Fortissimo Acquires Vietnamese Drama “Lost in Paradise” Ahead of TIFF
Ahead of its world premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival, Vietnamese director Vu Ngoc Dang’s “Lost in Paradise” has landed international rights with Amsterdam and Hong Kong-based sales company, Fortissimo Films.
“Vu Ngoc Dang is one of a new generation of Vietnamese directors that has both commercial sensibilities and a strong artistic vision,” said Fortissimo’s Chariman Michael J. Werner in a statement. “In ‘Lost in Paradise,’ thru the use of drama and comedy he depicts the intersection of the daily lives of a gay couple, a mentally disabled man, and a female prostitute and in doing so his film reveals the complexities and absurdities of life, love and relationships in world.”
“Lost in Paradise” marks the first Vietnamese film in the company’s catalog.
Here’s the trailer:
Full release below:
Amsterdam/Hong Kong, August 31, 2011 – Marking its first foray into the burgeoning world of Vietnam’s cinema scene, Fortissimo Films has acquired international distribution rights to Vietnamese director Vu Ngoc Dang’s upcoming film LOST IN PARADISE (aka HOT BOY NOI LOAN) which will enjoy its World Premiere at next month’s Toronto Film Festival. Unspooling in the Discovery Section, a major commercial release will follow in Vietnam later this year. The film will be presented with the two lead actors Luong Manh Hai and Ho Vinh Khoa attending. LOST IN PARADISE is the director’s third film with his prior film, LONG LEGGED GIRLS being a major success in Vietnam.
Co-written by the director along with actor Luong Manh Hai, the film was produced by Vietnam’s leading production and distribution company, BHD – Vietnam Media Corporation. The film takes a provocative yet compassionate look at young people living on the fringes who discover that life in the big city is not quite the paradise that they hoped it would be.
The deal was brokered by BHD-Vietnam Media Corp.’s principals Ngo Thi Bich Hanh and Nguyen Bao Mai and Fortissimo’s Chairman Michael J. Werner.
On making the deal, Werner commented, “Vu Ngoc Dang is one of a new generation of Vietnamese directors that has both commercial sensibilities and a strong artistic vision. In LOST IN PARADISE, thru the use of drama and comedy he depicts the intersection of the daily lives of a gay couple, a mentally disabled man, and a female prostitute and in doing so his film reveals the complexities and absurdities of life, love and relationships in world.”
Bao Mai of BHD commented, “Fortissimo has an excellent track record of working with films like LOST IN PARADISE. When Michael and his team expressed interest in working with us and working on this film we saw that this was an opportunity to take Director Vu’s film to a new level and also achieve a higher level of awareness for Vietnamese cinema. We are delighted that LOST IN PARADISE will be the first Vietnamese film in their line-up and catalogue.”
Negotiations are already underway with distributors in such far flung markets as the US and Hong Kong. Additional festival participation is expected to be announced shortly with the producers having received a large number of invitations.
