Old school: Singer Cam Ly won the 2010 Mai Vang (Golden Ochna) Award for Best Singer in folk music. The annual award is given by HCM City's Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper. — File PhotoNgoi Nha Trong Hem (House in the Alley), a horror film about terrible secrets occurring in the house of a young couple whose marriage is heading for a break-up, will be screened at local cinemas tomorrow, Feb 14.

Produced by US-based Coco Paris LLC, the film was directed and written by overseas Vietnamese Le Van Kiet, who graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Kiet began to write the screenplay at the end of 2010 when he was staying in HCM City.

"The idea for the movie came out of an old two-storey house in a small valley in District 3 which I rented when I stayed in Viet Nam," Kiet said.

The movie features the life of a young couple, a housewife and a businessman, after they lose their first child.

The wife, Thao, is in such grief that she keeps a coffin of the child's corpse in her bedroom. Day by day, she becomes depressed and obsessed that her child is stolen from her.

Her husband, Thanh, tries to help his wife, but his efforts lead things out of control.

The couple are forced to fight against strange forces in their house.

Producer Tran Trong Dan said the movie shows that a sudden event can destroy people's lives.

"People need love and strength to put their life together again," he added.

Film stars actress Ngo Thanh Van and actor Tran Bao Son play the leading female and male roles.

"Thao is a complicated character," said Van, who starred in Dong Mau Anh Hung (Rebel) and Bay Rong (Clash).

She said the role was a challenge for her after two years of not filming.

Although House in the Alley has not been shown in Viet Nam, it has received invitations to join several US film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, Seattle International Film, Fantastic Festival in Houston, and Hawaii Film Festival.

The film's director and producer are continuing to co-operate in making another horror film Bay Cap 3 (The Level-3 Trap).

The film is about a group of young people from HCM City touring Da Lat and encountering strange situations there.

Dan said he had always wanted to make a film in Da Lat where he was born and grew up. The film is expected to be released later this year.

Source: VNS