Just released, the film grossed 2.6 billion, won the Golden Kite and caused controversy.
The Golden Kite Award-winning short film "Wooden Fish" caused controversy when it was released in theaters, even though it was leading the box office in terms of revenue that day.
Starting from July 15,Wooden fish- a short film of less than 30 minutes by director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat - quickly attracted attention when it rose to the top of the Vietnamese box office with a revenue of 2.6 billion VND, temporarily surpassingSuperman.
However, along with the impressive achievements are controversies about the way the film is promoted on social networks as well as its content that is not suitable for many viewers.
On the official fanpage of a cinema complex, a promotional post with an image of the male lead character Cuong falling into the sea with a wooden guitar in hand shared: “No special effects. No stunts. Just a real ocean and a young man searching for a real passion”, “1 minute on screen is equal to 4 hours of real filming in the middle of the ocean. No studio, no CGI, just real will and real emotions”.
According to the distributor, to get one minute of screen time, the male lead actor had to film for 4 hours at sea. These “inspirational” promotional words immediately caused controversy.
Many viewers argued that the very scenes being used for promotion showed signs of CGI intervention - from the water colors, lighting effects to the schools of fish swimming in the frame, all of which could hardly be “naturally original” products. Many opinions on social networks said that Wooden Fish was being over-promoted.
In the face of controversy, Mr. Duc Nguyen - communications director of Wooden Fish shared with VTC News Electronic Newspaper:"This is a misunderstanding from a theater when it comes to distributing content to audiences. Immediately after discovering the incident, we contacted them to edit the content of the post. From the beginning until now, the crew of Dan Ca Go has never advocated excessive PR or using tricks.
We just want to bring our artwork to the audience in the most authentic and intimate way. This is a great lesson in censoring content more carefully before releasing it to the public. The team sincerely apologizes for making the audience receive incorrect information."
About the opinions thatWooden fishAlthough the film is an art film that is not popular with audiences, director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat said that the crew did not place much emphasis on the distinction between the tastes of the general audience and the professional council.
The film is made from personal emotions and creativity. The decision to show it in theaters comes from the audience's interest and curiosity after the MV.Miracle.The director expressed hope that the film will become a catalyst for viewers to dialogue with themselves, touch their own passions and find positive motivation in life.
Wooden fishwon the 2024 Golden Kite Award. The film tells the inner journey of Cuong - a coastal boy torn between family responsibility and the desire to pursue his passion. Although it is only a short film with a duration of less than 30 minutes, this work still makes a strong impression with poetic images, realistic natural settings and pure artistic spirit.
On the first day of its release, The Wooden Fish unexpectedly surpassed the blockbuster Superman to temporarily lead the box office in Vietnam. The initial success of the film shows that the public still has room for academic works, when they touch the right emotions and are conveyed sincerely.
