Charlie Nguyen on the set of 2007’s blockbuster Dong mau anh hung (The Rebel)

Expatriate director Charlie Nguyen looks to Vietnamese history and culture to inspire him whether he is making an action film or a television serial.

Due to the limited film-making technology available in Vietnam and the pressure of time, Charlie expects a “mild” story, devoid of much “action,” tracing the gap between four generations of a Vietnamese family.

“We can’t make an action episode in two days. Just imagine you can cook a good dish in six hours, and you only have two hours to do it, are you sure you can complete the dish without any minor problems?”

The Vietnamese cultural factor might be a major problem for most expatriate directors but Charlie seems to be very confident of the coming serial.

“A movie may reveal the director’s cultural and social points of view. However, the audience should also be respected. If there is no sympathy, the film is less likely to become a success. As a filmmaker, you must win the audience’s heart, but if a film is not successful, we should not blame everything on the director,” says Charlie.

Chuyen nha toi is written by a Vietnamese scriptwriter, Charlie will only work on the first twenty episodes, the remaining episodes to be directed by two Vietnamese directors, Thai Hoa and Huu Thinh.

Immigrating to the US in 1982 when he was fourteen, Charlie Nguyen soon discovered his filmmaking passion with an old camera which he used to videotape fighting games with his brother – Vietnamese expatriate movie star Johnny Tri Nguyen.

In 1992, Charlie and his friend founded Cinema Pictures and he made his first film about a Vietnamese king called Hung Vuong Thu 18 (The eighteenth Hung King).

“I used to study in Vietnam and I am very proud of our history and tradition. As a child, I was immensely inspired by heroism. I always want to make a Vietnamese historical epic. We even had greater battles than The Battle of Red Cliff.”

Initially recognized as a talented director in America with “Chances Are” and “Finding Madison,” Charlie Nguyen was still a new name to the Vietnamese audience until “The Rebel” catapulted him to heights of popularity. The film also won the judges’ award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival in Los Angeles and fetched singer-turned actress Ngo Thanh Van the Best Female Actress award at the 15th Vietnam Film Festival.

Reported by H.Quan