Tet movies on the small screen

OLD BOTTLE NEW WINE

In the television series segment, since the beginning of November 2024, several films have been announced to start filming, such as Tet Market of Countryside Love recorded at the Red Brick Festival ( Vinh Long ) or White Shirt of Pharmacy , which started filming on December 8, 2024, and is expected to be broadcast on Lunar New Year on Dong Thap Radio and Television Station. These are two films with content that has the "flavor" of the West, reflecting the life and Tet flavor of the people of this land. Meanwhile, two outstanding Tet film projects with content conveying stories of Northern villages and the northern mountainous region with humane messages, namely Spring Promise and Village Story, were also introduced. Spring Promise is expected to be broadcast on VTV1 from the 1st to the 5th of the Lunar New Year of At Ty.

Scene from the comedy film A Pao marries a Tay woman to celebrate Tet

Sharing at the introduction of the film Village Story, Production Director - Artist Hong Nguyen affirmed that this will be a film that brings laughter, joy, and at the same time contains profound human values. The film recreates many village scenes, connects the village and neighborhood as well as warns about the fraud that happens every day. Village Story brings together a high-quality cast such as artists Phu Thang, Quang Lam, Thuy Lien, Thu Huyen...

Tet comes, Tet comedy is usually the most blooming segment, but according to producers and directors, this year is quite quiet. Looking back, it is still "old wine in new bottles" with familiar names producing Tet comedy films such as Dai gia chan dat (Barefoot Rich Man), Lang e vo (Wife Village) by director Tran Binh Trong or films in the Tet comedy series by director Duong Ngoc Bao such as Bon debt dem giao thua (New Year's Eve Debt), Xe om Tet (Tet Motorbike Taxi), A Pao marrying a Tay wife to celebrate Tet... There is only one new element participating in Tet comedy films in 2025, the director of the TV series Kinh kaleidoscope - Nguyen Minh Chung, with Tu hai phat tai (The Wealthy Sea).

According to director Tran Binh Trong, the content of the films Dai gia chan dat (Barefoot Rich Man) and Lang e vo (Single Wife Village) this year has some changes. The scripts no longer mention current issues but focus on everyday, humorous, real-life stories from a certain character. The cast also has a few new faces such as Meritorious Artist Chi Trung, Nguyen Hai, and young faces such as Kien Tran, Thanh Huong, Le Ngoc Trinh, etc. "This year I invited a few more faces to refresh and these are also close relationships, such as Meritorious Artist Chi Trung, my idol since childhood, or Nguyen Hai. In the past few years, I often invited Cat Phuong to perform, but this year it will be the young face Le Ngoc Trinh to create a new look," said director Tran Binh Trong.

Behind the scenes of the movie Barefoot Tycoon

Meritorious Artist Chi Trung plays the main role in Barefoot Tycoon

Some people are easy, some are difficult…

In the Tet film segment on television, most of the production units are television stations, so budget is not a pressing issue. Meanwhile, with Tet comedies shown on social media platforms, most of the directors pay for them themselves.

In general, each Tet comedy film is only 1-2 episodes long, each episode is about 30-45 minutes, broadcast on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and several other platforms. According to the directors, some local TV stations also expressed interest in buying it to broadcast, but not many due to budget constraints.

Commenting on the production of comedy films for Tet 2025, director Tran Binh Trong said that previous years were more bustling because this year some units are no longer producing. “They do not have an audience, which means that sponsors will withdraw. Filmmaking is a hobby. However, there are still some places that still produce regularly. Every year we have to skip a few sponsors, because if a film has too many advertisements, it will lose its quality and I will use my own capital to make it. For example, this year, Lang e vo has only 2 sponsors. In the past, social networking platforms were almost exclusively on YouTube…; but now there are many platforms so the audience has many choices,” Mr. Tran Binh Trong added.

It can be seen that, in order to retain the audience, many production units have proactively cut down on advertising on films, although there are financial difficulties, as director Duong Ngoc Bao shared: “The funding source this year is weak, perhaps due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, the difficult economic situation, so businesses limit sponsorship. There are units that only support 10 million, 20 million VND. If you have to gather many advertising units into one film, it will lose its quality and the audience will get bored. Therefore, production units must spend their own money to make films and not rely on this source of funding.”

To overcome financial pressure, directors and production units prioritize choosing familiar collaborators. Director Duong Ngoc Bao said he will still invite actors who have been with him for a long time such as Hiep Ga, Linh Mieu, Bao Bao and some newly emerging hot girls... And to make the film content more attractive, they also proactively insert clever advertisements, mostly at the end of the film or in shopping scenes. "Having worked in the profession, to maintain the annual Tet film, we have also determined that this year, just a draw is enough to be happy," director Duong Ngoc Bao expressed.