The film “Peach, Pho and Piano” was selected to attend the Oscars.

On September 25, the film Dao, Pho and Piano was officially selected as Vietnam's entry to the preliminary round of the International Film category at the 97th Academy Awards.

The film “Peach, Pho and Piano” was selected to attend the Oscars. Photo: Internet.

The film “Peach, Pho and Piano” is a work by screenwriter and director Phi Tien Son, with an investment of 20 billion VND. The film is inspired by the 60-day and night battle in late 1946 and early 1947 of the Hanoi army and people “Determined to die for the Fatherland to survive”. The soldiers of the Capital Regiment fought with the spirit of “Determined to die for the Fatherland to survive”. The film is a love story between a national guard and a beautiful young lady from Hanoi, conveying the message of the desire to live and love even in the midst of the smoke and fire of war and the willingness to sacrifice for the Fatherland, praising the bravery and patriotism of the people of Hanoi.

The film tells the romantic love story of the self-defense soldier Van Dan (played by Doan Quoc Dam) and the young lady of Hanoi Thuc Huong (played by Cao Thuy Linh). They overcame difficulties and dangers to find each other again on the last day of the war (February 17, 1947), when the Vietnam People's Army withdrew to the war zone, entering a long-term resistance war. The film features the following actors: People's Artist Trung Hieu, director - Meritorious Artist Tran Luc, actor Anh Tuan, singer Tuan Hung... The film won the Silver Lotus Award at the 23rd Vietnam Film Festival held in Lam Dong in November 2023.

The war-romance themed work by director Phi Tien Son surpassed three other films submitted to the Cinema Department, including Mai (director Tran Thanh), The Price of Happiness (director Nguyen Ngoc Lam), and Lat Mat 7: Mot Dieu Uoc (director Ly Hai).

A scene from the film Peach, Pho and Piano. Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam

Dao, Pho and Piano were a cinematic "phenomenon" during the 2024 Lunar New Year, earning more than 20 billion VND despite only being shown at the National Cinema in Hanoi. The film later won the Silver Lotus Award at the 23rd Vietnam Film Festival and the Silver Kite Award at the Vietnam Cinema Association Awards.

With the official announcement from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Dao, Pho and Piano have become the 21st Vietnamese film to be submitted to the Oscars for International Feature Film, following Ashes of Glory by director Bui Thac Chuyen. The first film submitted by Vietnam to compete for this award was the film Mui Du Du Xanh . Up to this point, the work of director Tran Anh Hung is still the only Vietnamese film to have passed the shortlist, and was nominated at the 1993 Oscars. Before Dao, Pho and Piano , a number of films produced by Vietnamese state-owned film studios were selected to represent the country in the Oscars. Some examples include King of the Garbage Patch (director Do Minh Tuan) and Mui Co Chay (Nguyen Huu Muoi) - produced by Vietnam Feature Film Studio; Ao Lua Ha Dong (directed by Luu Huynh) and Mua Len Trau (Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh) - produced by Giai Phong Film Studio. However, it is unprecedented for a state-ordered film to be submitted for the award. Starting from October 2 (the deadline for submitting the preliminary film of the American Academy), Dao, Pho and Piano will compete with 73 to 89 films from countries around the world. The "race" for the International Film Oscar this year is considered fierce, with the general level of global representatives being highly appreciated.

Currently, the film is receiving the most attention, predicted to be a strong candidate not only in the Foreign Film category but also for Best Film of the year, Emilia Pérez - representative of France./.

Yanjiang