President Ho Chi Minh with Vietnamese children in the 1960s

A film about President Ho Chi Minh’s early life, Nhin ra bien ca (Look out over the sea), still to be produced by Hodafilm, will be screened in May 2010 to celebrate his 120th birthday.

The film depicts a young and dedicated teacher, Nguyen Tat Thanh, who later became President Ho Chi Minh.

The twenty-year-old man had an ardent love for his country, with a fervent determination to travel overseas and find ways to liberate the Vietnamese people from French colonials.

This new take on Uncle Ho’s early life is expected to bring audiences a fresh perspective.

“I enjoyed directing the film about the early life of Uncle Ho,” said the film’s Director Tran Luc.

”I hope the film will attract young people and the image of Uncle Ho at young age will inspire them to greater efforts.”

According to Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, the film does not have many scheduled shooting locations, but will require authentic period backgrounds and costumes.

The film’s context will focus on Duc Thanh Primary School in the central province of Binh Thuan’s Phan Thiet Town, where Uncle Ho had taught for eleven years from 1910.

The film will also be shot in the central city of Hue city and the coastal province of Binh Dinh.

The film’s budget is estimated to be VND7 billion (US$400,000).

Some scenes will be more costly than others, including the large demonstration by farmers in Hue against excessive taxation in 1908, and a scene at a train factory owned by the French.

Eligibility to play Uncle Ho

Nhin ra bien ca will present the wholesome image of Uncle Ho at a young age. This concept is markedly different from previous movies depicting Uncle Ho.

Therefore, the film company has to begin a nationwide search for an actor who is eligible to play President Ho Chi Minh.

“It’s not easy to find an actor who can play Nguyen Tat Thanh,” said actor Tran Luc who played Uncle Ho successfully in the movie “Nguyen Ai Quoc in Hong Kong.”

“Whether the actor’s appearance looks like Ho Chi Minh or not is trivial because the modern make-up technology is highly developed,” said Tran Luc.

“The important thing is that the actor himself must be mature enough to express the character’s personalities as well as behaviors.”

Reported by Hoang Oanh