(VOVworld)-The film Người cộng sự “The partner” will be aired on Vietnam Television (VTV) and the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) on September 29th on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties. The film honors the friendship between the renowned Vietnamese revolutionary Phan Boi Chau and Japanese doctor Asaba Sakitaro that took place 100 years ago and features Phan Boi Chau’s activities in Japan while he was seeking ways to liberate Vietnam.
The film, “The partner” tells a story of the present and the past linked by many meetings between Vietnamese and Japanese friends. Tetsuya is a Japanese businessman who is seeking to do business in Vietnam. Tetsuya is trapped into business problems when he meets Thanh Nam, a young director of the A Chau company, who has some expertise in business relations. Thanh Nam asks Tetsuya to search for a treasure related to a photo of a Vietnamese named Phan Boi Chau. This prompts him to embark on a journey from which he come to learn a special story about the friendship between the renowned Vietnamese revolutionary Phan Boi Chau and Japanese doctor Asaba Sakitaro. This friendship, which dates back 100 years, helps Tetsuya find an answer, sign a contract and find the real love of his life with a Vietnamese girl named Hong Lien. Jun Muto, general director of the film said: “The renowned Vietnamese nationalist Phan Boi Chau, a historical figure and the initiator of Vietnam’s Dong Du (Visit the East) Movement is a person who I really admire and respect. Thus, with all heart and mind, I spared no effort in working on this film. I hope that through this film the Vietnamese and Japanese people will better understand this period in history, and better understand the friendship between the two countries".
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The 120-minute film was shot in two months, with filming taking place in major cities in both countries. Well-known Vietnamese and Japanese actors had roles in the film, including Huynh Dong, who starred as Phan Boi Chau, and director Thanh Nam. Dong played two main roles in the film, one in the present and one in the past. Although there are many differences in their backgrounds and costumes, between them there is a grace in both characters which lead to a friendship that lasts into the next generation. Dong said: “I am like a follower who is trying to understand the friendly relationship which Phan Boi Chau created between Vietnam and Japan. I hope that through this film, increasingly fruitful relation between Vietnam and Japan will develop, and the two countries can support each others in many other fields of cooperation.”
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| Actor Huynh Dong, who starred as Phan Boi Chau, and director Thanh Nam (Photo: Hanoimoi.co) |
Together with Huynh Dong, Noriyuki Higashiyama, a famous Japanese actor also played two roles in the film, doctor Asaba Sakitaro and businessman Tetsuya. He was excited when working with Vietnamese actors and actresses and visiting many of Vietnam’s natural beauty spots during filming. He said: “On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties, it is my honor to play a role in the film “The partner”, which tells the story of the friendship between Vietnam and Japan 100 years ago. I hope that not only my generation, previous generations but also the next generation will learn about this fine relationship, which brought Vietnamese-Japanese relations to a new height.”
As well as Noriyuki Higashiyama, there are also many other famous Japanese actors in the film. Mana Ashida, the youngest actress, is one of the 10 most famous Japanese child actors, playing the role of the daughter of Tetsuya, whose mother died young. When her father falls in love with Lien, a Vietnamese girl, she doesn’t want her father to remarry. She can’t open her heart to accept Hong Lien as her step mother because of her memories of her late mother. Mana Ashida had this to say: “I love fairy tales and history but I hadn’t heard of Phan Boi Chau and Asaba before; when I read the script I really liked the story so it was easier to act naturally in the film".
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| Photo: Dantri.vn |
The film ends with the couple marrying on a beach the atmosphere rich with images of Vietnamese and Japanese traditional cultural values.