Director of the movie 'Tunnels' talks about the movie 'Red Rain': Making it is more difficult than 'Tunnels'

The Red Rain film crew interacted with the audience after the screening - Photo: D.DUNG

This year, Vietnamese cinema has two war films: Tunnels (director and scriptwriter Bui Thac Chuyen) and Red Rain (director Dang Thai Huyen, scriptwriter Chu Lai).

The Tunnels was released on April 30 and became the highest-grossing historical and war film in Vietnamese cinema history, earning 172 billion VND (according to Box Office Vietnam ).

Red Rain had its first screening with the audience on the evening of August 18 in Hanoi . In addition to the film crew, the film premiere was attended by representatives of ministries, departments, and many artists such as Nhu Quynh, Chieu Xuan, director Bui Thac Chuyen and his wife - actress Tu Oanh, MC Anh Tuan, young actors Thanh Son, Cu Thi Tra, singer Hoa Minzy - who performed the film's soundtrack, top 3 Miss Vietnam 2024 Truc Linh, Chau Anh, Van Nhi...

Especially, there was the presence of veterans who fought at the Citadel battlefield: Mr. Nguyen Van Hoi - head of the liaison committee of Battalion K3 Tam Dao; Hero of the People's Armed Forces Han Duy Long and Colonel; Hero of the People's Armed Forces Tran Trong Can.

Red Rain Movie Trailer

Director Bui Thac Chuyen: Red Rain is "much more difficult" than Tunnels

Sharing with Tuoi Tre Online on the sidelines of the event, director Bui Thac Chuyen said he did not dare to give a predicted revenue figure for the film Red Rain but "really hopes the film will be successful".

The director of the film Tunnels pointed out that the most difficult thing about Red Rain was "making a film about ground combat".

"I don't dare make a film about fighting on the ground because I don't have enough capacity to maintain a long-term ground war. I only dare to fight a short battle in the tunnels," he said.

According to him, if making a film about a war on the ground, yesterday's battles are almost the same as today's, the filmmaker must create a feeling that is both realistic and fresh, making the audience curious about what will happen next, and how much will change.

Even in the movie Tunnels, even though the battle was short, there were still different small battles such as crawling into the tunnels, drowning, poison gas, fighting on the riverbank...

At the exchange, director Bui Thac Chuyen Phat shared: " Red Rain has recreated very emotional footage. My last film compared to this one, in terms of scale and difficulty, this one is much more difficult. Everyone has succeeded in recreating an extremely tragic historical period of the nation."

Bui Thac Chuyen added that while normal films require one effort, war and historical films require 10 times more effort, or even more. He said war films "require the highest level of production."

Speaking further to Tuoi Tre Online, he shared that when making war and historical films, the perspectives of men and women may be different, but the strength of the film Red Rain directed by Dang Thai Huyen - a female director - "is not inferior to men, maybe even stronger. Like stronger than me, for example".

Veteran Nguyen Van Hoi shares

Director Dang Nhat Minh: Very happy for Vietnamese cinema

After watching Red Rain , veteran Nguyen Van Hoi - head of the liaison committee of Battalion K3 Tam Dao - could not contain his emotions.

" Red Rain has brought back to me the 81 days and nights of fighting to protect Quang Tri Citadel . My comrades lying in the Citadel are probably smiling with satisfaction. I never expected that after 50 years, I would be able to watch a movie about that war. We were the ones involved, but we couldn't hold back our tears," he confided.

Mr. Hoi added that the Citadel was 500m wide on each side, but his battalion had more than 1,000 people left behind.

He said: "The citadel is wide but my comrades are cramped. Thank you director Dang Thai Huyen for breathing life into Red Rain , so we can relive those heroic years once again."

North, Central, South join the whole country in the battle of Red Rain - Photo: DPCC

Director Dang Nhat Minh shared with Tuoi Tre Online that he had made a film about war, but the film only had a few scenes about war, not a film as grand, fierce and large-scale from beginning to end as this.

"I really admire the Red Rain crew . All the makeup, props, filming, set design... coordinated smoothly and very professionally. Excellent filming. Very good director. I'm very happy for Vietnamese cinema," the veteran director commented.

Red Rain is inspired and fictionalized from the event of 81 days and nights of heroic and resilient fighting to protect Quang Tri Citadel in 1972.

The film, starring Do Nhat Hoang, Le Ha Anh, Steven Nguyen, Hua Vi Van, Phuong Nam, Lam Thanh Nha, Le Hoang Long, Dinh Khang, Tran Gia Huy, Tran Luc, Dinh Thuy Ha... will officially be released in theaters on August 22.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dao-dien-phim-dia-dao-noi-ve-phim-mua-do-lam-kho-hon-dia-dao-20250819070910251.htm