Vietnamese football… and 11 hopes

Vietnam U23 team in the joy of victory at the 2018 AFC U23 Championship

Not only me, but all of you will see yourself in that series of stories", director - also the scriptwriter of the football movie "11 Hopes", Robie Truong shared on the day of the movie's release.

The film was shot in April 2017, invested by Metan Entertainment and will be distributed by GALAXY Distribution Studio, scheduled to be released in theaters in May 2018.

History of Vietnamese football movies

In the early 1980s, Vietnamese cinema – Vietnam Feature Film Studio, Studio II, made the first football film titled “Minute 89”. The film was set in the context of Northern football after the country’s reunification, with fictional names such as Dong Do, Song Hong. The main filming location – the atmosphere of a football match, was mainly filmed at Chua Cuoi Stadium (now Thien Truong), with the Ha Nam Ninh Industrial football team. Famous locations in the South at that time such as Cau Treo, Vi Hoang Hotel, and West Lake… were also filmed.

Vietnam Football Movie Poster and 11 Hopes

Nearly 20 years after “Minute 89”, Vietnamese filmmakers also made a film that lasted more than 1 hour and 30 minutes about football called “Shoot…in”. The film gathered the “golden generation” of Vietnamese football players such as Huynh Duc, Hong Son, Quoc Cuong, Cong Minh…, in addition to the participation of veteran actors such as Bao Quoc, Viet Anh… That was the time that could be said to be the heyday of Vietnamese football, since the integration, with the love of football measured by tens of thousands of spectators - fans coming to the stadiums, not as weak as it is now.

In 2016, another film called “Shot” produced by Viet Max was also introduced and premiered in the leading cinema system in Vietnam, but it can be said that it failed in terms of revenue as well as the reception of football fans. The most notable achievement of the film was the Vietnam Golden Kite Award for Best Cinematography, cinematography. Yes, because making football footage is extremely difficult.

“11 Hopes” was conceived more than 10 years ago, according to Director - Screenwriter Robie Truong, shooting in the context of a series of football films that had almost failed. Robie Truong and producer Metan of course also considered the worst possibilities, after many previous references, but according to the director who has made many big film projects for more than half a decade, he made this film partly to satisfy the wandering desires of a young man. I heard that Robie Truong played football very well.

“I still remember a match 20 years ago, my team, me and another Vietnamese friend, defeated the tall Australian guys. We hugged each other to celebrate and wished we were standing in the middle of a big stage like the World Cup. That is what inspired me to make a film about Vietnamese football. The 11 players on the field are 11 hopes, new aspirations, torn when facing difficulties, temptations, love, family, friends…”, Robie Truong shared.

The film, scheduled to premiere at the GALAXY cinema system in May 2018, gathers a huge and hottest cast of actors today such as Nhan Phuc Vinh, Hoang Phi, Rima Thanh Vy, Meritorious Artist Cong Ninh, Meritorious Artist Vo Hoai Nam, Hung Chilhyun, Lam Minh Thang... The music is performed by Duc Tri.

From movies to real football life

Vietnamese people still have a saying that (this) story only happens in movies. Or movies and real life are very different. Depending on the criteria of the subject, a movie can be stylized in content compared to reality: more tragic or can be more rosy. But basically, movies as well as other activities in the entertainment field, can speak for themselves, give wings to dreams. The movie "11 hopes" is one of them. Vietnamese football used to hope - expect a lot, but in the end it was just a broken story.

11 Hopes is a story revolving around young men with a strong love for football and a desire to once wear the country's flag, burning themselves for the belief of millions of Vietnamese hearts. In particular, 3 famous players Le Huynh Duc, Hong Son and Phan Van Tai Em will also appear in the film.

Set in a fictional coastal city of Vietnam, where a prestigious football tournament between countries in the region takes place, the story of 11 Hopes is the journey to find himself of Phong (Nhan Phuc Vinh), a reserve player who always carries a burning love for football.

Nhan Phuc Vinh plays Phong. He loves football, and despite his father's prohibition, he still perseveres with his passion. On the path to pursuing his passion, he encounters obstacles from his family, challenges of life, love, friendship... Sometimes it pushes him and his teammates to unpredictable temptations.

Not only exploiting the football theme, the film also depicts the portraits of young men facing the challenges of life, especially when they wear the flag of the Fatherland, each of their choices and steps can be a hope for the hearts of millions of Vietnamese fans.