(VOVWORLD) - OKIA Cinema, whose owner, director Nguyen Hoang Diep has carefully selected compelling foreign and Vietnamese movies, guaranteeing an unforgettable night for enthusiasts of the silver screen! The latest screening was Leon Quang Le’s first feature film “Song Lang”, also known as “The tap box,” which won him the Best Director award at the third Sharm El-Sheikh Asian film festival in Egypt. A meet-and-greet with fans, the cast, and crew was hosted after the screening.
 "Song Lang" is the first feature film of Vietnamese-American director Leon Quang Le (Photo: OKIA Cinema) |
It’s an hour prior to the show time but hundreds of people are already at OKIA Cinema, located inside the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts. Tickets are sold on a first-come-first-served basis at 50,000 VND, a little more than 2 dollars. Watching the movie here gets you a free drink, from hot or iced coffee to beverages made from mung bean, black sesame, oatmeal, and brown rice. Snacks and noodles are also sold at OKIA Hanoi café for an extra fee, ranging from half a dollar to 2 dollars. Several people are queuing to get their drinks before heading to the lovely garden where “Song Lang” is set to be screened.
“I have watched this movie once before at the theater. I really enjoyed the acting.”
“I come with a friend. I saw an advertisement on Facebook that the movie will be screened here so I decided to give it a shot. I’m really impressed by its interesting and artistic trailer.”
“I studied in a film-making course. I know that the movie was out last year but I missed it. When I found that OKIA Cinema is screening the movie, I decided to come here to watch the film.”
The 199 other seats are occupied! This is the first time The setup of OKIA CINEMA is simple with tables and plastic chairs placed in rows in front of a large projection screen. As autumn starts to kiss the Hanoi air with a hint a coolness, it makes for a pleasant atmosphere for a Saturday night at the movies alfresco.
 Audience members wait for showtime of "Song Lang" at Okia Cinema (Photo: OKIA Hanoi) |
It’s 6:25 pm, almost show time for “Song Lang”! The title means “the tap box”, which helps the cải lương (reformed opera) instrumentalists keep the beat. “Song Lang” can also be reinterpreted as “two men”. There must have been some word-play in the title as the movie tells of the chemistry between two young men: a cải lương singer Linh Phụng, played by pop sensation Issac, and a debt collector named Dung, played by Lien Binh Phat. The depiction of the onstage and offstage lives of cai luong artists in Sai Gon during the 1980s, together with its warm embrace of traditional Vietnamese opera are the highlights of the movie.
The clock strikes 6:29. Show time’s in one minute! Just like other cinemas, movie-goers are required to turn their phones to silent mode. No livestreaming or recording allowed.
The applause of hundreds of people is definitely a touching gift for the film crew attending the event. There are several scenes that make the audience laugh from their belly or burst into tears.
 Director Nguyen Hoang Diep hosts the meet-and-greet with Song Lang's cast and crew (Photo: OKIA Hanoi) |
The owner of OKIA Cinema, director Nguyen Hoang Diep hosted the meet-and-greet with director/scriptwriter Leon Quang Le, co-scriptwriter Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc, and actress/Cai Luong singer Tu Quyen. The first time Leon attended OKIA Cinema for a meeting with Song Lang’s fans was a year ago, soon after the movie premiered. Vietnamese-American director Leon recalled: “Over the last year, “Song Lang” has received 38 international awards in a series of categories: acting, screenwriting, camera work, directing, design, and costumes. But what matters the most to me is still that the movie which is about Vietnamese culture is loved by the Vietnamese people who understand their mother tongue and cai luong. I want to thank Diep and OKIA Cinema for supporting us domestically. I am so happy that the movie has received great feedback from audiences in Hanoi.”
 From right to left: Director/scriptwriter Leon Quang Le, actress/Cai Luong singer Tu Quyen, co-scriptwriter Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc (Photo: OKIA Hanoi) |
Co-writing the movie with Leon was writer Minh Ngoc. She shared several fun facts about the movie. One of them is that the protagonist - cai luong singer Linh Phung is actually named after the Vietnamese version of the name Leon. When she revealed that Leon can sing cai luong beautifully, audiences immediately requested for a live duet between the director and actress/Cai Luong singer Tu Quyen.
In talking about about the duet “Afternoon fog”, originally performed in “Song Lang” by Tu Quyen and Issac, Leon said he wrote new lyrics for the characteristic Cai Luong melody used for romantic scenes. In the movie, it was used for an on-stage scene in which Trong Thuy and My Chau vowed their eternal love. The love song wrapped up the event, leaving a warm and lasting impression on audience members.
“It’s my first time watching the movie. I’m really impressed. The movie is touching and helps me understand more about cai luong and traditional culture. I want to thank OKIA Cinema for hosting the fan meeting with the movie crew! "
"The event is great! I will definitely introduce this place to more people."
"I’ve seen this movie 4 times. I always choose to go to the cinema since I like a spacious screen and I decided to come here again. I really like the culture of OKIA Cinema."
 The cast and crew of "Song Lang" movie take photo with audiences in Hanoi (Photo: OKIA Hanoi) |