Director Ly Hai: Does not want the audience to waste time and money

REPORTER: With Lat mat: The ticket of destiny, what made you decide to take the risk of turning to a new genre?

Director LY HAI: I always determined that if I only feed people the same dish over and over again, everyone will definitely get bored. That's why I decided to make a genre that I have never done before. This part of the film is heavy on psychology, a little comedy, a little action, still has family affection and thriller elements. The audience will have to guess continuously.

How confident and nervous are you in this 6th part?

What I am most confident about is that I chose the right cast, acted well, and made people believe the story was true. Of course, in my eyes, my "child" is always beautiful and cute; but to others, it may not be the case. But my crew and I did our best so that when the film is released, we won't have to regret why we didn't try harder.

As for anxiety, this is a new genre that I have never done before. Before the release, I was worried about every part of the film because each part has a different story, content, and investment. I also cannot know if the story I tell will be liked by everyone. But I usually do not let anxiety affect the crew, only my husband and I know. I am the one who takes the lead, cannot be negligent or lose energy, must always stimulate everyone to try to overcome everything.

"I dream of making 10 parts of Lat mat but I don't know if I can do it. By part 6, I feel weak in health. I feel like I'm abusing my time for my children. I feel guilty towards my family. As for ideas, whenever, wherever, whatever I see, I write them down so that when I have free time and need to develop a script, I can implement it. Currently, I have dozens of ideas and a few completed scripts but have not started filming yet" - Director LY HAI

The released parts of Lat Mat have all been successful. Is that proof that you understand your audience very well?

Before making a film, I consulted many people. I also kept the habit of going to the cinema, or watching movies online to know how the market was developing, what kind of movies people liked to watch. I researched both domestic and foreign films, successful and failed films. However, I like to go my own way. When writing the script, the market was booming with horror films, I avoided action films, then I switched to psychological films. I actively did not follow anyone's path.

If the audience watches the series Lat mat, the most common thing is the authenticity of the actors, the setting, or each line of dialogue. I always ask the actors and the filming setting to be as "real" as possible, to create emotions for the audience to exclaim: that is my house, my hometown, my brothers and sisters...

To do that, you accept to spend a lot of money and invest?

I don’t dare to say that I am willing to spend money. That is my way of respecting the audience, doing my best to bring the experience to the audience. I try my best, learning from those who have gone before, even though I always know that my cinema is still far behind the world .

More or less, do all of your films highlight traditional cultural elements?

When sitting with foreign filmmakers, I confided in them my desire to bring the film to an international audience. Many people told me, show the audience what you have. Scenes of tall buildings, skyscrapers, new cars, CGI technology... Hollywood has done it all. Vietnam's landscape is famous for its beauty, why don't we show it to international audiences, even to the people in the country who have not had the opportunity to go there? That's why many parts of Lat Mat have images of ferry terminals, floating markets, Cham dances, rickshaw races...

In Lat mat 6 , the mat making profession is just the background of the character, but through a few frames it has left an impression, helping young people know the mat village, the mats of the past were like. That makes me feel happy and joyful.

You are an "amateur" in cinema but very successful, is that pressure or motivation?

I studied theater and cinema in acting, drama, film… When I graduated, the film industry was not developing so I switched to singing. After more than 20 years of being a singer, I finally returned to my first dream of cinema. I entered the film industry with the mindset of doing it with passion. By Lat mat 6, I was in a position where I had realized that dream. For each film, I usually do not put too much emphasis on revenue; as long as when it is finished, people do not feel sorry for the time and money.

Did you ever assume your film would fail?

The more people expect, the more pressure they put on me. I think my films don't always meet everyone's needs; some people may like them, others may not. I just hope that after each story, people will see a change in their work, the efforts of Ly Hai and his crew, even if it's not a big step forward.

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