(VNS, September 1, 2003)

A feature film about President Ho Chi Minh, co-produced by film makers from Viet Nam and China, will make its debut on September 2, Viet Nam’s National Day.

The 100-minute long feature, entitled Nguyen Ai Quoc in Hong Kong, has been filmed by the Viet Nam Writers’ Film Studio and the Zhoujiang Studio in Guangdong, China.

Based on the screenplay by author Huu Mai, the film is about the life and times of Nguyen Ai Quoc (Nguyen the Patriot), an early pseudonym of President Ho Chi Minh, in Hong Kong. It recounts the years Nguyen spent living in an apartment in Kowloon’s Tun Lung Street, after leaving Thailand in 1930.

During his time there, Nguyen, under the Chinese pseudonym Song Wen Chu, founded the Viet Nam Communist Party and worked as a representative of Communist International.

He worked hard to gather support from international comrades in the struggle to gain independence for colonised countries, particularly Viet Nam, writing many documents and press articles criticising the French colonialist regime in Viet Nam, meeting a warm response from the public.

For his revolutionary activities, Nguyen was later arrested by British police and held in Victoria Prison for two years. Meanwhile, French police sought ways to extradite him back to Viet Nam where he was sentenced to death in absentia in 1927.

The Vietnamese revolutionary won the hearts of many people overseas for his spirit and commitment, and consequently he was released thanks to the support of British lawyer. Loseby and his wife, who were members of the Hong Kong intelligentsia.

"This period of President Ho Chi Minh’s life was chosen for my screenplay because I wanted to portray our leader’s remarkable strength in the first days of the national revolutionary movement," said scriptwriter Huu Mai.

"Through my story, I hope people around the world can see more clearly that Nguyen Ai Quoc/Song Wen Chu was a brave man who devoted himself to fight for his country’s freedom," he said.

Ha Pham Phu, the film’s production manager, said the crew began filming in Guangdong on November 25, 2002 and then in Hainan, Hong Kong and several places in Viet Nam.

"Actors from China, Russia, Poland, Germany, Australia, India, Sri Lanka and the United States have participated in the film," said Phu, who is the director of the Viet Nam Writers’ Film Studio.

Phu said film crew researched various books and documents about the life of the President before filming but still faced obstacles in recounting the life of the leader.

"Our work was a major challenge because we wanted to describe Nguyen Ai Quoc to help young audiences, particularly overseas, to understand the spirit and revolutionary cause of the greatest leader in Viet Nam’s history."

The film is co-directed by Nguyen Khac Loi and Yuan Shiji, who are experienced directors of documentary and historical films. Co-operating with cameramen Tran Quoc Dung and Zheng Kang Zhen, they tried hard to show moviegoers an interesting period in the life of President Ho Chi Minh.

"There are many reasons why Ho Chi Minh and his life continue to attract both Vietnamese and foreign people, but the main element was the universal appeal of the revolutionary’s wisdom, rational, romantic and conscientious character," said musician Trong Dai, who directed the 70-strong Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra to record the soundtrack for the film.

Dai’s score is composed with an international rather than national feel. "Nguyen Ai Quoc spent almost 30 years of his life overseas and is famous around the world and the film’s music reflects this," he said.

He said making the soundtrack for Nguyen Ai Quoc in Hong Kong is his biggest achievement. "Besides its historical and political meaning, the film is also about my hero."

Well-known actor Tran Luc, who played Nguyen Ai Quoc, shares Dai’s sentiments, saying he "felt very proud but under pressure when playing Nguyen Ai Quoc, our Uncle Ho, so I tried to give my best performance possible."

Together with foreign actors, Luc worked hard and gained valuable lessons throughout the film. He said the film was a departure from his usual work and he’s eagerly awaiting the response from audiences.

Phu said the film will be launched in Viet Nam on September 1 as part of celebrations of the National Day on September 2nd.

Dubbed in Chinese and English, the film under the title Escape From Hong Kong will be released in China next month.