age. Thai Hoa is one of the best actors today.

Can you share more about how you worked with the cast in the film so that they could understand and express the psychology of the guerrillas in those harsh circumstances?

They had to be well prepared, both in appearance and knowledge of war. They had to learn skills they had never known before, such as military skills and life in the tunnels. They also had to understand the psychology of the characters.

How did the film crew receive support from agencies and units during the filming?

I want to emphasize that the support from government agencies, units and the military for this film is huge and unprecedented. Without that support, we could not have completed the film.

What is the most important message that Tunnels: Sun in the Dark wants to send to the audience, especially when the film is released on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification?

Our ancestors knew how to fight and win. That is our pride. Today's peace and unity did not come naturally, but had to be paid for with the blood of our ancestors' generations. We must not forget.

Tunnels: Sun in the Dark is set in 1967, telling the story of 21 guerrillas who received a special mission to stay and fight, preventing the enemy from infiltrating the Cu Chi tunnels at Binh An Dong base (Cu Chi).

The work is invested by private capital and received support from the Ministry of National Defense; Ho Chi Minh City Command; Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee; Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Cu Chi District people. The film has the participation of actors Thai Hoa, Meritorious Artist Cao Minh, Quang Tuan, Ho Thu Anh...

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dao-dien-bui-thac-chuyen-cau-chuyen-ve-dia-dao-cu-chi-am-anh-toi-185250310230756027.htm