Filmmakers inspired by the country’s glorious past are making several historical movies and TV series scheduled for showing this year to celebrate the 1,000th . . .

Centre of attention: A scene from the movie Heroes of the Tay Son Dynasty which will be aired at cinemas around the country starting April 30.

Wellknown actor Ly Hung plays King Quang Trung and Miss Universe Viet Nam 2008, Thuy Lam, is Princess Ngoc Han – his wife.

TV serials Thai Su Tran Thu Do (Great Tutor Tran Thu Do) and Ly Cong Uan – Duong Toi Thanh Thang Long (Ly Cong Uan – The Road to Thang Long Citadel) as well as feature film Long Thanh Cam Gia Ca (Song About a Musician in Thang Long Citadel) are nearing completion.

Tran Thu Do, a highly intelligent man well versed in military planning and strategy, was known as the architect of the powerful Tran dynasty which ruled the country from 1225 to 1400.

The script of the 30-episode TV series, written by author Nguyen Manh Tuan, also goes into Do’s romance with Tran Thi Dung, a fascinating, beautiful woman.

Adapted from a script that won the first prize in a writing contest about Thang Long-Ha Noi, Song About a Musician in Thang Long is produced by Giai Phong Film Studio with a total investment of VND8 billion (US$418,800).

“In the movie, Thang Long Citadel is depicted as a place not only for kings, but also for intellectuals, scholars and artists,” said film director Dao Ba Son.

The film was shot in many locations in Viet Nam including Hoi An Town and Ninh Binh Province. Song and dance scenes were filmed at the Viet Phu Art Museum, 40km from Ha Noi.

Song About a Musician in Thang Long will be released in October.

Film studios are seeking funds to make another feature film about King Ly Thai To who moved the capital from Hoa Lu in the present-day Ninh Binh to Thang Long (now Ha Noi) in 1010.

The shooting of Thai To Ly Cong Uan and Chieu Doi Do (Royal Proclamation on Moving the Capital) is expected to start soon.

These films and TV serials mark a change from the past when few filmmakers invested in such ventures despite the glorious history of the nation.

“Making historical films and TV serials is not easy,” said People’s Artist Hai Ninh.

The acclaimed Dem Hoi Long Tri (A Night of Long Tri Festival) made by Ninh in 1989-1991 has been considered Viet Nam’s first historical film. It deals with events and the lives of the Vietnamese people in the last years of the 18th century.

“Creating the correct historical ambience for such films is a challenge for film crews,” Ninh said.

“We need contributions from scholars, historians and advisors who are experts in those periods. We have spent three years researching the life of King Quang Trung to ensure historical accuracy for the film, ” said Ly Huynh, who directed Heroes of the Tay Son Dynasty.

“It’s also very expensive to make historical films.”

Huynh said he spent about VND12 billion (US$631,500) to make the film which needed hundreds of horses and elephants and the presence of over 2,000 extras in crowd and battlefield scenes.

State-owned Feature Film Studio 1 invested around VND53 billion ($2.7 million) to make Great Tutor Tran Thu Do which was shot in many places in Viet Nam and China.

“We learn a lot about the histories of countries from good films and TV serials, ” said Le Tran Bao Duy, a 12th grader.

“We’re waiting for some locally made historical films that are worth watching,” he added.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News