VietNamNet Bridge – ‘Saigon Yo’, directed by Vietnamese American director Stephane Gauge, is one of the first movies about hip-hop in Vietnam.

Director Stephane Gauge.

Hip hop has become popular among Vietnamese youth in recent years. Some Vietnamese hip-hop groups have gained fame at regional hip-hop events. To introduce Vietnam’s modern youth culture, director Stephane Gauger, who is famous in Vietnam for the “Owl and the Sparrow” movie, wrote the script for “Saigon Electric.”

The film is a story about boys and girls who are passionate about hip-hop. It is the harmonious combination of traditional arts of silk dance and drum dance with hip-hop. The movie is about two leading characters, Mai and Kim, two young girls who are passionate about dancing.

“Saigon Electric” was shot in only four and a half of weeks. All actors are amateurs except for the two leading actresses Van Trang and Khuong Ngoc.

A scene from “Saigon Electric”.

Before producing the film, the filmmakers studied hip-hop and graffiti in Vietnam for 2-3 years. Songs in “Saigon Electric” are performed by Quan Rapsoul, Suboi, and Vietmax. Some American musicians composed background music for the film. The producer, Chanh Phuong Film, said that after this movie is launched, an album will be released.

Chanh Phuong Film plans to bring the film to the Berlin International Film Festival.

This film will come out at local cinemas on December 17.

Director Nguyen Viet previously made the first movie about hip-hop, entitled “Bui Duong” (Street Dust), which was released late last year.

PV